Now that Doc Ock has taken over the Peter-body, it’s time to get his hands on another body – Mary Jane Watson. Face it Tiger… EEEEEWWWWW!
THE SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #2
Writer: Dan Slott
Artist: Ryan Stegman
Colorist: Edgar Delgado
Letterer: VC’s Chris Eliopoulos
Editor: Stephen Wacker
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Previously, in The Superior Spider-Man: Doctor Otto Octavius, having switched minds with Peter Parker, has assumed the mantel of the hero, Spider-Man! But he isn’t satisfied with being just the Amazing Spider-Man, nor the Spectacular Spider-Man. Otto Octavius is the Superior Spider-Man! It’s just too bad the ghost of Peter Parker is hanging around providing commentary about everything…
AN OLD MAN IN A YOUNG MAN’S BODY
It’s weird thinking of a villain assuming the role of the hero, but Octavius continues to do it, and with each turn, he continues to show the reader that he does indeed have good ideas, and his intellect ends up doing the right thing, even though the Ghost of Parker believes it is all a ruse. And it might be, but what Dan Slott is writing here, seems fresh. Speaking of being fresh, Otto is in a young body, a body that can do so many amazing things, and he has his mind set on Mary Jane Watson. The bulk of this issue features Otto trying again and again to seduce Mary Jane into bed, and each time ending the evening with only a peck on the cheek. Ghost Peter believes it is because deep down M.J. knows it really isn’t Peter in the body, but by the end of the issue reader’s learn that Charlie and M.J. have been getting chummy, and because of Peter’s previous involvement with Charlie, M.J. is being slow and cautious.
Eventually, Otto does the only thing he can, use his Parker memories to relive all the times Peter and M.J. were together… you know what I’m talking about… And with that out of his system, the mind is righted, and Otto does another thing Peter was never able to do; cut ties with Mary Jane with a great, “it’s not you, it’s me, and me” line that still keeps the doors open, and gives Otto a chance to flirt with anyone else who catches his fancy. A lot of readers were anxiously awaiting this issue to see how Slott and Marvel would handle this situation, as the situation danced way to close to rape to be comfortable for many. Dan Slott once again shows why he should be handling this character, as his solution satisfies readers, and satisfies Otto’s needs.
As far as Ghost Peter goes, I’m still not sold on this gimmick. G.P spends almost all of this issue complaining and whining over why people can’t see that it isn’t really him. Slott gets a chance to shut down those of us that didn’t like the big reveal at the end of issue #1, by having Ghost Peter actually be impressed over some of the techniques and technologies Octavius employs to help fight crime, and free up time to pursue other experiments. But then there are also moments when Ghost Peter exerts some influence over Octavius, and in one panel it almost appears as if the two are having a conversation – and that is the part that bothers me. I most certainly don’t want this book, or Spider-Man to turn into Firestorm. Not that there is anything wrong with the character, but the ghost and the man talking back and forth in the end, gets old really fast.
MOUTHS
For the most part, Ryan Stegman’s art works for me. I like his layouts, this attention to detail, and the way he poses characters, and frames the action. Where the art fails is in the way Mr. Stegman draws mouths. They are either closed, or open in such a weird manner that I can’t tell if the characters are about to break out into a chorus of Pirates of Penzance. It’s weird, it’s creepy, and brings the art down quite a bit. Other than that, the pages sure are pretty.
BOTTOM LINE: YOU’VE GOT ME FOR THREE MORE ISSUES
Overall, I really enjoyed this issue, even though I went in expecting the interest meter to take a huge tumble. Dan Slott took care of the Mary Jane fears that many readers had, kept Octavius interesting without being a total creep, and presented information that propelled the story forward instead of stagnating. There is one concern I have over the way Ryan Stegman draws mouths, but that didn’t affect my overall enjoyment of the issue. The Superior Spider-Man continues to impress me, and earns 4 out of 5 Stars.
[rating:4/5]DID YOU READ THIS ISSUE? RATE IT!
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7 Comments
Enjoyed it as well – hanging in there to see where this might go, although I remember Matthew saying something along the lines of this won’t go more than four or five issues before “Peter” becomes Peter again. It looks like he might be more right after this issue.
I so enjoyed this issue. Now we can see where Slott is going with this.
I came back to Spider-Man last summer, after a break of about twenty years. I was dissappointed to find that Parker was still a whiny schmo. Parker had a new, cool job with Horizon, but other than that, he was the same passive victim of life that he had always been. The character hadn’t really grown at all.
Ghost Parker observing the Doc Oc takeover gives Slott a means for Parker to learn how to grow up and act like a mature adult. When Parker gets his body back, Doc Oc will have mentored him with a demonstration of how a Spider-Man really should live his life.
Parker has been a consistant character throughout the decades, but the constancy has undermined his hero’s journey of maturation. I think Slott has finally found a way to get this character to mature in a meaningful and possibly permanent way.
Likewise, I hope Doc Ock, learns what it means to be a hero, and becomes less of pain in the future, maybe taking him the Pied Piper route from The Flash… oh wait, those stories only exist in the back issues of my mind.
So if Doc Ock does have a change of heart, would he end up working at Horizon Labs alongside Peter and company?
Well, what happens to Doc Ock when Peter gets his body back? Does Otto inhabit another poor soul? Is there someone he wasn’t able to “save” whose body can become his vessel?
Maybe someone who’s body is biologically intact but their mind is just gone. Then it’s just like moving into a new house. Anyone out there like that?
The end of the most recent issue of Avenging Spider-Man (minor spoilers inc, BTW) suggests that Otto is going to have to deal with The Jackal sometime in the near future. Bringing in Jackal means bringing in clones and the possibility of Otto getting a new body for himself that way.