Review: The Superior Foes Of Spider-Man #1

 

Marvel Comics/$2.99

 

            Spider-Man’s adversaries have always had it rough, especially the second-string ones. Getting your ass handed to you time and time again by a wisecracking dude in tights who sticks to walls and shoots webs from his wrists is bound to get old after a while, but you have to hand it to guys like Shocker and Boomerang. They’re still at it and still out to get the upper hand on Ol’ Webhead. Or in this case, Otto Octavius in Spidey’s body.

            To kick off “Superior Spider-Month”, Marvel released The Superior Foes Of Spider-Man #1 on July 3^rd, 2013, and I must admit that it’s way better than I expected it to be. I haven’t been a big fan of The Superior Spider-Man, although it has been an interesting story arc so far, it’s had too many low moments for me. The whole tone of the book has changed since Doctor Octopus’ mind possessed Peter Parker’s body, which of course was the whole point. I just find the title less enjoyable, but still worth reading to see where Dan Slott’s story is going. That being said, The Superior Spider-Man has not turned me off to the character, and I’m really looking forward to seeing what Marvel has up their sleeves for the Spider-books in the near future.

            The Superior Foes Of Spider-Man’s first issue was a thoroughly enjoyable read. The writing by Nick Spencer was full of humor and illustrated life as a villain with such humanity and wit that it’s hard not to feel sorry for those who occasionally go toe-to-toe with everyone’s favorite wallcrawler. The story centers around the new Sinister Six (well, five, but who’s really counting?), in particular Boomerang, who’s ended up in jail due to a run-in with Spidey and counting on his villainous pals to bail him out. Beetle, Shocker, Overdrive, and Speed Demon all have moments to shine in this hilarious book, and I’d say that this series is off to a promising start. The art by Steve Lieber is awesome and serves the story well, while Rachelle Rosenberg’s colors make the art pop and compliment Lieber’s line art well, giving the book a light-hearted tone. While not on the same level of absurdity as, say, Deadpool, The Superior Foes Of Spider-Man has plenty of laughs and is a very fun ride. I can’t wait until issue #2! Well, done, Marvel!