Category Archives: Spider-Man
My Guess Is That Doctor Octopus Will Kill Mary Jane Watson
This is pure speculation as to the big event that’s going to happen in Amazing Spider-Man #700. This is just a guess.
As I’ve written before, the milestone issue Amazing Spider-Man #700 is coming out in November, and writer Dan Slott has said that what he’s doing in this issue is the single biggest thing he’s ever done to a character. Something huge is going to happen, some kind of seismic change to Spider-Man’s world. But as Slott has also said, it’s not going to be a nice change. He’s worried about having to go into hiding when the issue comes out in order to escape the fans’ ire. As I wrote before, I hate this kind of hype and I hate big, dramatic changes that exist solely to piss off the fans and get them riled up.
The most obvious pun in the world
We also now know that Amazing Spider-Man #700 is going to be the last issue of the series. This was announced the other day when the November solicitations came out. Most likely this is going to lead to a new #1 issue as part of Marvel NOW! No one said Spider-Man would be exempt from Marvel NOW! And rumor has it, though it’s not yet confirmed, that the title is going to change to ‘Superior Spider-Man’. Nobody yet knows what that means or implies.
So what will Slott write that will be so huge as to really anger the fans and warrant an entire relaunch of Amazing Spider-Man?
I think Doctor Octopus is going to kill Mary Jane Watson.
Hopefully after she’s finished posing
Join me after the jump to find out why!
We Get It, The ‘How It Should Have Ended Guys’ Love Their Batman/Superman Diner Scenes
I’ve always been a fan of the ‘How It Should Have Ended’ web series. It’s funny, pokes a lot of good humor at the movies, and is very well animated. But lately, those guys have really dropped the ball. They don’t even show alternate endings anymore, which was the entire point. Plus they are absolutely in love with their Batman and Superman sitting in a dinner and mocking other superhero movies shtick. And that is definitely getting old.
Still, at least these are kind of funny. And it’s like I’m doing anything better.
Review: Ultimate Comics: All-New Spider-Man #15
The classic Bendis ‘talking heads’ issue is back, and it is glorious! Though I kind of wish there were more characters and their relationships were a little better defined so that the issue could be even better…but this is still good comics. Writer Brian Michael Bendis is renowned for his skill with dialogue. It’s what made the early issues of the original Ultimate Spider-Man so good. His characters were so rich, their scenes together so much fun, that the book couldn’t help but be a hit. Well in this new issue. Bendis slows things down and gives new protagonist Miles Morales a chance to just hang out with his friends and family and be himself.
Ultimate Spider-Man #15
And if they had something a little more substantial to talk about, this issue would be perfect.
Comic rating: 4/5: Good!
Here is another example of me wishing I used decimals or fractions. The writing in this issue is top notch as Miles, his best friend Ganke, and his parents react and respond to the various big events that have occurred over the past few issues. His parents have to deal with the police investigation into Uncle Aaron’s death, and Ganke gets to geek out over Miles’ new web-shooters. This is top notch stuff and very entertaining. But there’s also a…shallowness to it. Several school officials appear, but we don’t know their names, so they don’t really matter. We finally learn Miles’ father’s name, which goes to show you how deep a character he is. And we get to meet Ultimate Maria Hill! But all of it remains kind of skin deep, I’m afraid.
At least the ending is pretty awesome. Though I still contend that this series would be much better without the need to squeeze the ‘Divided We Fall/United We Stand’ nonsense into the book. Did you guys here that Ultimate Captain America is going to become President? I love when the mainstream media reports on these events from the Ultimate Universe, because I have a hard time imagining a non-comics fan trying to distinguish between the Ultimate characters and the ‘real’ characters.
Either way, join me after the jump for a full synopsis and more review!
Review: Scarlet Spider #9
Hot damn! A rip-roaringly fun adventure was had by all as Scarlet Spider and the Rangers teamed up to take down a giant, rampaging electricity demon! It had character growth, it had interesting villains, and it had teases towards future adventures. I’d say that makes for a pretty stellar superhero story, don’t you? Not much in the way of personal stuff for Kaine, but that’s more than made up for with his in-costume craziness as the Scarlet Spider.
Scarlet Spider #9
I daresay our favorite hued hero is turning out to be a pretty good superhero.
Comic rating: 4/5: Good!
It’s times like these that I wish I graded with decimals or fractions. This is definitely one of the best issues of Scarlet Spider so far, but it doesn’t quite reach the levels of greatness that I try and save the perfect score for. There’s nothing so amazing as to warrant such a score, but there is a lot of great stuff in this issue. Plus writer Christopher Yost is doing a pretty good job of setting up future characters and villains. That’s a good sign, though it doesn’t necessarily guarantee a book’s longevity. Still, it’s good to know the man is planning ahead.
This issue is almost entirely fight, with a couple short epilogues at the end. Scarlet Spider and the Rangers work well together, it would seem, and the electricity monster provides a solid adversary considering the storyline. So everything comes together quite nicely in a darn good superhero story.
Join me after the jump for a full synopsis and more review.
Review: Ultimate Comics: All-New Spider-Man #14
Yep, Brian Michael Bendis wants absolutely nothing to do with the ‘Divided We Fall’ crossover taking place in the rest of the Ultimate Universe. The crossover banner may be emblazoned on the cover, there may be a map in the beginning of the comic detailing the current chaotic state of the country, but you wouldn’t have any idea what the heck is going on based on this issue of Ultimate Spider-Man. This is entirely self-contained. Honestly, reading Ultimate Spider-Man #14, it’s as if nothing has changed anywhere else in the Ultimate Universe.
Ultimate Spider-Man #14
And I am perfectly fine with that! To hell with the rest of the Ultimate Universe and its stupid crossover!
Comic rating: 4/5: Good!
Apparently Captain America went into hiding in the wake of Peter Parker’s death. You wouldn’t know it based on this comic. Cap is a major guest star this issue, but there’s no indication that he left or that his return is a big deal. He’s written exactly as he would have been written had he not taken a major sabbatical. And better yet, Aunt May, Gwen Stacy and Mary Jane Watson are all written the same too. Nobody seems to know or care that the United States doesn’t exist anymore, and that’s great! As long as Miles Morales’ fantastic story isn’t disrupted due to the rest of that crap, I couldn’t be happier. Bendis is writing good comics here. The origin and early adventures of Miles Morales are going to be important for a long time. ‘Divided We Fall’ isn’t even flavor of the month. Nobody’s talking about it. Nobody cares. It’s a dying gasp from a past-its-prime universe.
Give me more of this issue, where Miles finally has a real heart-to-heart with Peter Parker’s supporting cast. Give me dialogue and characterization like this. I’ll take the story of Miles’ first attempt at web-swinging over some dumb, overblown crossover any day of the week.
Join me after the jump for a full synopsis and more review! And Miles’ first web-swinging!
Henchman-4-Hire 