Superior Spider-Man #1 Review
Writer: Dan Slott
Artist: Ryan Stegman
Color Art: Edgar Delgado
VC’s Chris Eliopoulos
Hopefully everyone has had enough time to get their outrage out over the ending of The Amazing Spider-Man #700. If not, too bad because the newest incarnation of Spider-Man begins in the Marvel NOW! with Superior Spider-Man #1. After defeating Spider-Man, Doctor Octopus is now inhabiting and controlling the body of Spider-Man, with all of Spider-Man’s memories intact. Instead of being a villain, Doc Ock vows to be an even better hero than Spider-Man ever was. A “Superior” Spider-Man in every sense of the word.
What I Liked
Ryan Stegman may be my favorite comic book artist right now. I became familiar with his work on Scarlet Spider. With every cover and interior art released on the Internet, the more I became excited for the title’s premiere. Superior Spider-Man may have the best artistic team of all the Marvel NOW! books with Ryan Stegman, Humberto Ramos and Giuseppe Camuncoli. Stegman’s pencils are so energetic. I can almost feel the electricity in each panel of each page.
This is a totally new Spider-Man we’re dealing with. Peter Parker has always used his scientific brain to create tools to help him take down villains, but SpideyOck (my new nickname for Doc Ock in Spider-Man’s body) takes this a step further. Whereas Peter’s inventions came from a reactive standpoint, SpideyOck is being proactive. He’s creating weapons to take down his enemies before they even know what hit them. Even utilizing deadly force when needed.
One of the new twists in this book is seeing Peter Parker outside his Spider-Man outfit. We can really see that there is a change in the way Peter speaks and carries himself. His diabolical facial expressions and dialogue are pure comedy. Even the way he leers over Mary Jane. I’m sure Dan Slott is loving getting to write this different Spider-Man. I wonder if Slott or Stegman came up with SpideyOck’s work attire at Horizon Labs. Very evil genius of them.
The very last thing I enjoyed was seeing my initial theory of how The Amazing Spider-Man #700 would end was actually correct. I thought the reveal would come at the end of #700, but Slott saved it for Superior Spider-Man. That was a wise choice. Fans were already going to be shocked by the ending of #700, so why not save one of those surprises for the relaunch.
What I Didn’t Like
The only negative I can think of is there was not much interaction between SpideyOck and Peter’s supporting cast. I wanted to see more of SpideyOck with Mary Jane and the staff at Horizon Labs. With so much going on with a new number one issue, I understand that everything could not be shown. Hopefully issues two and three will show reactions from J. Jonah Jameson and Aunt May.
After the big reveal at the end of Superior Spider-Man #1 I am fully on board with what Dan Slott has planned for this series. All along he has promised more twists and turns, and I’m ready to see what he has in store for our new wall-crawler.
This review is written in partnership with Pop Culture Network. They can be found at their website http://www.popculturenetwork.com/
Timdogg
#ComicBookChronicles @CBChron founder. Editor-in-Chief of @thekliqnation. Comic book reviewer, podcaster #RABBLERABBLE
