Oh shit!
Sometimes, a comic book comes down the pike and the only reaction is, as I already stated, holy shit. This week, that exclamation belongs to The Superior Spider-Man. Writer Dan Slott has decided to put turbo boosters on the runaway train that is Otto Gunther Octavius as Spider-Man. You though things were out of control before? Issue #19 is a game changer. Not a ‘Peter Parker is returning’ game changer, but an issue that skews the world of Spider-Man forever.
Temporal Event is coming down in fifteen minutes. Otto has knocked out Spider-Man 2099, Horizon Labs is about to explode, and the truth about Tiberius Stone has been revealed. It’s bad, really bad, and it can always get worse. Remember when Peter Parker and some of his buds from Horizon Labs created a “Time Closet”? Yeah, well, the only guy who had the code that could stop the temporal event is Peter Parker, and Otto can’t seem to activate those memories. Time is running out and, while a machine is being cobbled together to save New York City from the temporal event, Otto just can’t seem to get the job done.
Meanwhile, Spider-Man 2099 has his own poop sandwich to swallow down. After coming to from Otto’s punch, SM2099 is forced to save the grandfather Tiberius Stone, simply because his son will become Spider-Man 2099’s dad. If he dies, so does Spidey. After saving the father of his worst enemy who is also his dad, Spider-Man 2099 is left to twist in our time thanks to the underhanded work of his father. Yep, you just can’t win for losing, even as future Spider-Man.
In the end, pretty much everything sucks. Though Otto finally discovers the code, it’s too late and he’s sucked into a time vortex for nine hours. No idea what happened, which I really can’t wait for Slott to explore. Miguel O’Hara, the secret identity of SM2099, has lied his way into being Tiberius Stone’s assistant, so he’ll be around for a while. Max Modell has been kicked out of New York and summarily fired Peter Parker. Then there’s Mary Jane, who has grown tired of Peter’s new behavior and cut him out of her life forever. When Peter finally does come back, man, is it going to suck for him.
Wait. I forgot to tell you about Carlie and The Wraith. They might have found out the truth behind Otto Octavious being Spider-Man. I won’t get into it. Just go buy the issue. Slott’s talent here is staggering. Having found his Superior Spider-Man stride, the stories continue to be wonderfully entertaining. Few at Marvel can touch him as an all around storyteller, and when he steps down from Spider-Man, it will be a sad, sad day.
Ryan Stegman’s art continues to bring Slott’s work to life in a bold fashion. In Spider-Man, Stegman is not even attempting to be subtle. Things here are bigger than life, represented with thick lines, and bold panel placement. Stegman’s approach to character faces and forms shows an inherent understanding of comic books. The scenes where Stegman inserts Otto into classic scenes from Spider-Man’s life is glorious.
Issue after issue, Dan Slott adds not only to the canon of Spider-Man, but the very fabric of comic history. A run doesn’t get more important than this.
