Superior Spider-Man is the most fun I’ve had reading comics in well over a decade. The last time I thoroughly enjoyed every single issue was when Brian Michael Bendis was blazing trails on Daredevil. Surprises are everywhere, the story is slowly building to reward those who keep reading and the art is always top notch. I’m starting to think that it’s an impossibility to find a bad issue in this series. Either way, lets give it a fair shake, is it good?
Superior Spider-Man #14 (Marvel Comics)
Missed our review of Superior Spider-Man #13? Check it out here.
How about a summary of the first 13 issues? Deep breath: Doctor Octopus stole Peter Parker’s body, but a remnant of Peter was still inside following him. He kept Spider-Man from killing, but once Spider-Man got rid of him he’s killed twice now. Spider-Man has been taking out all the crime syndicates in New York, but all the remnants, like goons and infrastructure, are all being scooped up by the Green Goblin. Spider-Man has been slowly building a police state of sorts, with the help of handy spider-bots that can roam the city seeing all crimes being committed. At the same time, Green Goblin has been infecting the bots so they can’t see his Goblin goons at work. Spider-Man has been slowly gaining the feeling he’s unbeatable, especially now with blackmail keeping mayor J.J. Jameson under his thumb.
New costume looking rad.
Two things you should know about this issue. It’s written by Dan Slott and it’s drawn by Humberto Ramos. At this point it’s pretty clear they’re both expert Spider-Man creators and will be going down as top ten Spider-Man creators in their fields. Do you know what this means?! We’re getting primo Spider-Man stories as we speak! Appreciate this moment!
Reminds me of the Iron Man spider armor.
This issue opens in Shadowland, the city block controlled by Kingpin and his ninjas. Last issue Spider-Man was calling up security companies to hire some folks for a new operation. We get to see this operation in this issue, with a whole spider army working for Spider-Man; oh, and a giant mech too! It also appears that Spider-Man has new gizmos at work, like the spider-arms above and handy gauntlets. This entire issue is one large battle sequence with Spider-Man on one side and Hobgoblin and Kingpin on the other.
Slott incorporates two bits to keep the readers looking for content over art satiated. The first is a bit more blackmail development between Spider-Man and J.J. and the other is an ingenious escape plan Kingpin shows Hobgoblin. Both are interesting bits of storytelling, with the J.J. part continuing a thread from last issue, and the Kingpin bit being a fun aside for anyone coming in fresh. There’s also some Green Goblin development too, for anyone who has been frustrated without it in the last three issues, which should get people even more amped up for that storyline.
What does it mean?!
With the story and action keeping us happy, how’s the art? Or do I need to even ask? Ramos kills it with Spidey nearly every time. Sure, there’s a panel or two where he’s impossibly bending, but that’s the fun part of Ramos doing Spider-Man. Everything is fluid and clean and Kingpin is looking particularly dapper this issue. It might be partly due to the black vest that’s hiding his gut, but he looks strong and smart all at once.
The Right Stuff reference. Look it up!
9.0
- Bendy Spidey Ramos style
- Story progression: always
- It’s a serial so newbies will be lost-ish
Another stellar Superior Spider-Man comic is just another week reading comics. I’m starting to wonder if Slott will continue writing Spider-Man after this or if he’ll start something else. He’s running on all cylinders with a consistent story progression, always a bit of action and at least three story developments in every issue. It’s like the man is running off a checklist, which makes it so consistent.
The only problem is, if you haven’t been reading along you’re not going to appreciate just how awesome this comic series has been. Is that enough to rate it down to an 8.5? I’m starting to wonder, because it’s such a consistently enjoyable read. Then again, comics would be pretty boring if they were all unrelated one offs.
Is It Good?
Yes. Don’t be dumb. This is the best comic if you’re looking for good art and excellent story progression.
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