I’m a bonafide Superior Spider-Man super-fan. I loved the idea of Doc Ock taking over Peter Parker’s body and mind from the very start. It was bold and incredibly risky to throw Peter into the background for so long. When Superior Spider-Man Returns was announced, I couldn’t be happier. Throw in writer Dan Slott, promising it won’t involve clones or time travel, and I’m all for it. If you’ve been craving an egomaniacal Spider-Man, get hype: he returns in full force this week.
Superior Spider-Man Returns is written by Christos Gage (with a story by Dan Slott), which is fitting since he’s the last writer to take on the character over three years ago. The issue is a good primer for anyone unfamiliar with this version of Doc Ock/Spidey, with a good recap in the first few pages, as told by Doc Ock via captions. We not only get the full rundown of his origin as Doc Ock but also how he got inside Peter’s body, what happened next, and how specific events tie into the story of this issue. With this character’s return coming in a few months, this is a prime spot to start if you don’t want to reread the classic by Slott and Stegman.
Most of this issue is a crucial flashback to when Doc Ock was the Superior Spider-Man. That allows Gage to play with Doc Ock’s language, like calling people dolts or stealing good ideas and acting like they were his own. The flashback starts with Slyde, a villain who can’t be touched by anything as it slides right off him. This cleverly plays a part in the main story, which features Spider-Man building something he’s wanted to make since the Stan Lee days of the character.
Much of this issue is an origin story and likely the new threat for Superior Spider-Man to take on when the series relaunches. If you enjoyed how Doc Ock speaks, you’ll love this issue. Gage manages to integrate key supporting characters from the previous era, which ends up making the issue like a lost story we would have gotten anyway.
If you’re expecting some answers about how Doc Ock gets inside a Spider-Man body–and who knows if that’ll even happen at this point–you may feel disappointed. That secret is yet to be revealed, which feels a bit misleading since this isn’t a return of the character but a setup for what’s to come.
This issue is extra-sized, with art divided up by Mark Bagley, Ryan Stegman, Humberto Ramos, and Giuseppe Camuncoli. The art is stellar throughout, and it’s a cool idea to get most of the regular artists who worked on the character back. All of these artists offer kinetic and highly detailed art. They’re some of the best artists ever to draw Spider-Man. No complaints!
As a fan raring to get more Superior, this issue is like a nice lost story with the promise of setting some new things up for Dan Slott and Mark Bagley to knock down. I’m okay with that because more Superior Spider-Man is always a good thing.
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