(w) Dan Slott
(a) Humerto Ramos (pencils) Victor Olazaba (inks) Edgar Delgado (colors)
How much I liked this issue should be evident from the fact that today, I have already read the issue after this, issue #7, and yet I will not adopt my usual practice of interviewing two or three issues at a time. This is the issue where Dan Slott makes the the best argument for the most outrageous storytelling stunt in Spider-Man's publishing history since the Clone Saga.
This issue starts on a much lighter note than the ending of issue #5, in which Spider-Man/Otto Octavius murdered the villain Massacre. Here, apparent lightweight bad guys Jester and Screwball pull a prank on New York City mayor J. Jonah Jameson and stream the prank live on the internet. The video gets thousands of hits, which actually plays into the pair's hands as Screwball's "phishing" software is busy gathering credit card numbers and other financial information from the subscribers. Jameson, however, is more concerned about getting his new best friend, Spider-Man, to teach the two a lesson. It's one Spider-Man is willing to teach, but not before Otto Octavius gets the lessons he needs to finally obtain Peter Parker's doctorate. Otto finds himself taking a liking to his diminutive prodigy of a teacher, Anna Maria Marconi, and is angered by students who make fun of how small she is.
When Spider-Ock eventually confronts the two online pranksters, they manage to prank him as well, but whereas Peter Parker would have taken it in stride and just dealt with the two of them accordingly, Otto's reaction is considerably more extreme.
It was always a given to me that it was only a matter of time before Ock starting acting like the proverbial wolf in sheep's clothing, and when I reviewed the last two issues I expressed concern that, perhaps, writer Dan Slott was showing his hand a little too early.
What sang to me about this issue, though, was how Slott showed that Octavius has, in many ways, lived a life just like Peter Parker's. Both were bullied, both had traumatic experiences in their youth, and both were outsiders. It was how they dealt with this adversity that ended up defining what kind of men they would grow up to be, and even though in many instances in this series, Otto has proven more sensible than Peter used to be in similar conditions, there's more to being a hero than being efficient; in the end, what matters is how one reacts when the chips are down.
Of course, Otto's aberrant behavior brings him on the radar of many of Spider-Man's supporting cast in a very bad way; Mary Jane notices, Carlie Cooper's suspicions are reinforced, and the Avengers take note as well. There's quite a bit of trouble brewing for Spider-Ock on the horizon.
This issue sees the return of longtime Spider-Man artist Humberto Ramos on art duties, and while I have long had mixed feelings about his artwork, I think he was a perfect fit for the story that unfolded here, from the lighthearted first act to the decidedly darker twist it took in the end. For better or worse, this guy has really left his mark on this character and I will venture to say that his name may yet be mentioned in the same breath as some of the greats some day, though I really wish he could get a better handle on his anatomy. I realize his drawing is highly stylized, but even on a good day, he is quite often all over the place. Still, for this issue I will forgo the usual complaints; that's how happy I am with this one.
While I imagine Peter will be restored to his body in time for the next Spider-Man movie, I think it's safe to say that whenever he gets back in the driver's seat, he is quite likely to have a heck of a mess to clean up. I used to roll my eyes and say I'd be back when Peter was, but if Slott and his rotating crop of artists keep up this standard of quality I can almost say I'm ready to stick around for the whole ride, however long it may be.
Rating : 5/5
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