Inevitable Disappointment: A Review of Superior Spider-Man #31 (Mild Spoilers)

(writers) Dan Slott and Christos Gage
(artists) Giuseppe Camuncoli, John Dell, Will Sliney

After the sheer narrative punch of last issue, it was perhaps inevitable that Marvel would let me down with the resolution of "Goblin Nation" and of the entire Superior Spider-Man series.

Having retaken control of his body from Otto Octavius, who quite literally gave up the ghost last issue, Peter Parker/Spider-Man puts an end to the threat posed by the Green Goblin, for now. He also sets things right with those close to him, though he's unable to mend some fences the way he would have liked.

There was really no doubt as to how the "Goblin Nation" storyline would be resolved, and the only major issue left to be resolved this issue was the identity of the Green Goblin, which Slott kept hidden from the readers ever since he appeared in issue #5. Even without the meaty narrative turn that took place last issue, the revelation of who was under the Goblin mask, as twists go, was utterly flaccid. Then again, Slott and company were never going to top themselves after last issue, which, to my mind at least, was one of the best of the entire series, so maybe I can cut him some slack. Still, this issue feels like a bit of a cop-out.

This issue was intended to tie things up in time for The Amazing Spider-Man #1, out in two weeks, and in order to keep readers guessing, Slott keeps a lot of cards close to his chest. If things are going to go really badly for Peter in view of everything that Otto has spent the last year or so doing, the proverbial poop isn't going to hit the fan until the relaunch hits. Still, if nothing else, in this issue, particularly the second half written by Christos Gage and drawn by soon-to-be Spider-Man 2099 artist Will Sliney, Peter mends some of his "core" relationships, namely those with Aunt May and Mary Jane, both of whom were on the receiving end of some of Ock's nastiness.

Everything is else is left pretty much in the air, and it should be interesting to see how the likes of the Avengers react to the return of Peter, especially considering they never knew he was gone in the first place.

As swan songs go, however, considering the kind of sales Spider-Ock pulled in for Marvel during his 30-issue tenure, I feel they could have given him something a little more meaningful.

6.5/10