written by Zeb Wells
penciled by Ed McGuinness
inked by Mark Farmer, McGuinness
colored by Marcio Menyz
As Otto Octavius, aka Doctor Octopus continues to exact his revenge against Norman Osborn, formerly the Green Goblin, for the humiliation Otto suffered at Osborn's hands back in the dying days of his tenure as the Superior Spider-Man, Jonah Jameson and Otto's old set of octopus arms whisk the beaten Peter Parker aka Spider-Man to safety. After a brief moment of recovery, Peter sets out to rescue Norman with the help of Otto's old arms...for which seems to have an affinity he cannot explain. Meanwhile, even as the captive Norman's repentance from his old ways catches Otto off-guard, Doc Ock is still determined to wreak havoc on his old rival's life.
With Wells' big gimmick now firmly in the rearview mirror, this new story involving Otto Octavius, which actually launched back in the landmark 900th issue of The Amazing Spider-Man, is genuinely intriguing, in particular because of how it references a very interesting time in Otto's life: the year and a few months that he lived in the shoes of Peter Parker. This Otto/Osborn rematch is something I have been genuinely interested in seeing, especially with Osborn having turned over a new leaf. It's an interesting contrast to Otto's crack at being a good guy, which was ultimately undone by his own ego. I like that they're slowly revisiting the story beats that led to the Superior Spider-Man saga, because I'd like to think Otto's desire for redemption that Wells' briefly flashes here is something genuine.
It also helps, of course, that McGuinness' work here is nothing short of sublime. This is peak McGuinness, displaying the kind or artistry that truly made Deadpool a household name and ushered in a new era of glory for Superman in the early noughties. I am so glad I stuck around for this, no matter how bad a taste issue #26's gimmicky death left in my mouth. McGuinness is just pure gold on this book. Here's hoping he keeps up the good work!
9/10
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