Why does Norman have such a big grin on his face if he's behind bars?
The biggest slimeball in the Marvel Universe now has a five issue limited series. Despite being locked away do you really think Norman is out of the game?
The Good
One the first page Norman is sitting in his cell at the Raft while waiting to see if and what he'll be charged for. The patience he shows demonstrates how calculating he can be. Norman had a big plan during Dark Reign and this obviously isn't where he was supposed to end up. You get the impression that Norman would have contingency plans if everything blew up in his face. We've been seeing people with Goblin tattoos in recent issues of Amazing Spider-Man so it's just a matter of time until we discover the next phase of Norman's scheme.
The idea of a "Special Containment Center" is brilliant. It shouldn't be a surprise that there would be an ultra-secret location for the vilest of bad guys. We get a glimpse at some of the inmates there. Are they anyone we've heard of? Of course not. They've been locked up forever. Brilliant!
The Bad
I do like Emma Rios' interpretation of Norman Osborn. The fact that his hair is a tiny bit different could be explained by the fact that he's locked up and doesn't have time to properly style it. I do have to say that the way Peter Parker was drawn didn't sit well with me. Again, it's great seeing different styles but when I showed someone the scene with Peter talking to Nora, they had no idea who he was supposed to be. I was also a little confused about Peter and Nora's interaction based since I thought he was in a sort of committed relationship. It could just be a matter that this issue took place before Amazing Spider-Man #647.
The Verdict- 4/5
The biggest obstacle a first issue faces is trying to set up the entire series. I can't say this issue is chock full of action but we get some major seeds planted here. Seeing Norman calmly doing nothing is almost scarier than seeing him in action. That image on the cover says it all. There's something going on in that wacky mind of his. The backup by Warren Ellis adds some backstory and further peeks my interest to see how all the pieces are going to fit together. Norman has something big planned and you'll want to see how it plays out.
