Superior Spider-Man #22 - Darkest Hours, Part 1 of 4: Face To Face

I feel like those who are complaining about this issue don't care for the "out of costume" moments which, in my mind, are some of the strongest in the series. Especially scenes that focus on the fantastic Anna Maria. There will be plenty of Venom upcoming, so I enjoy the slow builds.

@undeadpool: Corey you fool! Don't you understand that your personal thoughts on this series are worthless? We are the internet and our will is legion. Your opinion on this issue means nothing to us. Likewise our opinions should mean nothing to you. So let us all gouge out our eyes and ears to rid the world of this vile concept of personal preference once and for all.

But seriously I love this series. I had a feeling that sooner or later Otto and Ana would bang a gong get it on. Finally a Spider-Man who doesn't need to date pin up girls. I can't wait to see where this stuff with Venom goes. Maybe Parker Industries can hook up Flash with robot legs so he can live a normal life instead of wondering if the symbiote will some day relapse and try to take control again. More Spider-Man like this please.

Maybe the series've been well-written so far, but it can't shake the fact that the so-called hero here is a robber and a hypocrite. You can't just rob other people of their lives and say to yourself "It's better(or superior) this way." You've been beating the crap out of other bad guys for their sins, so why always ignore those of your own?

If the end of this run was that Octavius rid NY of the bad guys and returned the body to its owner, maybe he would earn some respect.

@blues32:You must of not read the rest of the issues SS got his own company and Army! Although he has got complacent Norman seems to be his only threat and what kind of superhero book would this be without a villain? I really enjoyed the series so far minus the 2099 arc.

Picking up the trade after this review.

I just want this to end...bring back the real Spider-Man. Octavious is such a tool. He's ruining EVERYTHING. Because of him, New York is in for some serious trouble. Goblin's got a powerful foot hold now.

The only thing I'm really interested in seeing is if that's really Norman under that mask. It's what one would first assume...but he was pretty messed up by the end of his last scheme. That and the battle between him and Hobgoblin. Last time was cheap...Norman wasn't even in costume.

Honestly, I aint a fan of Superior Spiderman. I dont like the whole Doc ock gimmick but i am only interested in Venom and the Green Goblin in this arc.

:P

I stopped reading spiderman years ago, picked it up back for the last issue of amazing. Lets just say SSM is one of my must have pick ups.

...I never said that O.o?

I enjoy his Superior and GLA I'm just ticked on his Venom writing....

Thats what you get for making assumptions....

@theacidskull: he did GLA (Great Lakes Avengers) He has a special place in my heart

Fixed Better

I dont like Slotts Venom -.-

Great issue

I don't want to talk about the rape thing, but 2 of the 3 sentences in my post will be about that.

I don't like talking about this whole rape thing its been covered a trillion times. I like Anna I'd say she's the second best idea Dan has had in Spider-Man titles. The thing is rape will always hang over the series because Otto is using Peter's body Otto is not raping Marconi but any sexual act of his is raping Peter.

I really liked the Peter scenes before the superheroics kicked in. Even if it's really Doc Ock, it's nice to see things coming together for him. I thought his dialogue with Sanjini(?) was pretty funny.

I also like that Flash didn't just go instantly nuts when Spidey attacked him. He figured it made sense, even if he wasn't totally correct as to why.

Aunt May talking about diversity in regards to Anna, then Jay mentioning Cardiac, or however that played out, was super awkward haha In a humorous and intentional way though.

"Nor did he do anything to mislead Ann"

Yes, he has. That's exactly what he's doing by presenting himself as Peter Parker, slightly arrogant, handsome, smart guy, and not as Otto Octavius, convicted murderer who once tried to blow up all of New York and murdered his way into that body he's in now.

Do you think Anna Maria would want to sleep with Potto if she knew he was a convicted murderer who tried to fry the entire planet to ash just a few months ago?

I'm banking on no.

It may not technically be rape, but it's certainly messed up and problematic.

Writers don't tend to review comics which they don't like, hence the high ratings.

That being said, I'm probably going to pick up SS right now through the "Venom" Arc, just to see what happens........

Agreed

EXACLY!!
It's not bad,but it's a borign forgettable issue.....5 stars?......this is mockery.

1st off didn't Flash recalled his brief encounter with Spidey in Carnage USA?

Also 5 Stars? 2 stars is more like it. Some of Flash's line felt a bit forced, ex. ''Sides of the Angels'' he sounded more like Brock on that particular line. Looking forward too see Flash kick's SpOck's ''Superior'' A$$

I read it....and I agree...5 stars it's too much, I personally thought this issues was very slow paced and boring. superior Carnage was better.

REALLY???.....5 STARS?!....WHAT?!..

When it comes to Superior,i have a feeling that they first put a the 5-star rating,and then they write the review.....

I mean,ok,some issues,yes,but this?....so this has the same quality as issues #9 and #19 had?....

Then Slott goes around and says "You may not like it,but the reviews say it's awesome so shut your mouth."

P.S. It's his girlfriend.Of cource he would have sex with her......i didnt see you blabbering when JMS made MJ and Pete ,practically, sex-adicts in his run.....

@sparty_dbq: get a life. The thing that is most disturbing are people so concerned with the sexual experiences of a comic book character and even worse the fixation that it will be rape if it ever happens. You are the worst type of nerd.

@theacidskull: I enjoyed it....until he started f***ing that midget.

So very much been looking forward to this...I'm hoping they do Flash Thompson some serious justice here, because every character from Mary Jane to the Avengers has been dumbed down considerably for this book.

Having said that, I've been enjoying Superior. The above is a gripe about it, sure, but it is not AS bad as people say because, well, we all know Peter is coming back.

I'm hoping they don't dumb down Flash for this, though, he's a great character and can use the strong showing.

No because Ann met SpOck after the mind swap. The charges were directed against Otto because he was (ab)using the history shared between Peter and Marry Jane to have sex. He did not reveal his true identity, so she assumed she was sleeping with Peter. That can easily be viewed as rape.

With Ann, however, things are very different.She has zero prior interactions with Peter. We also know she isn't the kind of girl to go after the pretty guys. She thus fell in love with Otto, not Peter. What Otto is doing is just a Sci-Fi version of using a pseudonym, or an assumed identity. However, he did not impersonate some one famous, nor is he cashing in on his name/identity, nor did he do anything else to mislead Ann.

With this in mind, all allegations are null and void. She fell in love with Otto, not Peter.

The only issue now is that when all is revealed - will she scorn Otto or stick with the man she fell in love with (but not his body).

Wow. That was so well-said.....wow.

Ah Anna Maria is a great character and aunt may's reaction was brilliant can't wait till she properly meets her

@sparty_dbq: Thumbalina? Way to show respect for the handicapped.

Do you go out of your way to make people dislike you, or does it come natural?

So first off let me say that I think you'd be able to sell legitimate concern for political correctness and acceptability had you referred to the character by name instead of "Thumbalina or whatever the hell her name is". It's hard to buy that you actually are all that worried or curious about this sort of stuff when that's your opener. However I do think this is an interesting subject, because you are right it is a weird moral grey area, so let's talk about it.

Comic books are essentially sci-fi, so yes I'm going a little sci-fi with my description. Let's say we live in a day and age where brain transplants are possible. Someone saves your life by putting your brain in a donor body. You are you, but new body. Would it be considered rape for you to now go out and use that body for consensual sex?

Most likely no, but what people were upset about was the belief that Otto would use Peter's history to take advantage. In other words you in your new body go try and hook up with the widow of the donor. Which would be certainly wrong and no matter what word you call it in the words of Shepard Book "you're going to burn in a special level of hell".

The catch and where I agree we are looking at an interesting moral quandary is this. Anna Maria has fallen for Otto, but he is pretending to be Peter Parker. So he's not using Peter's past to his advantage, but he is lying. So here is where I think the distinction is. Anna Maria was not into Peter Parker. That name didn't do anything for him, his looks didn't do anything for him, it wasn't until his (Otto's) personality and intellect came out that she was attracted. It was also well after the Parker memories were erased that their relationship became as much.

So personally I think it's OK. The relationship is certainly a good deal twisted. He is keeping things from her (but that's nothing the real Peter hasn't done from pretty much everyone in his life), on the other hand I can see people feeling weird about it and if it makes them feel that way I can't say they are wrong. So far I think it has been fun to watch, but I already feel bad, because you know this doesn't have a happy ending for her one way or the other.

Personally I enjoy SSM while being aware that it's fundamentally built on the old comic trick of making characters stupid rather than the plot clever. It's a little dumb, but still fun.

And it's just a story arc about Otto Octavius while Pete is temporarily "dead." Lot of overreaction.

I shouldn't?

Didn't enjoy the previous issue. But hopefully this one is OK.

"terribly"

wow much criticism

so thoughtful

I've decided that I'm just going to collect Superior as a whole after it ends. I think it will read a lot better that way.

*Sigh* Y'know, I really didn't want to bring this up, but seeing so many people apparently gushing over this thing between Otto and Thumbalina or whatever the hell her name is, I feel I have to throw this out there before you get to far ahead of yourselves.

Remember the *ahem* "concerns" that many were voicing before issue 2 of this series was released? Particularly those regarding Mary Jane and a certain "R" word? Well, don't the rules for that technically carry over to anyone Otto would involve himself with while he's committing life-fraud? It doesn't matter if this version of "Peter Parker" is the only one she's ever known, he's still not Peter Parker. It's all built on a lie! You're basically rooting for a felony to occur.

I loved everything about this issue, beginning with the cover. That cover was so visually striking IMO.

I did feel a little let down by the Venom introduction. I haven't read any of the Venom series and don't know much about the character, so I would have liked to see a little more.