The Good
Massacre is going to kill again, and it's up to Spider-Man to stop him. Massacre gets hired by the head of Phizzy Cola to kill a whole bunch of people in public wearing a Mocha Cola shirt, Phizzy Cola's competitors. Spidey ends up going toe-to-toe with him in an ending that is quite shocking.
As far as an overall issue goes, it was a good deal of fun and a step up from the last issue, which I wasn't the biggest fan of. It's another issue of Ock proving once again why he's the Superior Spider-Man (or trying to prove that is) through his use of detective work and technology. While the humor side of this book is gone here, write Dan Slott still puts together a solid issue without relying on just the jokes.
While the fanboy inside wants "ghost" Peter to reach Ock quicker than it's actually happening. I'm very happy with how this is being paced out. Once in a while, Peter starts to reach Ock and it affects Ock's actions and decision making. It doesn't work every time though, which you will see here. Bit by bit, Peter is reaching Ock, and I cannot wait to see the moment when Ock realizes this is happening.
The art in this book, as always, is brilliant. Giuseppe Camuncoli (pencils/inks), John Dell (inks), Edgar Delgado (colors), and Atonio Fabella (colors) do a bang up job on this issue. The final 6 pages (the last two scenes) on their own are worth the price of admission. The panel with Spidey walking up to Massacre's gun, as he kneels on the ground, looks wonderful. Just by the way Spidey is standing, you can tell it's not Peter inside. He looks menacing... like he's about to do some wrong. Every stance Spidey is in after that moment is great. He looks powerful and intimidating.
I'm a bit down the middle on the end of this issue. In fact, originally, this whole paragraph was in "The Bad" section. While the idea of Superior Spider-Man taking the final step and executing Massacre adds a lot to the idea of Ock trying to be a better Spider-Man by never allowing this character to kill again, the fanboy inside of me is screaming "YOU'VE SULLIED THE NAME OF SPIDER-MAN FOREVER!" These are two conflicting ideas presented in this issue. Do you end a person's life who will, in the future, hurt again or do you give them another chance? I think that because this idea is explored in the issue, and because it gave me a lot to think about after reading it, I threw it in the good section.
Everyone is accountable for their actions in this book, even those hiding in the shadows. This issue ends like a horror film. One in which you're actually rooting for the villain. The villain here being Spider-Man and his army of robot spiders. This Spidey is unmerciful and insanely creepy, yet it works.
The Bad
The amount of out loud talking that Spider-Man does in this issue is insane. In fact, if you had the full-blown conversations, in public, that SM does here, you'd be locked up in an insane asylum. Said dialogue is needed, but it would work just as well as thought bubbles or captions. The idea of his swinging around and talking is a bit much.
Superior Spider-Man is creepy. It goes in both sections
The Verdict
I was very pleased, disturbed, and fanboy angry with how this issue turned out. There's a lot to think about with where this book is going, just by the actions Spider-Man takes here. Sure, it goes against everything SM stands for, but it strangely works for me, even though the 14 year old fanboy inside of me wants to write Dan Slott an angry letter about how he's "ruining" the character, which he's not. Slott's run is controversial, but brilliant. He's created some extreme waves and memorable moments whether fans like it or not, and this issue is going to be a big point to remember.
Overall, I highly recommend this issue.