Making Room for a new King of Sling
Albeit, a little late, the newest issue of Scarlet Spider has made its way out of my pull box and signs point North for this title in many ways. First, the cover for this issue is exceptionally catching. Stegman and Gracia present a great angle for Scarlet Spider that really isn't too typical of a plain Spider-Man book, despite them being perfectly safe had they chosen to do so. Body language is important in a spin-off book that could dangerously just be a copy of the forerunner. The cover is colorful, enticing, and a nice direction into the story.
The story is strong as it sets Kaine in a difficult position of being a reluctant hero. What's nice is that, and not to put it so bluntly, but Kaine just isn't as clever as Peter Parker. But in many ways this is fresh story because this is a character who acts on a slightly more relatable instinct than a conveniently placed perfection. Here, Chris Yost is presenting a character who to his displeasure does not want to be involved in a grander world of heroes. Everything seems to be an obstacle for Kaine which is frankly refreshing. Texas Twister, the oil-company, Roxxon, and the bazooka toting daughter of the oil-companies CEO are all concepts you'd expect to find in a comic-book while the hero, very dutifully cares about the innocents and bringing all responsible parties of a conflict to justice but clearly, with the Scarlet Spider, it is more complicated than that. It's the consistent imperfection of character that makes this book readable past the introduction story. The uniquely characterized angles, nice colors and nearly untouched location setting are all just a bonus as we wait for issue ten to slip itself into the place holder with our names on it.
