Superior Spider-Man #1

I like many people was very apprehensive about this series since Doctor Octopus is now Spider-man and is controlling Peter Parker’s body but I’m not one of the people who absolutely cannot stomach this sure I don’t like it but I won’t write death threats to Dan Slott because of this (seriously if you have you’re an idiot ok you don’t write Death threats because a comic characters died ok!). This actually is the first Spider-man series I am getting as I never got apart from Amazing Spider-man #700 any of the issues of the previous series.

Plot

Doctor Octopus visits his grave and says goodbye to his old life but the new Sinister six attack and he rushes off to fight them he has a short fight with them he runs off but Boomerang shoots a Boomerang at him he dodges it but it heads towards a police officer and he saves him and the sinister six run off. ‘Peter’ is experimenting at horizon labs and he is then called by Mary Jane.

Review

This was a good issue but it wasn’t mind blowing it does introduce the new Spider-man nicely and show that he is different from the previous one but I have several problems with it and I don’t think Dan Slott has completely sold Doctor Octopus being Spider-man I mean he is totally unlikable in this issue he has no redeeming characteristics at all I mean it is sticking to his original character but if you’re going to have him in a book and the main title character you have to give him some redeeming characteristics as in this he is arrogant, snobbish, rude and on top all of that violent. It is more interesting if the character has a darker side and he’s a little more edgy but a lot of people don’t like people who are just arrogant Daiman Wayne is arrogant but he is lovable as he comes out with some good lines but Doc Ock is really unlikable but I hope Dan Slott progresses it further in this series and really the only thing that stops him from killing is someone else that really is the redeeming quality and it isn’t done by him (hint, hint).

I think Slott’s choice for including a new version of the sinister six in this issue was a good choice as Doctor Octopus was a member of the sinister six and seeing this new version of the sinister six that isn’t so great is a good choice as it lets Doc Ock to throw another few arrogant lines and you do get to see him unleash himself a bit and show how good he is as Spider-man but in this scene it does establish that he isn’t the same as Peter was as he runs off like a coward and Peter would have continued to fight this is another one of the characteristics I do not like with Doctor Octopus one of the things people loved about Peter was that he never gave up as soon as Doc ock gets punched a few times he runs off but it is sticking true to the character so Slott is handling his characterization well. The action scene is well done and it is good to see the new Spider-man in action.

The scene at Horizon Labs really showcases how completely arrogant Doctor Octopus is and how snobbish he is it does make sense that Ock is taking advantage of Peter’s place at Horizon Labs and would try to build lots of new ideas and try to advance technology a bit. I got to say that Ryan Stegman to real care to draw these scenes as he shows that Peter is different to how he was before as he is a lot stiffer and scowls a lot more it’s these little details that show how good an artist really is.

Doc Ock then goes on a date with Mary Jane I can truly see why Doctor Octopus would take advantage of this but I really don’t approve of some of the stuff he thinks and does first off (excuse if this is a little inappropriate) but Octavius doesn’t listen at all to Mary Jane instead he is just thinking about how beautiful she is and staring at her I mean I don’t approve of this Peter should be the one going out with Mary Jane and Octavius is just exploiting it. It’s just odd but it truly is something he would do so I can’t really knock anything off the rating no matter how much I don’t like it. I really my mine problem with this issue and this scene is HOW ON EARTH DOES NO ONE NOTICE THAT PETER IS NOW AN ARROGANT SNOB??!! Sorry but that just was a real problem I mean why doesn’t someone say something he is no longer a nice person he is snobbish and very self-driven. Sorry but that was a big problem I understand that this may eventually happen in the series it has to but it just stuck out especially in the date scene. I still think that Slott understands Octavius well as he shows how selfish he is as he isn’t listening to Mary Jane and the monologue is actually over Mary Jane’s dialogue I liked this as it showed Doc ocks character in a good way but what he thinks about Mary Jane is just off I mean he calls her a “lovely creature” I don’t like it but again it does stick to Otto’s characterization well.

Well the ending I knew this was going to happen at some point but not this soon in some ways it’s a good thing as it pleases some of the haters of the change but on the other hand it defeats amazing Spider-man #700 in some ways I mean I knew it was coming at some point but after one issue? Feels a bit soon but the lead into it makes sense and it did get me excited for the rest of the series as I want to know how it progresses.

This is my first encounter with Ryan Stegman I had heard good things about his art from his run on Scarlet Spider so I was interested to see what I thought about it. At first it took some getting used to but since it is very different from what I’m normally used to but I gotta say I utterly love it I think it was a great idea put him on this book as he draws Spider-man very well and he gives him a lot of energy and he shows movement in a fantastic way. His art is very scratchy but in a good way as the inks he adds makes everything look like it’s moving especially on the close ups towards the end when Doc Ock is punching Boomerang I thought he handled it very well. I wish he was one of the regular artist on this series as I prefer him to Huberto Ramos but at least he’s doing three issues.

Verdict

I think this was good nothing else I think this series could become really good but I don’t like the bits with Mary Jane and I don’t think anyone’s is really going to be rooting for Octavius (more the other guy in his head). I’m sure over the course of the series it will improve but I wasn’t blown away with anything in this issue apart from the art.

4 stars