Superior Spider-Man 4
Spider-Man promised that Massacre would never kill again, however when Massacre breaks out of his Asylum and goes on a killing spree in New York, what will the Superior Spider-Man do?
The Good
This series has gotten more interesting! Dan Slott has really done a good job at making Spider-Man more self-centered because of having Doc Ock's mind in Parker's body. So far, Slott has created some interesting string of events that have really kept me on the edge of my seat to see if Ock's ego will trump Spider-Man's act of always making sure he uses his powers reasonably or vice versa.
In this issue, Massacre escapes from solitary confinement and kills multiple innocence. With Parker's Spider-Man promising that he'd make sure Massacre would never kill again, it'll be interesting to see if Ock will, in fact, kill Massacre. We've seen already what Ock is capable of in Parker's body (i.e. Vulture and Boomerang nearly dying in combat), but this one villain might push Ock-Parker over the edge. This is very interesting to see because it is not in Spider-Man's nature to kill, also if he does kill Massacre, how will the Avengers and his other allies act in the wake of his decision.
These question always come up within each issue of the Superior Spider-Man. Dan Slott makes sure that the reader keeps asking these questions with the number 1 question being, "how far will the Superior Spider-Man go to protect the innocent?"
The artwork by Giuseppe Camuncoli is okay. I did get use to Ryan Stegman's work as the series artist in the first three issues, however I'm sure with time Camuncoli's style of art will grow on me as well. I will compliment Camuncoli on the level of detail that he took on the characters. They seem well inked and colored and everything about Spider-Man's design looks really good.
The Bad
Peter Parker's soul, or whatever he is now, is starting to get annoying. At first, I was kind of skeptical about Peter Parker returning (almost immediately) after his death in Ock's body. Solely because it seems, which it still does, look like that Dan Slott might bring back the original Spider-Man through Parker's ghost. The dialogue in the earlier issues with Parker talking and Ock having a nagging sensation in the back of his head was okay the first couple of times. However, with ghost Parker constantly interrupting the issue with his "do's and don't" of being Spider-Man and to Ock with no reply to ghost Parker, it just seems stupid to add that element in the series.
The Verdict
SUPERIOR Spider-Man is a great title. Dan Slott has done a terrific job with really making Spider-Man a jerk and reinventing his characteristics, and what he stands for, in a totally different way. It is enjoyable to see a new take on Spider-Man after being around for 50 years, however somethings need to change if this series wants to progress in a newer and bigger way. The artwork is solid in this issue as the art team really do Spider-Man justice and make this an appealing issue. We will see the fate of Massacre in the next issue and whether or not the Superior Spider-Man will stay true to the promise he made Parker. Plus a familiar iconic villain returns! 3 out of 5.
Previous review:
Next review: