The Good
Whether you like or agree with the current situation of Spider-Man or not, you have to admit that under Doc Ock's…control, Spider-Man is accomplishing quite a bit. His crime fighting techniques are more efficient in some ways and it makes you wonder why Peter never thought of some of these innovations. We're also seeing Ock juggle being a hero as well as a civilian life and maintaining the responsibilities that go with them. We're also already seeing reaction from the crime community over Spider-Man's new ways.
With Spider-Man's new and more forceful techniques, a confrontation with Massacre will be interesting. Massacre was brain damaged in an accident that killed his wife and daughter. Now, feeling no remorse, he kills without a second thought. Spider-Man had apprehended him back when he insisted "no one dies." Now the question is, how responsible is Spider-Man when Massacre strikes again since he saved his life before bringing him into custody? The other question is, how will this new Spider-Man deal with him?
Dan Slott continues to weave his web in fleshing out this new direction for Spider-Man. The balance of him being Spider-Man while still Otto Octavius inside is an interesting conflict to witness. Even though we should just stay focused on the current events and stories, it's hard not to think about how all of this will affect Spider-Man when Peter inevitably regains possession of his body.
This issue features the art by Giuseppe Camuncoli. Seeing the little octo-spidies crawling around him on the first page was a great opening for the issue. The key is to make sure you can immediately tell this isn't the same Spider-Man we had before.
The struggle and change we're seeing of Octavius continues to drive the story forward. We're about to see what he's really made of when he confronts Massacre. And of course we get a killer last page.
The Bad
Camuncoli does a great job on Spidey but unfortunately there were a couple moments he looked a little too stocky. Spider-Man should be slimmer and his chest and neck looked a little thick in some panels. Uatu Jackson also looked like he aged and de-aged in one scene.
The overall story is interesting but it mainly felt like this was just setting up the events for the next issue. There are plenty of details being added to this and the overall story but we'll see a big clash next time.
The Verdict
The new Superior Spider-Man is continuing his attack against crime. We're seeing more and more that under Doc Ock's control, Spider-Man is making strides in becoming a more efficient crimefighter. The real test will be what happens when he confronts Massacre, an extremely dangerous psychopath. We've seen this Spider-Man take more extreme measures against his foes and this could show us how far he's willing to go. The art in this issue is by Giuseppe Camuncoli. He does a nice job with the new costume and capturing the attitude of Otto. There are some times when character builds feel off. We have more being added to this overall story of the new Spider-Man but it's mainly about setting up the events for the next issue. Seeing the minor details Otto adds to Spider-Man and Peter's life continues to be interesting. You might find it hard not to stand up and cheer when you get to the last page.