In “Green Goblin” #1, we were properly introduced to Phil Urich, college dropout and Daily Bugle intern. While investigating some properties owned by Harry Osborn (and dealing with the gang members there to ransack them), Phil stumbles into Osborn’s secret armory, getting doused in Goblin Formula. With these new weapons and powers, Phil becomes a new, heroic Goblin. Issue #1 ends as he flies off into the night promising the reader that “This is definitely not… the end!” And Issue #2 would see this new Goblin square off against his first supervillain.
Written by Tom DeFalcoCover by Scott McDaniel
Art by Scott McDaniel
Letters by Jim Novak
Colors by Gregory WrightAfter a failed attempt to join The New Warriors, the Green Goblin must save football star “Joltin’” Johnny Dare from The Rhino.
The opening splash page and the following two page spread introduce us to Phil Urich, college dropout and Daily Bugle intern. While investigating some properties owned by Harry Osborn— okay, so there’s three pages of recap for anyone who missed Issue #1. This includes a little reminder that Harry was developing a new Goblin suit for the “Now Generation.” While helping his uncle with a corruption story, he meets his football idol: “Joltin’” Johnny Dare of the New York Smashers. After being strong-armed by the mob into a point-shaving racket, Dare turns to the police and Ben Urich for help. Dare sets up a sting when the mobsters request a meeting, but things go south when the mob sends classic Spidey villain The Rhino as their messenger. Phil dons the Goblin suit, rescuing Johnny Dare and defeating The Rhino amidst a hail of confused police gunfire. Also he tries to join the New Warriors. Then he decides not to. End of subplot.
A quick note for any readers from the greater Kansas City area: No, not that Johnny Dare. Phil strikes me as more of an Alt 96.5 guy anyway.
“Green Goblin” #2 has a very similar structure to Issue #1. Phil joins his uncle on a story, bungles it somehow, leading to a climactic fight scene. Then the issue ends immediately after. The pacing is much better. Less telling-not-showing. Fewer weird coincidences to move the plot along. The big exception to this is the New Warriors sequence. It’s not so much that it randomly happens in the middle of the issue with little-to-no relation to the rest of the story. Then it would just be another seeded plot thread that might pay off sometime down the line, along with Phil’s crush on Lynn Walsh, or Ricko the Sicko calling for a sitdown. But the scene ends with Marvel Boy agreeing to let Phil join, only for Phil to change his mind in the span of a single panel. The next page explains that it just seemed like too much of a commitment, but it’s still a jarring end to what felt like a filler scene. Or at least an excuse to have either another fight scene. Or even for DeFalco to bring in a team he helped create. Which is ironic, considering the last issue suffered from almost too much plot for a single monthly.
But like the first issue, the climactic battle at the end is where the book excels. The battle between The Rhino and Goblin is fast paced and chaotic, with the police firing their weapons into the fray, unaware this Green Goblin is on their side. Even as Phil rescues Johnny, he’s dodging NYPD choppers who think he’s taking a hostage. While many of my issues about McDaniel’s art still show up in this book, his kinetic style adds an extra layer of intensity to every action scene. Even the layouts, which bend, slant, and grow jagged edges with the conflict on the page, draw you into the madness. Gregory Wright’s bold colors continue to work brilliantly with the heavy inks, even if he’s a little more restrained in his more representational choices here. Although the entire sky turns red when Rhino attacks the cops. So not too restrained at least.
One thing we do get more of in this issue is character development for Phil. And not just that he’s a sports guy. But he is. Before he meets Dare, it’s established pretty hard that Phil’s always been a major sports fan. Apart from him flat out saying “I’ve always been a major sports fan” on page three, he has hockey gear laying all over his apartment. He wears his best Claude Lemieux jersey to the Bugle (not Mario Lemieux, because Mario never played for New Jersey… I may have Googled that). They even drop in a line about him trying to “score more points” with Lynn. Innocuous line on its own, but it’s a little much when the first third of the book goes this hard. However there’s more subtle character work at play. We’re starting to see a careless side of Phil.
Continued belowSome of which manifests in Phil just being kind of an idiot. Like not letting Ben know Johnny called for help, because Green Goblin saving the day might impress Lynn. Or trying to join the New Warriors by bursting through a skylight so they could have a superhero-misunderstanding fight. But the line that stuck with me was “My head is still rockin’ from the major zap I get whenever I don the Goblin mask! Stupid thing could be giving me brain damage for all I know! Like I care!” Issue #1 established that it physically hurts to put on the Goblin suit. At least the mask. But the rush Phil gets from doing the hero thing is enough to justify whatever damage he’s doing to himself. That’s a cool aspect I really hope gets explored later in the series. Especially considering how Dan Slott would portray Phil in his Spider-Man run.
Speaking of character development, Lynn now has two lines in two panels! And we’re told in narration that she takes journalism seriously. Maybe we’ll get to see her doing a journalism in the next issue! Although she is described as “jiggling” into view at one point. Probably not the best choice in verbs.
The last two issues have had quirks, but overall they haven’t been bad. The first issue gave us a redemption arc, and the second gave us a couple roadblocks to that redemption. Namely the reputation of the Green Goblin, and Phil’s own carelessness. The series is still trying to find its footing, but there’s only eleven issues left. We’ll see how quickly it can smooth out the rough patches.
