When we last left off, Phil Urich, Green Goblin of the “Now Generation,” defeated The Rhino and declined an apparent offer to join The New Warriors. All the while, local gang leader “Ricko the Sicko” is looking for Phil, wanting a word with him about the warehouse smash-and-grab foiled by the Goblin. The last couple issues, while solid overall, suffered from pacing issues. The first probably could have been two, often feeling rushed as it attempted to establish multiple story threads, resorting to major plot beats happening by coincidence or carelessness. And that’s when they were happening on-panel. Issue #2 had the opposite problem, where the main plot was interrupted by a brief appearance from the New Warriors that didn’t necessarily fit with the rest of the issue. Not to mention how strangely and suddenly it resolved.
But we’re only three issues into a new series trying to find its footing in the greater Marvel Universe. After two issues of opposing pacing problems, maybe the third would settle into a nice middle ground.
Written by Tom DeFalcoCover by Scott McDaniel
Art by Scott McDaniel
Letters by Jim Novak
Colors by Joe RosasWhile tracking down the villainous Joystick, Phil Urich finds himself pulled into not only “The Great Game,” but El Toro Negro’s quest for revenge. Now Phil must survive in the crossfire with the help of Joystick’s original target: The Scarlet Spider.
One page in and I have no idea what’s happening. A ton of exposition is dropped on us right at the beginning explaining how Phil met the supervillain Joystick. And how he fell madly in love with her. To the point where the book opens with Phil fantasizing about Joystick in her underwear (sorry, Lynn). Donning his Goblin gear, he tracks her down, springing a trap set for The Scarlet Spider as part of a massive combat “game” orchestrated by sinister wealthy elites. It’s a lot to throw at the reader in two pages, so if you haven’t read “Amazing Scarlet Spider” #2, which came out on the same day (December 1, 1995), it might take you a minute to get your bearings. Just don’t make the same mistake I did and read adjectiveless “Scarlet Spider” #2 instead, or else you’ll just end up even more confused. In my defense, that came out on December 1, 1995 as well.
Usually when there’s a sudden plot change like this, there’s some sort of event happening at the company. And this isn’t really an exception. Sort of. The ‘Great Game’ storyline running through this book was part of the larger ‘Cyberwar’ arc happening in the “Scarlet Spider” books at the time. All of which, if you couldn’t tell by the phrase “Scarlet Spider,” was occurring within the overarching narrative of ‘The Clone Saga;’ a narrative that would last the entire length of this series, both of which will intersect briefly with ‘Onslaught’ before they’re finished. As many issues as I’ve had with the pacing so far, Issue #3 has made me realize how much worse it could have been. “Green Goblin’s” carved out its own corner in the greater “Spider-Man” line, keeping it mostly isolated from any clone-related shenanigans. And there’s a good chance it only picked up this thread purely on DeFalco’s call, as he was writing “Amazing Scarlet Spider” at the time.
Outside of some initial confusion of the first two pages, the rest of the book is fairly straightforward. Phil tracks down Joystick, mostly because he thinks she’s cute, and lands in the middle of “The Great Game.” But when her previous opponent El Toro Negro returns for revenge, Phil saves the villain, helping her escape as The Scarlet Spider finishes the new threat. The issue ends with Ricko grabbing Phil. paying off a set up from the last issue, and giving us a hook for the next. We even get a bit of denouement at the end. The last couple issues ended immediately after the climactic fight scene. Even with the jarring opening, and the mess it was pulling a thread from, this managed to be the most concise story yet. We even get a panel of Phil in his underwear on the last page to balance out the cheesecake on the first.
Continued belowPhil’s characterization is consistent. He clearly didn’t give a whole lot of forethought into chasing after Joystick solo. And even less when he decided to let her go. When the Scarlet Spider lambasts him for it, he lashes out, telling the cloned hero “Crimebusting is your gig… not mine!” But after he flies away, insisting he only does the Goblin thing “for jollies,” we get to see Phil reflect on that impulsiveness in a way we haven’t since his first appearance in “Web of Spider-Man.” That reflection ends with him recognizing that “There’s gotta be easier and more effective ways to score the honeys!” Then he leaves his apartment to pick up food, because his cupboards are “as bare as his favorite centerfold.” Phil, while you’re out, you might grab a soda or something. Because, my dude, you are thirsty.
Scott McDaniel’s artwork remains pretty consistent. There’s a couple panels where his inks and shadows are a little much. There was at least one panel where I had to stop and figure out how Goblin’s face actually worked, because so much was weirdly silhouetted. That’s not to say his silhouettes are all that rough. There’s a particularly great one after Joystick kisses Phil on the cheek. But some work better than others. This issue does lean into the action sequences, meaning his kinetic layouts are showcased to great effect. The colors are a little flatter, however. The Goblin and his caption boxes are more of a muted green. Joe Rosas fills in for Gregory Wright on this issue. And while his colors aren’t bad, if you’ve read the last two, you will notice the difference.
Three issues in, the book’s still solid. And while it did require a little bit of backreading, this one had the best pacing yet. And it’s probably not overly fair to knock off points for backreading, because that’s just comics as a medium. But after reading both this and Issue #2, I did find myself wanting through the next ten issues. This is a series with a lot of potential, even if it does struggle a bit to find its footing. And I can’t help but wonder how much of it will be realized before Issue #13.
