Dan Slott and Giuseppe Camuncoli launch a desperate Octo-Spidey through his penultimate issue, but how satisfying are the results? Oh you bet your sweet, Spider-lovin’ butt there’s spoilers in this review.
Written by Dan Slott & Christos Gage
Illustrated by Giuseppe Camuncoli
Inked by John Dell & Terry Pallot
Colors by Antonio Fabela
Lettered by Chris Eliopoulos“Goblin Nation” – Part 4 of 5
• Since the start of DYING WISH, it has ALL been building to this.
• One of the most important moments of the ENTIRE Superior Spider-Man Saga!
• Once this happens, it CANNOT be undone!
• DO NOT MISS THIS ISSUE!
“Superior Spider-Man” #30 is a difficult issue to “unpack.” In a major way, it’s the issue that Spider-Man fans have been anxiously anticipating for months and months now, whether they’ve enjoyed the exploits of Doc Ock-as-Spider-Man or not. The story picks up by basically giving us the vision of the ruined world of Spider-Man that Otto’s era has resulted in. All of the good and the balance that he brought to the city in his time under the mask has basically come undone. More than anything, this acts like a catch-up primer for “Superior Spider-Man” so far, and a catalyst for the events in the issue’s final pages. But the issue’s final moments so greatly overshadow the earlier sequences in the issue that the transition away from this character that we’ve spent a year with feels tossed aside. Having Peter’s return not feel like it was overshadowing everything else obviously would have been nigh-impossible to avoid, given that this is the most important issue for his character since “Amazing Spider-Man” #700. Still, it’s a little disappointing how unceremoniously Otto’s torch is passed.
Otto’s ability to admit defeat and surrender his “superior” title also doesn’t feel entirely earned. Slott has had such a pitch-perfect stranglehold on Otto’s unique psyche that even in failure and stress, Otto believed in himself above it all. Upon Peter Parker’s return to Otto’s subconscious mind, we see Otto surrender control all too willingly. We’ve seen Otto softened, ever so slightly, under Slott’s pen – but we’ve never seen him so willing to admit defeat. His effusive admission of Peter’s superiority feels overdone, when Otto seems more likely begrudgingly give up or come up with an alternate excuse for his failure. Peter’s rise and Otto’s fall had to occur somehow – but it deflates Otto’s erascible character to see it come so easily and willingly. If this was supposed to be a turning point in Otto’s character, it came and went in a flash at the expense of bringing Peter back. That’s a little disappointing, given that Slott committed to and came through on the idea that “Superior Spider-Man” was more than a gimmick title. It wasn’t. It was a great era for Spider-Man comics, period.
Giuseppe Camuncoli continues to impress with his development over the course of his longtime Spider-Man career, as well as the strength of an inking team that make their contributions to the issue relatively seamless. The issue plays to Camuncoli’s strengths, as he continues to render stunning images of Peter Parker traveling through the intertwined history of Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus. Camuncoli is particularly keen at calling upon very specific moments and tropes from Spidey’s past. He makes these moments feel epic and special for longtime Spider-Man fans. Equally impressive is the rendering of the city-wide wreckage that Otto’s time has brought to New York. The way that Slott and his art teams have unfolded this over time was extremely effective in showing what sort of affect Otto’s increasingly careless reign had on things. By the end of this issue, NYC looks like a hellscape.
Really there’s only one major complaint to be had on the art side, and it involves the script and the final product as a whole anyway. With the resurrection of Peter Parker, “Superior Spider-Man” had the opportunity to make an epic historical moment of its own that would stand the test of time and be called upon the way that Camuncoli has over the course of this series. Instead, the moment ends up not leaving much of an impression at all. Peter Parker’s return only succeeds in being crowd-pleasing by being the return of Peter Parker – not because of a memorable visual or an iconic bit or dialogue. The final page – which you’ve likely seen by now – is Peter in his classic Spider-Man outfit, standing hunched with clenched fists, ready to enter the frey. Not much about it – other than the return of this costume – speaks to his character or the classic images that his character conjures up in our minds. It really felt like an opportunity was left on the table here. Perhaps “Superior Spider-Man” #31 will give this series the more iconic send-off it deserves.
Can something be absolutely essential while still feeling flat and unceremonious at the same time? There’s no doubt that this creative team, who has given us so many great comics with Otto Octavius under the Spidey mask, is up to the task of capping this series off in a fitting way. The fact of the matter is that they just didn’t do it here, in the very issue where they decided to bring the one true “Amazing Spider-Man” back. My criticisms of this issue betray just how good I think this series (and Dan Slott’s run as a whole) has been, I know. But Peter Parker’s return could have felt more spectacular, amazing, and ultimately superior to what actually played out on the page.
Final Verdict: 6.0 – A must buy that somehow labors to satisfy.
