SPIDER-MAN: SPIDER-HUNT (Marvel, 2012; Softcover)
Collects
Amazing
Spider-Man
Nos. 432, 433, Sensational
Spider-Man
Nos. 25, 26, The
Spectacular Spider-Man
Nos. 254-256, and (Peter
Parker,)
Spider-Man
Nos.
88-90 (cover
dates February- April, 1998)
Writers:
Howard Mackie, J.M. DeMatteis, Tom DeFalco, and Todd Dezago
Artists:
Pencilers- John Romita, Jr., Luke Ross, Joe Bennett, Todd
Nauck, and Tom Lyle; Inkers- Scott Hanna, Dan Green, Al
Milgrom, Bud LaRosa, and Andrew Hennessy
Norman
Osborn, a.k.a the Green Goblin, was brought back from the dead, and
with that development, the question becomes: How bad can he mess with
life of Peter Parker/ Spider-Man. The answer is, apparently, a heck
of a lot, because he bought a controlling interest in The Daily
Bugle, using the paper as a starting point in his smear campaign
against Spider-Man. While J. Jonah Jameson always ran anti-Spidey
editorials, Osborn's edicts have turned the paper into an
anti-Spider-Man machine. A small time crook is found dead, apparently
having suffocated from what appears to be Spider-Man's webbing.
Public opinion against Spider-Man has never been higher, and with
Osborn offering a five million dollar reward for his capture, he has
declared open season on our hero without lifting a finger. There is
also a new Green Goblin lurking about who is not Norman Osborn.
Osborn is obviously behind this new Goblin, but who or what he/it is
is not revealed in this book.
This
is the gist of Spider-Hunt. Spider-Man is being gunned at from
all sides and at all times, leaving him without a minute to catch his
breath or step back and try and think straight. From every redneck
with a shotgun to upstarts like Override and Aura and Shotgun. We see
Spider-Man get his ass handed to him by the Black Tarantula, a
character who goes on to play a recurring role in the MC2 Universe
title Spider-Girl. Even Hyrdo-Man tries to get in on the
action, until Sandman and Silver Sable show up to lend Spider-Man a
hand. Yes, this was the era where Sandman was making a concerted
effort to be a good guy. I'm not a fan of this sort of thing, as it
feels like WWF Wrestling, when a bad guy would get so popular that
they had to make him into a good guy. This always annoyed me as a
wrestling watching teenager. This being the '90s, of course The
Punisher pops in for an issue or two.
I have a major problem with Amazing Spider-Man #433. In this issue, Joe Robertson is having his “retirement” party at the Hotel Roosevelt. While Peter Parker is there, a gentleman by the name of Dr. Calvin Zabo walks by him in the lobby, triggering his Spider-Sense. Once Peter figures out that he is Mister Hyde, a known villain and wanted felon, he searches him out by crawling around the outside of the building, peeping in windows like some weirdo. Mind you, Zabo had merely checked in to this hotel and was trying to lay low. Of course the sight of Peter in disguise (and not his Spider-Man costume, since he was also trying to lay low) incites Zabo, resulting in him becoming Hyde and running amok in the hotel, crashing the party and endangering everyone. Peter Parker created the situation which made Hyde going into action necessary, and it seemed like the story didn't really work because of it. The whys of Peter climbing around the building seem flimsy.
While
there are some dated aspects to the storytelling, this holds up
pretty well storywise. I for one miss the third-person narrative mode
which is interspersed with the first-person view which is now the
sole method of comic book storytelling. The biggest problem with the
story comes from occasional overwriting, resulting in annoying
smaller text in some of the word balloons in the same panel.
The
artwork is a grab bag, from John Romita, Jr.'s amazing artwork to
Luke Ross and Joe Bennett's Image influenced dreck. Todd Nauck is a
hit or miss artist for me, and here he misses. Tom Lyle is another
whose work essentially defecated on my eyes.
This
story arc of course all leads up to the Spider-Man: Identity
Crisis trade paperback, which I am currently reading. I have been
sifting through my unread Spider-Man collected editions as of late
because, quite frankly, I miss the character. Superior Spider-Man is
not Spider-Man, it is Doctor Octopus in Peter Parker's mind and body,
and I refuse to support this project in any capacity. Thankfully no
one can ever make me read Superior Spider-Man, nor can they
take books like this away from me.
Junk
Food For Thought rating: 4 out of 5.
The
OCD zone- Marvel's trade paperback program is a completist fan's
dream come true. No stone is left unturned when it comes to off the
wall collections like this one. It's nice to have the variant covers
included, especially since most people wouldn't even remember that
these issues even had variant covers. I can guarantee that DC would
not put this kind of effort into their products.
I
also like how the original trade dress is included with each issue.
It is standard practice for all publishers to present the covers
without the trade dress, but I really enjoy seeing it.
DVD-style
Extras included in this book: The following
are all one full page.
Sensational
Spider-Man #25 variant cover.
Amazing
Spider-Man #432 variant cover.
(Peter
Parker,) Spider-Man
#89 variant cover.
The
Spectacular Spider-Man #255 variant cover.
Linework
and Color restoration rating: 5 out of 5. I don't know, maybe I
shouldn't even include this category for this era of comics. These
were all originally done digitally, correct? So then there is nothing
to restore save a missing page or corrupted file, unless I am totally
mistaken. Somebody enlighten me.
Paper
rating: 4.5 out of 5. This book has a good weight glossy coated
stock which is perfectly suited for the material.
Binding
rating: 4 out of 5. Perfect bound (glued) trade paperback.
Cardstock
cover coating rating: 5 out of 5. Nice thick waxlike lamination
makes me happy.
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