Review- SPIDER-MAN & THE NEW WARRIORS: THE HERO KILLERS

SPIDER-MAN & THE NEW WARRIORS: THE HERO KILLERS (Marvel, 2012; Softcover)

Collects Amazing Spider-Man Annual No. 26, New Warriors Annual No. 2, The Spectacular Spider-Man Annual No. 12, and Web of Spider-Man Annual No.8 (cover dates Annual 1992)

Writers: David Michelinie, Fabian Nicieza, Eric Fein, Tom Brevoort, Mike Kanterovich, Glenn Herdling, and G. Alan Barnum

Artists: Pencilers- Scott McDaniel, Brandon Peterson, Aaron Lopresti, Vince Evans, Scott Kolins, Tod Smith, and Steve Buccellato; Inkers- Keith Williams, Mark Stegbauer, Al Milgrom, Jimmy Palmiotti, Bruce Jones, Don Hudson, Sam DeLarosa, and Aaron Lopresti

This is one of those bizarre, somewhere out of left field collected editions. Collecting a four part crossover which spanned the Spider-Man summer Annuals, it co-starred The New Warriors, the '90s attempt at making a go of a new superhero team. They come off as also-rans. Nova was a '70s C-lister. Firestar was created for the Spider-Man And His Amazing Friends animated series in the early 1980s and found her way into comics a few years later. Namorita goes back to the '50s but never really caught on. Speedball's biggest claim to fame is the short-lived Steve Ditko-penciled series of the late '80s. Night Thrasher...I still don't know what his powers are after reading this book. 

Silhouette is easily the worst of the bunch though. I am not making light of people with disabilities. My aunt suffered from, and ultimately died from, MS, so I know full well the horrors and hardships that people with disabilities can go through. But the notion of a superhero whose only power is blending in with shadows and has to use crutches to walk is just plain dumb. She uses them as weapons, too. I can't see how anyone would think that bringing someone with a disability like this into combat situations is a good idea. It seems irresponsible. People with disabilities can lead full and active lives, but fighting super villains seems unbelievable, and this is comic books for chrissakes! 

Handicapped characters, such as Handi Man, must have been perceived as THE NEXT BIG THING. Why else would Marvel have a character like Silhouette?

Like many early '90s comics, this is high on action and low on story. Think of it as a more entertaining version of decompression. Rather than padding out a thin story with endless conversations, it is padded out with a seemingly endless array of battles. The main story is basically Speedball and other superheroes being kidnapped by Justin Hammer and (SPOILER) the Sphinx to steal their energy, and Spider-Man and The New Warriors fighting battle after battle after battle to rescue them. Throw in some overwriting and typically mediocre '90s art and there you have it. 

You could do a lot worse than this book, but you could also do much better. This is for '90s children and completists only.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3.25 out of 5.

The OCD zone- The back up stories and all pages not related to the main story are collected in the back of the book. This is done for the reading flow of the story and makes perfect sense when reading it. This practice would not fly in a Marvel Masterworks, for example, but in a self-contained collection like this it does.

DVD-style Extras included in this book: The fully rendered front and back covers of the book minus the trade dress. (2 pages)

Linework and Color restoration rating: 5 out of 5. This is the '90s. It looks like crap because a lot of it is. Cory Sedlemeir and Michael Kelleher couldn't spit shine these turds.

Paper rating: Nice dull matte finish coated stock, the same found in Classic lines and the softcover Marvel Masterworks.

Binding rating: 4 out of 5. Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover coating rating: 5 out of 5. The usual high quality waxlike lamination found on all Marvel trade paperback releases.

Buy SPIDER-MAN & THE NEW WARRIORS: THE HERO KILLERS TP at InStockTrades!

Review- SPIDER-MAN: THE WORLD'S GREATEST HERO

SPIDER-MAN: THE WORLD'S GREATEST HERO (Marvel, 2012; Softcover)

Collects Peter Parker, Spider-Man No. 156.1, Sensational Spider-Man Nos. 33.1, 33.2, and Web of Spider-Man Nos. 129.1, 129.2 (cover dates October, 2012)

Writers: Roger Stern (Peter Parker, Spider-Man No. 156.1), Tom DeFalco (Sensational Spider-Man Nos. 33.1, 33.2), and Stuart Moore (Web of Spider-Man Nos. 129.1, 129.2)

Artists: Roberto De La Torre (Peter Parker, Spider-Man No. 156.1), Carlo Barberi (penciler) and Walden Wong (inker) (Sensational Spider-Man Nos. 33.1, 33.2), and Damion Scott (penciler) and Rob Campanella (inker) (Web of Spider-Man Nos. 129.1, 129.2)

Colorists: Matt Hollingsworth (Peter Parker, Spider-Man No. 156.1), Antonio Fabela (Sensational Spider-Man Nos. 33.1, 33.2), and Andres Mossa (Web of Spider-Man Nos. 129.1, 129.2)

These .1 and .2 issues are additions to cancelled Spider-titles of the past, part of last year's 50^th anniversary celebration of Spider-Man. Veteran writers Roger Stern and Tom DeFalco return to the title and prove that they still have it. Roger Stern's story occurs in current continuity but references classic Spider-Man happenings, such as the ACME warehouse where Spider-Man confronted the burglar who murdered his Uncle Ben (Amazing Fantasy No. 15). The Brand corporation is trying to extract something from the sewer in the sub-basement of that warehouse from their time as part of the Roxxon Corporation. Stern's classic 1980s run dealt with Roxxon quite a bit, from the new Tarantula to Will O' The Wisp. Lots of great subplots on that run. On the artwork side, Roberto De La Torre's interpretation of Spider-Man is a breath of fresh air. While a bit more rough around the edges than I typically like, his storytelling is clear and concise and I could live with him having a run on the title. 

Artwork by Carlo Barberi (penciler) and Walden Wong (inker)

Tom DeFalco is another beloved Spider-Writer from my Golden Age of Comics, the early-to-mid 1980s. He also did a great, criminally underrated run on Spider-Girl. His two-part story deals with the new Vulture, human trafficking, and a crooked FBI agent. It is simultaneously contemporary and classic in tone. Carlo Barberi's artwork is effective and again, I could live with him having a run on the title. Anyone is better than Humbero Ramos. 

They say that all art is subjective. I say that this art SUCKS.

...and then we have the Stuart Moore issues. A pair of turds bogging down the proceedings with a horrid ret-con mockery. Damion Scott's artwork is, shall we say, not ready for prime time. Strictly amateur hour stuff. Moore's story and Scott's artwork was a total buzzkill and dragged the overall rating of the book down a full .75 points.

My advice: buy the book but bail after the DeFalco issues. You'll love it. Unless you read the last two issues. Then you'll be waiting for it to be over.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3.75 out of 5.

The OCD zone- Standard fare Marvel trade paperback.

Paper rating: 4.25 out of 5. Decent weight glossy coated stock.

Binding rating: 4 out of 5. Standard glued binding.

Cardstock cover coating rating: 5 out of 5. Thick glossy waxlike coating. My favorite.

Buy SPIDER-MAN: THE WORLD'S GREATEST HERO TP at InStockTrades!

Review- ESSENTIAL WEB OF SPIDER-MAN VOL. 2

ESSENTIAL WEB OF SPIDER-MAN VOL. 2 (Marvel, 2012; Softcover)

Collects Web of Spider-Man Nos. 19-32, Amazing Spider-Man Nos. 293, 294, Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man Nos. 131, 132, and Web of Spider-Man Annual No. 3 (cover dates October, 1986- November, 1987)

Writers: David Michelinie (19, 20, 23, 24), Larry Lieber (21, 25), Len Kaminski (22, 24, 26), Bob Layton (28), J.M. DeMatteis (31, 32, ASM 293, 294, PPTSSM 131, 132), Dwight Jon Zimmerman (27), Jim Owsley (29, 30), and more

Artists: Bob McLeod (19, 20, 31, 32, ASM 293, 294, PPTSSM 131, 132), Mike Zeck (31, 32, ASM 293, 294, PPTSSM 131, 132), Larry Lieber (21, 25), Marc Silvestri (19, 20), Steve Geiger (28-30), Vince Colletta (23-25), and others

I bought every one of these issues from the Direct Market on the day of release. Aside from the brilliant Kraven's Last Hunt arc, there's not much in the way of greatness here. There are some fine, solid stories, and there are a few clunkers that I disliked as a teenager and dislike as an adult.

Most of the issue covers are “iconic” inventory specials, having nothing to do with the story inside. Issue 26 sports a great Charles Vess cover, but there's a problem. Vess depicts Spidey wearing his black costume, while in the issue itself he wears his red and blue costume. The disconnect between cover art and story would again rear its ugly head in the early Aughts. 

Most of the creators involved in this book were competent. Steve Geiger's artwork was a cut above the rest, though. I wonder whatever happened to him? Issues 29 and 30 feature the then-true-in-continuity origin of the Hobgoblin as well as the origin of the Rose. Those were both great issues. Issues 28-32 all featured a notable uptick in quality as a whole over the rest of the series at that point.

The icing on this cake is, of course, Kraven's Last Hunt. I remember reading all 6 parts across the three titles in June and July of 1987 and loving them. It was pouring rain the night issue 31 was released, and I remember reading it with the smell of the rain coming into my bedroom. My family was poor and we had no air conditioning...or cable TV. This arc has been reprinted multiple times, and across multiple formats. I have the 1989 hardcover. It has never been reprinted with the original color palette intact, however. 

Artwork by Mike Zeck. Whatever happened to him? I'd love to see him do something for Marvel again.

This was a solid if mostly unremarkable era for Spider-Man. I do look forward to the day when these books are reprinted in Masterworks or Omnibus editions. Bring on Essential Web of Spider-Man Vol. 3!

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4 out of 5.

The OCD zone- This book is another example of why Marvel needs to condense all three Spider-Man lines into one when they reach this point of publication. The Kraven's Last Hunt storyline went across all three lines, so this will have to be collected three times if they don't.

Linework restoration rating: 4 out of 5. The linework looks fine except for the Kraven's Last Hunt storyline. Those issues look decent for the most part, but Web of Spider-Man No. 32 looks awful. There are a few rough spots throughout the book. The untrained eye won't catch them, but unfortunately for me I see dead people...and by dead people I mean linework dropouts and pixelation. I'm ill.

Paper rating: 3 out of 5. Part of the appeal of the Essential line of phonebook-sized trade paperbacks is that you get 480-500+ pages for $19.99 MSRP (lower if you click the link below). In order to achieve this low low price point, cheap paper and black and white printing are necessary. I like the cheap pulp paper used on these books. I also enjoy the black and white reprints, as some artists' work looks better in black and white than in color.

Binding rating: 4 out of 5. Typical glued binding on a softcover.

Cardstock cover coating rating: 5 out of 5. The usual thick, high quality cardstock cover coating found on all Marvel collected editions.

Buy ESSENTIAL WEB OF SPIDER-MAN VOL. 2 TPB at InStockTrades!

Yes, I tend to bounce between this many books at a time.

Review- ESSENTIAL WEB OF SPIDER-MAN VOL. 1

ESSENTIAL WEB OF SPIDER-MAN VOL. 1 (Marvel, 2011; Softcover)

Collects Web of Spider-Man Nos. 1-18, Web of Spider-Man Annual Nos. 1, 2, and Amazing Spider-Man No. 268 (cover dates April, 1985- September, 1986)

Writers: Louise Simonson (1- 3), Danny Fingeroth (4-6, 10, 11), Peter David (7, 12, 13), David Michelinie (8, 9, 14-18), Bill Mantlo (11), and Ann Nocenti (Annual 1 and 2)

Artists: Greg LaRoque (1-5) Jim Mooney (1-3, 5, 10), Charles Vess (cover artist for 1, 8, Annual 1), John Byrne (cover artist, 3-6, ASM 268), Vince Colletta (4, 8, 9, 17), Mike Harris (6, 13-15), Sal Buscema (7, 12), Armando Gil (7), Geoff Isherwood (8, 9), Howard Chaykin (cover artist, 10), Bob McLeod (11, 12), Kyle Baker (13-16, 18), Marc Silvestri (16-18), and Arthur Adams (Annual 2)

I bought every single one of these issues off of the stands on the day of release. This title was always like the red-headed stepchild of the Spider-titles, lacking a consistent creative team or approach. I didn't care for most of these issues as an 11-12 year old kid but enjoyed them as an adult for the most part.

Issue 1 was released on Thursday, December 27, 1984. This would be the newsstand/ 7-11 release date. The Direct Market was 3 weeks ahead of the newsstands, at least in Metro Detroit at that time. Your mileage may vary depending on where you lived. It came out the week after Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man No. 100, the events of which lead directly into this issue. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. If/when the Masterworks get to this point, all three titles will need to be merged into one line, as the storylines tend to bleed into one another and will result in an unsatisfying read if you have to jump from book to book to read them. Or, worse still, we will get multiple issue repeated, i.e. Kraven's Last Hunt, across multiple lines. Either way it's a lose-lose scenario.

Issue 10 has a true variant cover floating around out there. I refer to variants as printing discrepancies, not “dealer incentives” where comic shops order extra copies to get a 1:50, 1:100, 1:200, etc., variant to sell above cover price. The copy of issue 10 that I bought off of the spinner rack at 7-11 had a .75 cover price with a .65 price tag covering it. .65 was the cover price on the Direct Market edition. I know because I checked at the time. My best guess is that some Canadian newsstand editions got mixed in and repriced on the distributor level, or they were misprinted with a .75 cover price and then repriced accordingly. The copy shown in this book has a newsstand edition .65 cover price, fueling my theory. This is truly one of the great mysteries at our time. Leonard Nimoy needs to resurrect In Search Of... and do an episode where he gets to the bottom of this.

This issue covers are mostly inventory or “iconic” covers, which is early aughts speak for cover images that have nothing to do with the story inside and could be slapped on any issue at any time. Issue 1 had a great Charles Vess cover which had nothing to do with the story inside, and the covers for 8, 11, 14, and Annual 2 could have appeared anywhere as well.

The chicken scratch artwork that would define the '90s began here, at least for me. Kyle Baker, Marc Silvestri, and even Art Adams (whose early work I despise but I like his modern stuff) emphasized flash over substance. This style of art drove me out in late '89/early '90 and kept me away until a decade or so ago. Bob McLeod's artwork in issue 11 and 12, however, is incredible. He is an underrated and seemingly forgotten great from this era.

The writing is decent if inconsistent. David Michelinie cuts his teeth on the character on this title before assuming the flagship title (Amazing Spider-Man) a year or so later. Peter David also wrote a couple of issues, although issue 7 may have been an inventory story that could have just as easily appeared during his run on Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man.

So while I read and reread all of these issues repeatedly during this time, I don't have much nostalgia for these issues. They simply weren't that good for me to remember them fondly. Having said that, I look forward to the day that I can upgrade and buy Masterworks or an Omnibus of this stuff.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 3.5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- OCD alert! OCD alert! Web of Spider-Man Annual No. 1 is incorrectly placed after issue 9. It was released after issue 6. The logical place for this issue would be after issue 6 and the Amazing Spider-Man No. 268 (crossover issue) and before issue 7.

These Essentials remain a bargain. 500+ black and white pages printed on pulp paper for $19.99 MSRP. Cheaper than a movie ticket and pop and popcorn combo. My only gripes about the line are the lack of page numbers and the lack of cover artist credits. DC puts page numbers on their Showcase Presents line of phonebooks. The cover artists were often different than the artist for the issue, so a dedicated cover artist section on the table of contents is necessary.

Linework restoration rating: 5 out of 5. I know these issues inside out. If there are dropped lines, I didn't catch them...and I'm ridiculously anal about this sort of thing.

Paper rating: 3 out of 5. These phonebooks are printed on cheap pulp paper, which is fine for what these books are supposed to be: inexpensive reads. The pulp paper lends a nostalgic air to the proceedings as well, even though this title never used pulp paper. Web of Spider-Man was among the first Marvel titles to use the flexograph water-based inks on bright white stock.

Binding rating: 4 out of 5. Glued binding. Nothing to get yourself worked up over. This book lays pretty flat for the most part.

Cardstock cover coating rating: 5 out of 5. Broken record time: I like the lamination that Marvel uses on their cardstock covers. OCD tested, OCD approved.