Anghus Houvouras reviews The Superior Spider-Man #10...
![The Superior Spider-Man #10]( "The Superior Spider-Man #10")
"It Begins Here!! A perfect jumping on point as The Green Goblin returns and Spider-Man is nowhere to be found!"
My love for Marvel'sSuperior Spider-Man has been well articulated. It is by far the most interesting and fascinating of the Marvel NOW! titles. The only issue I had with the first few story arcs was that lingering feeling that the status quo would be restored and Peter Parker would replace the far more entertaining Otto Octavius as Spider-Man. The whole idea of a remnant of Peter Parker lingering around like an ethereal conscience seemed like nothing more than a tether between the old and the new. And then Dan Slott cut that tether in the last issue with a surgical incision that liberated this already excellent comic.
My love for Marvel'sSuperior Spider-Man has been well articulated. It is by far the most interesting and fascinating of the Marvel NOW! titles. The only issue I had with the first few story arcs was that lingering feeling that the status quo would be restored and Peter Parker would replace the far more entertaining Otto Octavius as Spider-Man. The whole idea of a remnant of Peter Parker lingering around like an ethereal conscience seemed like nothing more than a tether between the old and the new. And then Dan Slott cut that tether in the last issue with a surgical incision that liberated this already excellent comic.
After last issue's lobotomy of the remnants of Peter Parker, it's all Otto. There's no longer a glowing blue ghost providing color commentary in the background. There is only the Superior Spider-Man now, and I'm interested to see where the title goes next.
Issue #10 gives Otto some breathing room. He's finally starting to relax, having solved the one problem that could have potentially ruin this fresh start he has given himself. Unlike his predecessor, he's stepping up the war on crime and putting the smack down on villains like White Dragon and The Owl. There are still those who doubt the radical changes happening to their friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Those doubters include Mary Jane who tries to address the growing distance between them only to be rebuffed. Otto is too busy trying to get his doctorate and cripple the city's criminal element beyond repair.
A mounting threat looms in the background. As Spider-Man takes down a number of foes, his henchman are being recruited into the underground sewer tunnels of the city. An army is being amassed, by no other than The Goblin King. Bad things are looming on the horizon. The new Spider-Man has so ruthlessly pursued his foes that their only option is to combine their efforts and engage in a little reciprocity.
The Superior Spider-Man #10 is a good palette cleanser of an issue. We get a moment to breathe and take a moment to dig into some of the quieter moments as Otto deals with Aunt May as well as a new love interest. There's still the great comedic undertones as socially awkward Otto tries to pull off being Peter Parker. And there's a great foundation laid out for the next phase of the Superior Spider-Man's story.
Anghus Houvouras is a North Carolina based writer and filmmaker. His latest work, the graphic novel EXE: Executable File, is available from Lulu.com.