Hello readers,
I could talk about Superior Spider-Man all day; Dan Slott understood Peter Parker and was able to define him well.
Otto Octavius, having taken control of his nemesis, set out to do everything that Peter avoided so to prove that Otto's way was Superior, from going overboard against bullies to chumming it up with Mayor J. Jonah Jameson over their mutual distaste for Spidey. The bullying cycle casting Otto being rude to his henchmen and rogues in the same sympathetic light as Peter, with Spider-Man being Otto’s insurmountable antagonist, was an interesting development. Otto was desperate to hide behind the mask. Despite seeing his classic Doc Ock persona as his true self, unlike someone other than Peter like Miles or Miguel who saw Spider-Man as their identity, Otto proved that he, too, could be Spider-Man.
Peter’s few appearances were gold, Ghost Peter was a vestige of his love for MJ and his family which all came together to force Otto to do good.
Further conflicts Otto faced pitted him against the likes of antihero Cardiac, and the original Hobgoblin who was selling villain identities as franchises (Crime Master's among others, even his own to Phil Urich, the nephew of Daily Bugle's Ben Urich) which tied in nicely with the Goblin storyline.
Enjoyed seeing Miguel O'Hara remembering Peter among the other 2099 crossovers, which include the transition to Alchemax from Horizon Labs through Liz Allan, Normie Osborn and the Spider-Man 2099 Stone family. Peter's identity and Otto's victory over him was also played around with during plots featuring Agent Venom Flash Thompson, Wraith Yuri Wantanabe, Green Goblin Norman Osborn and Carlie Cooper, some of whom realizing they are unable to account for Spider-Man’s identity following Spider-Island.
It was funny when Otto tried to explain to MJ and the Avengers that Peter was taken over by Venom, where they asked each other if anyone bought the ruse.
The best part was Otto realizing he was unable to bleed Peter and Spider-Man together like Otto and Doc Ock, understanding, while dating Anna Maria, why Peter kept his lives separate, as Otto had never before been on the other side of the equation of love-interest-in-danger. Otto was superior, but that allowed Norman Osborn to take advantage of a Spider-Man who was too reliant on this superiority (as in the gadgets instead of relying on his philosophy). The contrast between Otto’s materialism, his needing the invaluable equipment, versus Peter’s being able to go with nothing at all, including building himself up from only a few memories, was refreshing and a good reminder of what makes his comics special. What took Otto months to prepare was undone by Osborn, and took Peter less than a day to suffer and prove how he was the superior Spider-Man.
Residual effects of this run include Otto’s achievements being known as Peter's, symbolized by the rise and fall of Parker Industries.
I had read Superior Spider-Man as it was being released, and I remember the online backlash from leaked photos of the Dying Wish prelude, which featured a fantastic twist that made me reread the issue. The Ben Urich annual by Christos Gage was phenomenal. The Age of Ultron tie-in was cool, too.
The part with Peter's Horizon co-workers dealing with the chronotons, fabric of time, which acted like film strips burning away into the page’s bleed had taken some getting used to, but I appreciate the artstyle. The ending also did feel rushed, and Peter versus Norman was short, but there are future Superior stories to fill the void while the Osborn plot continued through the Amazing Spider-Man’s relaunch.
In the end, this series was about how Peter was the Superior Spider-Man compared to Otto. Everything that defined Spider-Man was met with the antithesis and described as Superior. Ghost Peter was the idea of Spider-Man, which Otto embodied, but which took back control because Otto was failing to live up to it. Otto having to recall Peter’s memories to succeed where he was failing was what brought Peter back. I thought Otto failing to remember anything outside of the skimmed portions of Peter’s highlights was an awesome flex for longtime readers from the writer, where even these seeds were shown to be enough for the idea to grow into the full and authentic hero.
Thank you for reading.
Allen W. McLean
PS. Check out more Spider-Man reviews:
https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/search/label/Spider-Man
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