As much as Octavius plans, Smythe has a few tricks up his sleeves.
Creative Staff:
Story: Dan Slott, Christos Gage
Art: Giuseppe Camuncoli, John Dell, Terry Pallot
What They Say:
The Raft is in complete shutdown. Which means that Spider-Man, Jonah, Glory, and Norah are trapped inside with practically ALL the villains that the Superior Spider-Man has brutalized over the past 12 issues! It’s time for a little payback for the Spider-Slayer, Scorpion, Boomerang, and the Vulture!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Taking us to The Raft in the previous issue was a nice evolution in things as it tied to events from awhile ago with Jameson, rolling with the changes in his relationship with Spider-Man and then having the two of them being on the same page in executing Smythe for what he did. It’s one of those surreal moments when you see the two of them together. Of course, it’s going to go in unexpected ways, no matter how much Octavius plans, and that’s definitely where the fun is because Smythe is kind of crazy in his own way and there’s the added bonus of some of the remaining prisoners here that are now freed being ones that Octavius had put away recently in his brutal way.
One of the things that’s made Octavius so interesting to watch is how he’s really taken to protecting innocents, which we see at the start here as he has a way to protect those in the facility from Smythe’s further attacks. It’s a forward-looking aspect that really does make him superior in a way. Of course, Jameson isn’t going to be protected and he actually gets fully engaged, leaving the force field protection Octavius created, grabbing a weapon and some armor and really going at it in trying to take down Smythe. That complicates things for Octavius, though there’s a moment where it works out. Octavius and Jameson definitely are an unusual pairing and seeing them fight side by side, even for a few panels, just adds to the whole surreal experience. But it’s easy to understand Jameson in being intent on seeing Smythe dead.
The book is definitely fun and has a great energy in dialogue and visuals as Octavius and Smythe fight, while touching on the innocents and showcasing what’s going on. But it also goes bigger as we get Vulture, Scorpion and Boomerang coming into the picture here now that they’ve been boosted by Smythe. While decent enough villains on their own, they’re willing to work with what they’re given to get some revenge but also to follow Smythe’s orders for the duration. Their upgrades here are pretty slick and the action has a really great layout and design to it, with some decent banter as well, but there’s also a natural seriousness to it as Octavius is trying to deal with a fight on multiple fronts while trying to ensure that Smythe doesn’t escape. Add the Lizard to the mix and a few tricks up Octavius sleeve and it looks like the concluding chapter of this arc next time around will be really worthwhile.
In Summary:
Largely focusing on the action here, Superior Spider-Man does a lot of fun stuff as we see Octavius having some solid plans in place to deal with Smythe but also getting thrown a bit as well so that it doesn’t all go to plan. I liked his protective nature here that’s coupled with his superior attitude and I also like that he’s largely able to back a lot of it up with what’s going on. His interactions with Jameson are spot on and there’s some really good stuff in general with the fight between him and Smythe as well as his dismissive nature towards the new trio, at least until they start getting in a few good hits. It’s a quick three issue arc overall but it’s setting a lot of things in motion and is playing very, very ewll.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Marvel Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: June 19th, 2013
MSRP: $2.99
