Earlier this week I wrote a little piece on how much I loved the first issue of Spider-Verse. Dan Slott has not let me down as the second issue in this massive Spidey crossover is starring my new favorite Spider-Man, Otto Octavius, The Superior Spider-Man.
Just look at that guy! I love everything about Superior Spider-Man. As I stated in my last article I hoped that Slott would use more Otto, then they brought in Otto, thank you Spider-Gods. Superior bursts onto the page as he heads to the Ultimate Universe to save Miles Morales and Ultimate Jessica Drew who’s a female clone of Spider-Man (it’s weird but whatever). What’s so rewarding about continuing to use Otto is that you get a different side of what Spidey could have been like. Superior is gritty, brutal, and commanding. Imagine if Spider-Man was a bit more like Batman and fought crime like some kind of fascist Super Villain.
Amazing Spider-Man #10 does NOT disappoint! Otto is back, he’s angry, and he has a plan. All of these characteristics are what made me enjoy Superior Spider-Man as much as I did. As a Spidey fan it was often difficult to understand how Peter Parker could never have a plan, he would run into things head first and use luck to his advantage. Otto always has a plan, and they almost never go wrong. What Spider-Verse could have suffered from were too many of the normal Spider-Man archetypes. It would have been a chore to read about 100 spider-men with wise-cracky attitudes and terrible one-liners. Slott has found a great medium between our classic Peter Parker, Spider-Women, and now Otto. It shows how each Spider-Man can and should be written differently.
Spider-Verse #2 (Amazing Spider-Man #10) brings a new sense of urgency to the series as the Spiders learn that the Inheritors can clone themselves and essentially never die. Also dissension has fallen within the ranks as those who wish to be more active at hunting Inheritors are beginning to go on their own. By adding Otto to the mix there will be some internal conflict, which I cannot wait for. What’s sad is that Otto is typically right, and his brutal methods serve a purpose. Peter Parker’s greatest flaw is his ability to forgive, so we’ll see how that plays out in the future. There’s also an all-clone team called “Scarlet Spiders” which is hilarious!
Issue 2 continues off the strength of the first Spider-Verse story and gives us some bombastic combat. There’s something magical about watching dozens of spider-totems fly across the page as they battle the Inheritors, as each Spider has its own style of combat. What Spider-Verse gets so right is that the characters can never feel comfortable. They are constantly being hunted and they’re up against a villain that they cannot win against. This issue has great action, brooding conflict, and death. It’s a great sophomore issue of this series.
Also noted: continued great usage of Miguel O’Hara (Spider-Man 2099) and Spider-Man Noir and of course Spider-Ham (and Spider-Monkey) I cannot wait to continue this series! Keep coming back to see how it all turns out!
GET CHOMPED