Spider-Man Reviews

Age of Ultron #8

2013-06-19T18:24:00.001+08:00

Hello everybody & welcome to my review of Age of Ultron #8.

Synopsis:

In the new present day Marvel U, Tony Stark has extracted and copied the memories of AU Wolverine & Invisible Woman to view. He is stunned as he watches the alternate timeline unfold before his eyes. Tony turns to Professor Charles Xavier & Emma Frost (who look to be his consultants) and asks them to tell him this isn't real, but the two say otherwise. These two doppelgangers are indeed Sue Storm & James "Logan" Howlett, just not their versions of them.

Stark doesn't entirely buy it however and asks if there's no way Morgana Le Fay planted the memories they are now viewing. Again Xavier & Frost disagree and say this is exactly what it appears to be, that the two AU heroes have broken the timeline. Tony asks that Frost & Xavier send the Defenders away (despite their Wolverine wanting to interrogate the AU one.) and to make sure that no one else knows about this.

A little later, Stark visits AU Wolverine in his cell, giving him a crash course in this alternate timeline's history, Stark lost half his body during the Laveria-Asgard Wars (That sounds like an awesome event comic we'll never see) trying to stop Morgana Le Fay from conquering half the earth, which also led to Asgard abandoning the Earth. He also reveals that Hank Pym's murder (which they always attributed to Skrulls) split the Avengers up and very bluntly remarks that Logan "broke the world".

Meanwhile, Susan Storm stirs in her own cell. She asks to speak with someone, but nobody answers. Sue then decides to go about things "old school" and starts using her powers to crack and break her shackles.

Tony asks Logan if he tried to talk Hank Pym out of creating Ultron. Logan replies that it didn't take (uh, you never tried that in the first place Wolvie) like the other version of Stark said, he jokes that it's like a religion to guys like Stark and Pym, if they see something worth building, they are going to build it. Wolverine adds that he isn't proud of himself after Stark simply says "and so you killed him". Iron Man calls Wolverine a fool and asks him if he thinks this world is any better than the one he set out to change?

On the deck of the Starkguard Carrier, the Defenders are discussing the AU heroes. They are then approached by Professor X & Emma Frost, who asks that the team go back to the "Defenders Sanctorum and that Stark will call them when they have this all sorted, Professor X adds that they should respect the man's process. Wolverine responds "the hell he will and the hell we will". Thngs start to become more heated between the two parties. Eventually the Thing decides to just charge past Emma in order to see Sue. Frost threatens to shut the Thing's brain down, but Dr Strange intervenes and knocks the two out with a disorientation spell. The Thing, Other Wolverine & Cable/Cyclops head into the ship whilst the rest of the team stay in position.

While all this is going on, Tony is asking AU Wolverine whether he considered anything else, such as placing a time-release virus in Ultron (Hmm...). He's suddenly notified of the security breach and goes back to his original theory of this being a Le Fay trick.

Elsewhere, the Thing, Cable & Other Wolverine have reached Sue Storm's cell. They force the local Starkguard to open it, but the room is empty? Of course, Susan has turned invisible in the cell and slips past the trio, making a run for it. She's quickly cornered by Stark though, who points out that her invisibility is useless against him as he can see all spectrum's. He is about to kill Sue when an enormous portal suddenly opens outside by the Starkguard Carrier fleet. It's Morgana Le Fay with an army of Dr Doom-like soldiers.

Tony fires on Sue, who shields herself in a ball, and retreats outside, calling in a swarm of drones to do battle with Le Fay. The Defenders outside also attack Morgana's soldiers. AU Wolverine, who was previously lying on the floor healing after being shot in the side by Stark, heads out of his cell and through the corridors, where he briefly spots the other Defenders. Their Wolverine give the AU version a sad look in anticipation of whats coming.

Outside, Stark confronts Le Fay, warning her that her "wonky timeline" plan won't work. Le Fay responds that she barely understands what Stark is saying, but urges him to turn around regardless. Tony does so just in time to witness one Starkguard Carrier collide into another. He watches in horror as the two falling ships crash into the streets of New York...

Thoughts:

Last issue my biggest complaint was that the new present day reality of the Marvel U seemed too superfluous to spend an entire issue there. While that also rings true for this issue I definitely enjoyed it more than the previous one and there is certainly a sense of unpredictability with this new setting.

I'm very pleased with the way Iron Man is characterised here. His appearance at the end of last issue made me think we were in for a megalomaniacal lunatic treatment, much like Iron Maniac from the Marvel Team-Up series, and although he's created his own police state, this character still feels like Tony Stark which is great. His interrogation of Wolverine is well handled by Bendis. Stark gives Logan a dose of common sense with his words and since Wolverine is the kind of guy to ignore common sense most of the time (that's what beserker rage will do to you.) he in real need of it. Morgana Le Fay is an unusual pick for this new worlds nemesis (though they got the name wrong, it's either Morgan Le Fay or Morgana) but in a good way.

The Defenders team however aren't very interesting this time around. Their going to be irrelevant by the end so I'm not interested in seeing a team dynamic in this issue. They're scenes feel like padding which is something this issue needs like a hole in the head. Plus the battle with Morgana and the cliffhanger ending are both quite rushed, and that doesn't do the padding with the Defenders any favours.

Brandon Peterson is the sole penciller for this issue and though I've had a couple of problems with his art in the past, this issue is his best work so far, there's less of the weird facial expressions (key word being less) and the action scenes towards the end look suitably epic. While this was overall a stronger issue than the previous one, I have concerns that, much like the last few pages here, the final conflict with Ultron is going to feel very rushed...

Score: 3.5/5.0

Ben Reilly Returns in Scarlet Spider # 21

2013-06-19T10:17:00.003+08:00

While we don't usually post solicits on this site, this is for all Ben Reilly fans out there, aka The original Scarlet Spider/ the perfect clone of Peter Parker...your boy is coming back to comics. Or at least that is what is portrayed in the latest cover of Scarlet Spider # 21.

The cover features a full on Ben Reilly Scarlet Spider suit with a blue sleeveless hoodie and impact webbing (a trademark of Ben Reilly).

Check it out below, with the comments from Marvel

SCARLET SPIDER #20 & 21

CHRISTOPHER YOST (W) • CARLO BARBERI (A)

Cover by RYAN STEGMAN

INTO THE GRAVE PART 1 (of 3)

• After last issue’s shocking ending, everything has changed for Kaine. His second chance at life is over.

• At his lowest point, he comes face to face with the one man that’s fueled his obsession, hate and guilt his entire life... BEN REILLY.

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99

Spider-Man's Sister in Spider-Man: Family Business

2013-06-18T09:53:00.002+08:00

Marvel has just announced via USA today their new story for Spider-Man, set for Spring 2014 - Spider-Man: Family Business

While the name may seem pretty normal, we are about to see a new status quo change in Spider-Man's life. Set to take place before the events to Amazing Spider-Man # 700, this story will introduce a new character, namely Peter Parker's sister - Teresa Parker.

The writers for the story will be Mark Waid and James Robinson, with art by Gabrielle Dell'otto. Mark Waid states that :

"It seems very bizarre to him that Aunt May never mentioned anything about this woman, who's about his age and the resemblance is there,".

"Peter wants to try to figure out what this mystery is all about but basically they're running from a crime syndicate out to kill them both throughout the novel, so there's not a whole lot of time for Spider-Man to sit and relax and slowly suss this out."

The plot involves Peter being hunted down by a Crime syndicate headed by the King Pin, who is taking his criminal empire worldwide. The story will expound on Peter's family life, from the death of his parents, to his life as an orphan, and obviously to his new found sister.

Check out the trailer below:

Superior Spider-Man 11

2013-06-12T13:27:00.000+08:00

Superior Spider-Man 11 is essentially an issue highlighting the fact that Doc Ock, is going to have to learn to be humble if he is going to continue living Peter's life, after all, Peter was a humble guy. Also, there is something about the Spider-Slayer...

The Story

The story begins with Peter Octopus, sitting in university, listening to a boring lecture about the Negative Zone that he already knows about. Doctor Lamaze is not too pleased that Peter is not paying attention. Anna notices however that Peter is clearly bored and already knows everything. She asks him why he is even in class, to which he hints that he is there to see her.

Peter later gets a phone call from the Mayor. Mayor Jameson wants Spider-Man present on the day of the Spider-Slayer's execution, in case an attempt at escape is made. Spider-Man agrees.

The following day, - the day of execution for the Spider-Slayer, Jameson is given a tour around The Raft Maximum Security prison. He sees Boomerang, whom Spider-Man almost beat to death, bedridden, a blind Adrian Toomes a.ka The Vulture, and Scorpion, whose jaw was punched clean off.

Other prisoners include the Lizard and the Spider-Slayers/ Smythe, whose death Jameson had come to witness.

Meanwhile, Peter Octopus is getting cocky with Max Modell over at Horizon Labs. Max warns him that his patience levels are reaching its limits.

Spider-Man soon arrives at the Security Prison along with his spider-bots ( uncountable amounts). It appears that Spider-Man had brought them to work on something, as depicted in the image attached. Spidey then walks past Smythe's cell, who tries to taunt him, reminding him about how he slaughtered Marla Jameson. Unfortunately for Smythe, he is actually talking to Doctor Octopus, who could not care less. Spider-Man just ignores him and carries on with business, looking at the holding cell in which he was once held, as Doctor Octopus.

Mayor Jameson soon arrives in a helicopter with Norah Winters and Glory Grant. As expected, Smythe pulls some stunts when brought into the execution room, and thousands of mini slayer bots start attacking people. Spider-Man activates his plan Zeta One.

Being fully prepared for the situation, Spider-Man's spider bots begin fighting the mini slayer bots. Spider-Man then proceeds to deal with the Spider-Slayer. Smythe however, is not interested to fight Spider-Man, but is more focused on escape instead. He tries several means of escape, all carefully planned over months of being held in prison. Each escape route however seems to be blocked by one of Spider-Man's tricks.

As a last resort, Smythe then sends some mini slayer bots to fix up Boomerang, Toomes and Scorpion. The bots create new artificial eyes for Toomes, a jaw for Scorpion and something for Boomerang, getting them all back on their feet. Smythe then tells them to kill Spider-Man and they will all be free.

Thoughts

I thought this issue was pretty decent. There are two stories taking place here. The first is about Doctor Octopus, learning to be humble, or resenting the fact that he has to be, if he wants to live Peter Parker's life. There is more build up on the relationship between Anna and Peter Octopus in this issue.

Unfortunately, both the Goblin story, and " the adventures of Carlie," are absent from this book. We will have to wait a little longer for that and put up with this mini sub story in the mean time.

I can't help but notice that a fair amount of focus is given to the prison guard in this issue. I did not write anything about him in my review, however, he makes a few unnecessary appearances in this issue, being ignored and scolded by both Mayor Jameson and Spider-Man, most likely creating a blow to his ego. This could just be the start of a new villain in my opinion.

Finally, we have the Vulture, Boomerang and Scorpion, all beaten up and left with serious damages that actually affect continuity. Sure, they have temporarily recovered thanks to some help from the Spider-Slayer, however, this healing is all artificial. From the scan above, we can see that the three now share similar traits in appearance to the Spider-Slayer. These three are now at the mercy of the Spider-Slayer, not to mention screwed if Smythe is defeated.

Venom #35

2013-06-07T10:14:00.000+08:00

Hello everybody and welcome to my review of Venom #34. The finale to the current story arc, featuring the titanic team-up of two sensational symbiote-powered warriors, Agent Venom & Toxin, united against a common threat, the Symbiote Slayers! Will our heroic hero & awesome anti-hero defeat their chilling new foes? I guess we'll soon discover as we read on, Excelsior!

Synopsis:

Flash has arrived at Philadelphia High the morning after his brutal fight with Eddie Brock, aka Toxin. He notes the reactions from his students to the bruises on his face and the rumours that will result from it. Flash is then shocked to see Eddie Brock, aka Toxin standing at the other end of the hallway. Flash quickly confronts him and asks both what he's doing here and how he found him. Eddie replies that it wasn't that hard since he used to be a reporter and that they are going to go outside and finish what they started. If Flash refuses, then Brock will let Toxin off the lease right there in the school.

Flash doesn't fall for the threat though and tells Eddie that he won't let him hurt the kids. Eddie responds that he was going to say the same thing to Flash, calling him an idiot for bringing the Venom symbiote in amongst all those children. Flash snaps that he's had enough of Eddie's "holier-than-thou spiel", and while he may whine about being bonded to Toxin, the truth is that deep down he wanted it. Of course that pushes Eddie's buttons and he gives Flash his best evil stare, telling him that he will do this right here if Flash wants. He suddenly stops mid-sentence and sniffs the air, recognising the scent as similar to the U-Foes Experiment.

The "Symbiote Slayers" have arrived at the school. They immediately begin killing everyone in the nearby vicinity. The fire alarm is quickly triggered and the students take cover from the monsters. Flash orders Andi and several other students to hide in a nearby classroom, promising Andi that he won't let anything happen to her, while Eddie watches this with a contemplative face. Once the kids are secure, the two men agree to kill each other later, morphing into their respective symbiote forms .

Toxin attacks the Slayers head-on with brute ferocity, killing one instantly, while Flash opts for guerrilla tactics, attacking the Slayers from the various air vents with symbiote tendril's. While Flash wonders if Eddie is right about the two of them and the Slayers, a nearby kid is taking pictures of the action with his iPhone (his parents must have a lot of money) from the safety of his classroom and snaps a mug shot of Toxin kicking some serious Slayer arse.

The Slayers start to focus their attention on Brock and gradually begin to overwhelm him. Despite pondering whether he should let the Slayers & Toxin slaughter each other, Flash comes bursting through the floor (in full-on Classic Venom mode) to Eddie's rescue. Venom literally shreds through the Symbiote Slayers while Toxin recovers and re-joins him in taking them out. With the Slayers all dead, Toxin pays Venom a compliment, remarking that he "didn't do too bad for an old guy". He then asks if Flash is ready for what's next.

Flash questions if Eddie really wants to resume their conflict after what's just happened, to which Eddie responds that he does because he looks at Flash and sees the same urges he had when he was Venom. He doesn't believe that Flash can control those urges because he couldn't. Flash replies that he controls the Venom Symbiote because he has to. The difference between him and Eddie is that because Eddie turned his back on everyone, he had no reason to keep the beast at bay, whereas Flash on the other hand is trying to build a life. After a brief pause, Eddie tells Flash that it's a deal. He'll let Flash live a life, but he'll be watching him, and when Flash lose control, he'll swoop in and kill him. Flash replies that if something like that were to happen, he'd want Eddie to kill him. Eddie remarks that it's not if, it's when, and repeats his question to Flash. "Are you ready for what comes next?"

The casualties are surprisingly low, with a few people rushed to hospital and two dead cops. Flash is interviewed by one of the reporting news crews, who ask if he saw what happened. Flash answers that he didn't see much, but he saw the "creature" the news crews are talking about (Toxin), and that it singlehandedly fought off the Slayers. Toxin watches from the shadows as Flash continues, saying that it's a good feeling knowing someones out there looking out for you, "watching out for whatever comes next." Meanwhile, a lone surviving Slayer skitters across the street...

Thoughts:

When I reviewed #34, I made the mistake of assuming that it was the final part of the current storyline, and that the next issue would start a brand new story arc relating to the "Symbiote Slayers". Boy was I wrong.

After a lot of buildup for the past few issues of the Venom/Toxin showdown, it was nice to see Cullen Bunn just cut to the chase and have the two in a tense face-off by the second page. Bunn's characterisation of Eddie Brock is fantastic. He's the Lethal Protector again, just with a different symbiote. Despite his initially antagonistic stance against Flash, we begin to understand his point of view as the issue progresses, and by the end he's in the stance of anti-hero again which is exactly where he should be.

Flash fares just as well here if not better. I really like how he isn't intimidated by Toxin despite the beating he received previously. The moment where he saves Brock is brilliantly handled because Flash is in control from start to finish during the battle, which shows how he's progressed as a character since #30. Plus he goes full-on Classic Venom which is always a welcome sight. It's also interesting to note that the Venom & Toxin symbiotes have now reversed roles since Toxin's first appearance in "Venom VS Carnage".

The "Symbiote Slayers", while they are very menacing, aren't the focus here, their just an excuse to have Venom & Toxin form an uneasy alliance, but that's not a criticism as the interplay between those two is great, and the stinger at the end shows that Bunn isn't finished with them anyway.

Declan Shalvey has consistently impressed me with his artwork and this issue is no exception. Venom & Toxin look amazing, especially when Classic Venom rears his ugly-but-also-really-awesome head. There's some vicious action here and money shots aplenty, Lee Loughridge's colours also continue to help provide a near-perfect mix of gritty shadows and colourful characters (and not just in the literal sense).

Overall this story-arc has been great and I've really enjoyed reviewing it from start to finish. Not just as a Venom fan though, but also as a fan of Flash Thompson (which is something I thought I'd never say out loud before this series started). This has been a fantastic character study of both Flash & Eddie Brock and I'm super excited for what's next in store for our favourite symbiotic hero. Cullen Bunn, I salute you...

Score: 4.5/5.0

Web Head Legion Podcast Episode 5

2013-06-07T04:26:00.000+08:00

Hey folks, Good News: The Web Head legion Podcast is back with another sensational episode titled: My Favorite Octopus.

On this episode we welcome back the mighty and magnificent Mr. Tom Mets, as well as long time Spider-Man enthusiast and dedicated fan straight from the pages of Spidermanreviews:.Mr. Aaron Gilbride aka Combustible Pumpkins.

Tune your ears and press play as we run down some of our very favorite Dock Ock stories of all time, and discuss the VERY suspicious behavior of lead Spider-Man writer Dan Slott. Also dont miss our detailed review of issues 9 and 10 of Superior Spider-Man. It's all for your listening pleasure.

Amazing Spider-Man 2 Movie: Spider-Man and Gwen Swinging pictures

2013-06-04T22:11:00.004+08:00

Thanks to SuperheroHype, we have more stills from the new Amazing Spider-Man 2 movie, set for release in 2014.

Here we have stills from the movie production of Spider-Man swinging, or landing, with Gwen Stacy in his arms, wearing her iconic costume.

Age of Ultron #7

2013-06-01T23:35:00.002+08:00

Hello everybody & welcome to my review of Age of Ultron #7, or if we're being honest, Age of the Facist Defenders #7!

Synopsis:

Wolverine & the Invisible Woman are heading back to the Savage Land in their stolen hover car. While Sue is still in shock over helping to murder Hank Pym, Logan feels justified in what he did and reminds Sue that he told her to wait in the car. Upon landing the car (in a different location from where they stole it so as not to have an unnecessary encounter with Past-Nick Fury Sr.) the duo are beset upon by a T-Rex, who Sue quickly incapacitates with a force field, using this to prove a point to Wolverine that killing isn't always the answer. They reach the bunker and, once they make sure Past-Nick is long gone, enter and activate the time machine. As they leave the past, Wolverine once again
affirms that they were right to come here.

They materialise in the present day, where they find that the Savage Land is now an alien junkyard, filled with Kree & Skrull spaceships. Sue speculates that this must have been where the Kree/Skrull War happened in this new reality. They are then forced to cloak as a trio of men in armoured suits similar to Iron Man (one of them mentions that they are called Starkguard), who are jovially discussing one of the guards love life. Susan is perplexed by the name Starkguard, while Wolverine simply states that he'll get the car.

Later they arrive at New York city, which, while no longer a wreckage, has several smaller versions
of the S.H.I.E.L.D Helicarrier flying over it, which distresses Sue to say the least, though Wolverine doesn't seem to care, remarking, "the world's still here. Ain't it?"

All of a sudden, the hover car is hit by an energy blast. Wolverine & the Invisible Girl jump free before the car smashes into the side of a nearby building and explodes, Sue using her force field power to surf to the ground with Logan in tow. Upon landing, they confront their attackers, revealed to be an incarnation of the Defenders, comprised of "Colonel" America (who is also sporting an eyepatch ala Nick Fury), Dr Strange (The team leader), the Hulk, the Thing, Star Lord, Wasp in a Captain Marvel uniform, Cyclops (though he goes by the codename Cable and more closely resembles his son) & the Wolverine of this timeline.

The Defenders assume that the duo are Skrull impostors or a "Le Fey trick" and order them to start talking. Instead, the Invisible Woman releases a force field shockwave, stunning the Defenders and allowing the two to escape. The other Wolverine quickly singles out his AU counterpart, the resulting brawl spilling into a nearby kitchen away from the others. AU Logan eventually knocks out his other self and attempts to leave, only to receive a massive wallop to the face via the Thing.

With the unconscious AU Wolverine over his shoulder, the Thing re-groups with the rest of the Defenders, who have successfully rendered AU Invisible Woman unconscious as well. The team conclude that the two are not Skrulls, as they would have reverted to Skrull form upon being knocked unconscious. Dr Strange says they should talk to "him", but Colonel America disagrees, saying he'd rather not. The person in question replies "well it's a good thing I showed up on my own then", revealing himself as a half-cyborg Tony Stark, flanked by a small army of drones resembling Iron Man...

Thoughts:

Um...I'm not really sure what to make of this issue? On the one hand it's interesting to see the impact Wolverine killing Past-Hank Pym has on the timeline of the Marvel U, but on the other, this issue feels more like a step sideways than forwards as not much happens beyond seeing the consequences of Wolverine's actions. There's only three issues to go and we haven't even seen Ultron yet?

That being said, the issue isn't a dud in terms of dialogue and characterisation. The new Defenders team is certainly very interesting and the new looks for several of the characters are quite cool, plus it's nice to see the regular Hulk seeing as how he was killed off before the beginning of the series. The dynamic between Wolverine & Invisible Woman is still very interesting and Bendis continues to justify this unusual pairing by pitting their divergent moral codes against one another. I have to question where Wolverine gets the car that they fly to New York from though. If it was from the bunker then why didn't he just use that one in the first place instead of stealing Fury's car? And if the car they're using to get to New York IS Fury's car, then how on earth is it not rusted and torn apart by the native dinosaurs? Okay, I'm starting to nitpick now.

Brandon Peterson's artwork is still very mixed. There are some really weird facial expressions here and the art isn't very detailed in places, though when it is it looks brilliant. Carlos Pacheco continues to provide the more polished and consistent artwork, though he doesn't get as much to do here, though that looks set to change in future installments...

Score: 3.5/5.0

Scarlet Spider #17

2013-05-28T12:59:00.001+08:00

Well, it was only a matter time before Kaine would be making a trip back to his old stomping ground in the Big Apple and getting involved in the larger Marvel Universe once again. And who better welcome him back (well, not really as you will see) than Marvel's most popular mutant and X-Man that already appears in virtually every Marvel comic (and who it just so happens is getting yet another movie coming out this summer), Wolverine? So let's see how nice these two get actually along in part one of "Wrath."

The Story

We open the issue with a gunshot victim brought into the Park Plaza Hospital at the Houston Medical Center. However, when Dr. Donald Meland examines the victim, he finds a very odd obstruction: a large orange ball inscribed with Kaine’s name.

The next scene is at a restaurant in the River Oaks neighborhood in Houston, where the leader of the Assassin’s Guild, Belladonna, and her servant, Smithy, await Kaine’s arrival (they also make a brief mention of someone called “The Red Death”). Sure enough, Kaine, having used the cloaking device on his costume to sneak-in, makes an appearance by punching Smithy. When Kaine demands to know what the Assassin’s Guild wants, Smithy gets his second wind and says Kaine is dead, but Kaine, having noticed how Smithy’s hands have healed from their last battle, stabs one of them with a broken piece of chair. Belladonna orders the humiliated Smithy to leave, then, after Kaine returns her the ball from the gunshot victim, reminds him that if he wishes to prevent the Assassin’s Guild from killing his friends, he owes them a murder and that it's now time to fulfill his end of the bargain. She hands Kaine a manila envelope which reveals his target: none other than the X-Man, Wolverine. Reluctantly, Kaine accepts the assignment.

Back at the Four Seasons, Aracely insists on going with Kaine to New York, not allowing him to get a word in edge wise as she comes up with all kinds of reasons why she should go. Finally, when she says that she just really wants to see New York, Kaine reveals that he has already made a forged passport for her and says that she is, in fact, going with him.

As we see both Kaine and Aracely fly to and arrive at New York, Kaine thinks about how, despite all of his best efforts to leave the city and his old life behind him after “Spider-Island” how he’s once again been forced to come back. Aracely, however, is ecstatic, from flying to New York first-class, to riding in a limousine (all bought and paid for by the Assassin’s Guild) to seeing a glimpse of Spider-Man (or rather SpOck) swinging past.

Later that evening, Kaine and Aracely are outside the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning in Weschester doing reconnaissance via Kaine’s ability to “talk” to spiders. Kaine has altered his costume back to the original “Big Time” stealth suit and Aracely is now wearing a costume of her own and has given herself the codename “Hummingbird." After Kaine has located Wolverine, he tells Hummingbird they cannot stay longer than ten minutes, and, as he activates his stealth mode, tells her to stick to the plan--which is Hummingbird causally strolling up the front door and ringing the doorbell. The school janitor, Toad, answers the door and Hummingbird uses her psychic powers to convince him that she's “the scariest mutant ever." Toad flees in terror, allowing both Kaine and Hummingbird to slip inside. Meanwhile, hidden outside, a sniper is in communication with Belladonna, who tells the sniper to report back when either Wolverine or Kaine is dead.

During their search of the mansion, Kaine and Hummingbird split up and, via her psychic powers, stay in contact. However, Hummingbird accidentally encounters Rachel Grey-Summers. Hummingbird tries the same trick she used on Toad against Rachel which doesn’t work given Rachel herself is a telepath. Rachel then attempts to probe into Hummingbird’s mind for answers, and her surprise, but when she does Hummingbird’s voice changes and declares themselves to be “ Huitzilopochtli“ and a psychic backlash is unleashed against all the telepaths in the school and causing the students to panic.

Hummingbird tries to apologize as she has no idea how she’s doing this, but Rachel, barely getting her bearings, is able to sense Kaine and tells Beast to attack. Beast is able to use his heightened senses to detect Kaine and, in spite of Kaine having the same scent and looking like Spider-Man, knows Kaine is not the real Spider-Man. Kaine is able to hold his own against Beast when he is also confronted by Iceman. Kaine is able to take them both down when he gets ambushed by Kitty Pride, who threatens to use her phasing powers to scramble Kaine’s brain. Teen Jean Gray also arrives, saying how something is inside her head, and that moment, Hummingbird shows up with an unconscious Rachel, still apologizing for what she’s inadvertently doing. A fear-induced Kitty lets Kaine go, and Kaine is able to fight her, and the other X-Men off.

At that moment, Wolverine arrives, claws extended, and he and Kaine do battle. As they fight, Kaine notes that, despite being stronger and faster than him, Wolverine is far tougher and more resilient, reminding Kaine of his encounter with the Wolves. When Wolverine slashes Kaine across the face, suddenly, Kaine’s Other thinks “Prey” and his stingers retract--and then Kaine stabs Wolverine in the heart.

And as Wolverine falls dead to the ground, Kaine tells the shocked X-Men, “Who’s next?” To be continued…

Thoughts

First thing to mention right off the bat is that Carlos Barberi has taken over penciling duties on the title and it’s much welcomed change. Readers of my past Scarlet Spider reviews know that I’ve said that Khoi Pham had been gradually improving with each issue, but coming off the heels of Ryan Stegman, he had a tough act to follow that he never quite live up towards. Barberi, however, has a much cleaner and (albeit with some few but glaring exceptions) a much better handle at showing a consistent body proportions with the characters. One drawback however is that, based on the way he lays out his panels, his figures can look a bit stiff and his action sequences appear cramped and crowded, but otherwise it looks decent and is easy to follow.

As for Chris Yost’s script, I loved the interaction between Kaine and Aracely (and "Hummingbird" is such a cool name for a super-heroine). This being their first official superhero team-up, Yost once again shows what great chemistry these two have and why Aracely has been such a great supporting character in this series, as her sunny disposition, enthusiasm, and occasional naïvety offers an appropriate counterpoint to Kaine’s more cynical, no-nonsense professionalism. I also appreciate that Yost makes the X-Men formidable opponents and intelligent enough to recognize that Kaine is not the real Spider-Man (as opposed to say the Superior Spider-Man, but that’s a whole separate issue). Unlike some other comics where superheroes have made a guest-star appearances, Yost never forgets that this is Kaine’s title and that the X-Men are in service to Kaine’s story, not the other way around.

One thing that Yost hints at, and which I hope gets explored in the next part, is how Kaine shares a lot of similarities with Wolverine, and not just because both characters have stabbing weapons that retract from their forearms. They are killers are loners by nature, both of whom were scientific test subjects, and who are trying to atone and make amends for their past. In fact, I’d say Kaine now has far more in common with Logan than he ever did with Peter, despite his sharing the same DNA.

If I do have one complaint, it’s the cliffhanger ending, in that while it is surprising, it’s all but guaranteed that Wolverine won’t stay dead, not when he’s the lead in so many other X-Men titles, and common sense dictates that Marvel wouldn’t kill off such an A-list character like him in a Spider-Man spin-off title (although it certainly would be shocking if they did). Even so, this is a very good and enjoyable opening salvo to this three-part story and am looking forward to the eventual Scarlet Spider and Wolverine team-up.

Amazing Spider-Man 2 Movie: Pre CGI Rhino pictures and other stuff

2013-05-28T10:30:00.001+08:00

So, being a Spider-Man website, and having some time to post some Amazing Spider-Man 2 movie photos, I decided to make use of that time and do exactly that.

Below we have some photos, courtesy of Superherohype and Fan Girl

And, that's all folks!

Superior Spider-Man 10

2013-05-27T23:07:00.001+08:00

Superior Spider-Man 10, aka, the first issue featuring Peter Octopus as Spider-Man, completely without Peter Parker's memories. In the last issue, all of Peter's memories were removed from his body, leaving only Dr Octopus to do as he pleases with Peter's body.

The Story

This story begins with Peter Octopus, enjoying his morning without Peter Parker's memories. He proceeds to break up a gang war between The Owl and White Dragon. It take him absolutely no time or effort to web both the gang leaders up, leaving them beaten for the cops. He then changes to Peter Parker and proceeds to his morning class.

Going there, he finds Mary Jane, waiting for him at University. Not sure of what to say, and having lost interest in MJ, along with Peter's memories, Peter Ock brushes her off quickly and heads straight to class. Meanwhile, we see some of the goblin's crew, inviting White Dragons goons to join them in their plot against Spider-Man.

In the next scene, we see Captain Wantanabe interviewing a few cops who were at the scene when Spider-Man started beating and murdered Massacre. Unfortunately, she is unable to get any solid information about Spider-Man killing Massacre at point blank range because they all seem to be protecting him.

In the meantime, underground, we see the Goblin has gotten his hands on of Spidey's Spider-bots. He makes some adjustments to it after noticing a design flaw.

Back at University, Peter Ock finishes his exam early and leaves. On his way out, Anna invites him over to her place for desert.

Over at Mary Jane's club, we see MJ, deep in thought about Peter's strange behavior. Just outside the club, the goblins little cherubs arrive to cause mischief. They also spot a spider-bot, that isn't functioning, thanks to their boss's new hack.

MJ later tries to call Carlie, but her line doesn't seem to be working. Pretty soon, she notices that no one in her club can use their phones either. Soon, a bomb is thrown into the club and disaster strikes!

Meanwhile, our fake Peter is enjoying a family meal with Aunt May and the two Jamesons. Spider-Man's odd behavior soon becomes the topic of conversation and Peter decides to leave, telling Aunt May he has to meet a girl that night. Aunt May is happy to send him off, knowing he is going to meet a girl.

Peter shows up at Anna Maria's home, and watches her prepare desert. In the process, Anna falls from her
stool and Peter saves her from some falling dry ice, which burns Peter's hands. One thing leads to another and the two end up kissing. They are interrupted by Peter's buzzer however and Peter leaves. Anna Maria tells him he can come back later, if he is still interested.

Meanwhile, our love sick Mary Jane is almost dying in the fire when a fireman comes to save her. About to pass out however, she thinks the fireman is Peter. Spider-Man however, was no where on the scene, but was instead busy taking out some heads of three crime families.

Underground, we see the a character that looks like the Green Goblin, but calls himself the Goblin King, gathering support from other gangs whom have lost their leaders.

Thoughts

Having read this, I'd have to say that I am pretty impressed with Mike Mcnulty's Speculation on Superior Spider-Man, as it turns out to be quite accurate thus far.

I am quite disappointed that the Goblin King is not the real Green Goblin. I would have really liked to see the Green Goblin kick this fake Spider-Man's ass!

Also, in this issue, we finally have some progression for Mary Jane, who is finally realizing that Peter is not really Peter. In the next issue or so, I'm sure she'll find out from Carlie what is really going on.

And as for Carlie's progress, unfortunately I do not see any possible plan of action she can take at the moment to prove her theory.

Overall I thought this was a very interesting issue, with the new Peter's new romantic interest, probably going to cause some havoc for the real Peter, when he finally comes back.

Avenging Spider-Man #19

2013-05-24T10:03:00.000+08:00

Otto Octavius battles his inner demons...

The Story - "Bad Dreams"

Otto Octavius, A.K.A. the Superior Spider-Man is trapped inside his own mind, having an endless nightmare. After briefly being attacked by Peter Parker's ghost (which Otto dismisses as not being real), Otto is tormented by a monstrous manifestation of his father. Meanwhile out in the real world, Spider-Man's physical body is being possessed by a fear worm, who is using it to kill Sleepwalker in a subway station.

Sleepwalker eventually finds Otto in his dreams and attempts to help him overcome his demons so he can regain control of his body. While Peter's ghost is able to hold back Otto's physical body from killing Sleepwalker, Otto manages to overcome his fear of his father by fully embracing his new identity as Spider-Man. Otto is able to pull the fear worm off his body, allowing Sleepwalker to destroy it. Afterwards, Otto ponders why his physical body hesitated to kill Sleepwalker and thinks back to Peter's ghost attacking him earlier, remarking that some aspects of his dream seemed so real...

Thoughts

Chris Yost and Marc Checchetto really nailed their portrayal of the landscape of Doc Ock's twisted psyche. Details like Spider-Man's shadow possessing tentacles, and Otto's monstrous vision of his father being a spider/octopus hybrid made the trip through Otto's head a visual treat. Yost also found a great use for ghost Peter, giving him an important role in the story without him pestering the reader with his unnecessary commentary (as he did over in Superior Spider-Man).

Yost and Checchetto manage to deliver another great installment of Avenging Spider-Man, this time making use of a more obscure Marvel hero.

Avenging Spider-Man #18

2013-05-24T08:38:00.001+08:00

Electro seeks revenge against the god of thunder! Can the Superior Spider-Man stop his former colleague?

The Story

Electro returns to Earth determined to get revenge on Thor, who shot him into space during Ends of the Earth. Electro quickly enlists the help of A.I.M. to kill Thor.

Otto Octavius detects Electro's energy signature and, as Spider-Man, attempts to warn Thor that Electro is back and may attack him. Thor however, brushes Spidey off, not considering Electro a threat. Spider-Man eventually tracks Electro down to one of A.I.M.'s laboratories. Despite Spidey's intervention, A.I.M. is able to transform Electro into an anti-matter version of himself by converting his energy form's electrons to protons.

Electro quickly moves to attack Thor with Spider-Man following close behind. Spidey warns Thor that direct contact between his lightning and Electro's anti-matter would cause an explosion that could level New York State. As Thor and Electro duke it out, Spidey is able to build a device from the equipment in A.I.M.'s laboratory that is able to destroy the protons in Electro's energy form, thus saving the day.

Back in his underwater lair, Spider-Man muses over how Thor was willing to sacrifice his life to save New York, and wonders how far he is willing to go to get what he wants as he looks over Sandman and the newly captured Electro.

Thoughts

Chris Yost continues to show that he has a great knack for writing Otto Octavius as Spider-Man as he manages to successfully show Otto slowly growing as a character. Although his arrogance remains high, the fact that Otto was still able to gain some measure of respect for Thor by the end of the story is a significant step for the character. But just when we think that Otto is growing into his new role as a hero, Yost gives us a scene like the one at the end of this issue showing just how twisted this new Spider-Man is, with Otto keeping both the Sandman and Electro in glass jars, like bugs caught in a spider's web. Otto's unique approach to crime fighting continues to lead to some very cool, very different Spider-Man stories.

Taking over from Paco Medina on art duties is the very talented Mark Checchetto. Checchetto's pencils are detailed and clear, continuing the trend of Avenging being a great looking comic book and an essential companion to Dan Slott's Superior Spider-Man.

Spidey Speculation on...The Superior Spider-Man Series: Part 2

2013-05-22T14:27:00.000+08:00

Author's note: this article was written before the release of Superior Spider-Man #10. Which means if any of these speculations already gets disproved this Wednesday, May 22, 2013, then you've been forewarned. After all, I never said this was an exact science, or even any kind of science at that.

Anyone who has read my earlier Spidey Speculations articles will have deduced that making these predictions for what could happen in future Spider-Man stories is a very, very challenging undertaking. This has proven to especially be the case for Dan Slott's The Superior Spider-Man, in part because the status quo for this series keeps changing every 3 to 4 issues. Consider (at the time I’m writing this) what has already transpired within the space of a mere nine issues: we’ve had Peter Parker apparently returning as a ghost; Doctor Octopus (or should I say "Sp-Ock") attempting to seduce and then, in a moment of conscience, break-up with Mary Jane Watson; Carlie Cooper figuring out that “Spider-Man” is really Doc Ock; Sp-Ock going back to college due to his learning Peter never actually got his doctorate, Doc Ock killing Massacre in cold blood; Sp-Ock brutally beating both Jester and Screwball on a live webcast; the Avengers nearly kicking “Spider-Man” off the team because of his actions; and, in the last issue, Sp-Ock “kills” Peter once again, and it turns out it was not really Peter after all but Peter’s memories having somehow gained self-awareness.

Phew! You’d think Slott would want to slow things down a bit, but nope, based on what’s been teased, it doesn’t appear that’s going to happen any time soon. Which again, makes it very, very challenging to guess where the Superior Spider-Man could go from here, especially since now it’s fully Doc Ock in charge of Peter’s mind and body with no Ghost Peter acting as Jiminy Cricket to hold him back. But you know me, I’m willing to give a try, even if it means embarrassing myself in the process. So let’s see where I believe The Superior Spider-Man can now go from here, shall we?

LAW AND ORDER AS ACCORDING TO OTTO

So what do we know about Superior Spider-Man #11 to #13? Well, we know it involves Sp-Ock, Jonah, and Norah trapped inside the super-villain prison, The Raft, along with the Spider-Slayer, Alistair Smythe, and a group of augmented villains seeking revenge against Sp-Ock, including the Scorpion, Boomerang, and the Vulture. It also appears, based on the solicits, that Sp-Ock has to team-up with Dr. Curt Connors, who you may remember is permanently in the form of The Lizard. And that it will somehow lead into Sp-Ock creating a whole new costume for himself and having his own “minions” for the next story. So based on this, I believe there will be at least three key developments from this story:

The first is that Alistair Smythe will die, but not at the hands of Sp-Ock. Instead, it will be Curt Connors who will kill Smythe. Why? Well Connors, like almost everyone else, wouldn’t know that Doc Ock is really in Spider-Man’s body, so he would thus still consider him a “good man” who is danger of “losing his way,” particularly in regards to Sp-Ock’s brutal tactics against super-villains. Therefore, Connors would likely kill Smythe as a means of sacrificing his freedom in other to save “Spider-Man’s” soul. Besides, Connors is already undergoing a penance for the Lizard eating his son, Billy, and Smythe scheduled for the death penalty anyway, so in Connor’s mind, he’s no better or worse off than he was before. Of course, it actually makes him a more tragic figure considering that he not actually helping the real Spider-Man.

Second, I think that Sp-Ock will conclude that he made the same “mistake” that Peter did, in that fighting all the various super-villains only resulted in creating more adversaries motivated by revenge than one person could handle. Instead, he decides it would be better for him to concentrate on the “bigger fish” rather than the “minnows” and thereby manage and regulate criminal activity as a means of reducing crime. Hence his decision to march into Shadowland and take down the Kingpin in the next story, where he can set himself up as the new Kingpin, just like Daredevil once did. And it would also explain Sp-Ock deciding to upgrade his costume even further to better combat the more difficult super-villains who refuse to comply.

Finally, in order to do this, Mayor Jameson will not only give Sp-Ock his own “Spider-Squad” but perhaps also goes as far as making Sp-Ock the New York City Police Commissioner. Yes, I’m aware of how crazy that is, but technically, Jonah can legally do this since, in the City of New York, the Commissioner of Police is a political appointee who doesn't have to be a police officer. Not only would this effectively make the NYPD under Doc Ock’s complete control, but it could also potentially mean that Horizon Labs has no choice but to fund the NYPD with weapons and equipment, whether Max Modell likes it or not--not unless they want to face charges of “obstructing justice” and they’re already in hot water with the mayor’s office as it is. It would also allow Doc Ock to better manage his time as Peter Parker, as his new “underlings” would be able to carry out his biding and only taking direct action when the situation calls for it (maybe he even has the Spider-Squad linked up to his Spider-Patrol Bots as well). Plus, it further underscore the irony that Jonah and the NYPD are unknowingly aiding and abetting one of Spidey’s greatest villains.

SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN: THE KINGPIN OF NEW YORK

Now, I don’t think Sp-Ock will take down the Kingpin for one simple reason: because the Kingpin will have already escaped by the time Sp-Ock, along with his Spider-Squad, enter Shadowland. Wilson Fisk didn’t get as far as he did in the criminal underworld by being dumb, and he knows the value of a tactical retreat. Besides, he knows first hand what happens when “Spider-Man” cuts loose and doesn’t hold back, especially given that he, too, would be very much aware of Sp-Ock’s recent activities. Besides, considering how vast his criminal empire is, including having control of The Hand, relinquishing control of New York City would be a small sacrifice and he could easily set-up shop elsewhere.

However, the guy who won’t be so lucky will be the new Hobgoblin, Phil Urich. After all, the Kingpin was his bread-and-butter, and he’s not going to take it too kindly that “Spider-Man” is taking that away from him, especially when he has to still pay the Tinkerer and Roderick Kingsley. Now, in spite of the covers suggesting otherwise, I don’t necessarily believe this will actually lead to Phil Urich’s death; but I do think it will lead to Phil Urich being unmasked as the Hobgoblin, which will obviously be devastating for both Phil’s girlfriend, Norah Winters, and Phil’s uncle, Ben Urich. And, depending upon how severely Sp-Ock brings Phil Urich down, this could also potentially turn the Daily Bugle against “Spider-Man” for his use of brutal tactics, and potentially embarrass them in the process since Phil was one of their own.

However, I do think the person who could end up getting killed is The Tinkerer at the hands of his “new assistant.” Who do I think will be that “new assistant?” Tiberius Stone, who if you remember was the Kingpin’s mole at Horizon Labs before he went on the run after his “disastrous” attempt at stopping Spider-Man in Amazing Spider-Man #697. Doing so would allow him access to all the Tinkerer’s blueprints and schematics of all his inventions which he could claim for his own, then make a deal with Sp-Ock to act as his “tech specialist,” arguing that “Peter Parker” can’t possibly handle the increased workload that “Spider-Man’s” new job entails. Thus, Sp-Ock decides to set Tiberius up as the NYPD’s “scientific liaison” to Horizon Labs, further enraging Modell. Which also leads up to…

THE RETURN OF SPIDER-MAN 2099

This is something Dan Slott has been teasing for some time (in fact some believed that the Spider-Man of the future, Miquel O’Hara would actually be the Superior Spider-Man instead of Doc Ock). Also, according to Slott in an interview at this year's C2E2, this story is apparently have Miquel O'Hara "very much be like a character from one of the "Terminator" movies showing up." However, I suspect that Miquel will not come back in time to try and kill someone to change the future; rather, he'll come back to try and stop someone from killing someone else. Thus, I think the basic plot will be this:

Kron Stone, aka Venom 2099, goes back in time to kill his ancestor, Tiberius Stone, which would not only mean retroactive suicide but also the murder of Miquel O’Hara if he succeeds--because Miquel is actually Kron’s half-brother. Why would Kron do this? Because part of his psychosis is that Kron was neglected by his father, Tyler, growing up, whereas Tyler gave Miquel every advantage in life as he saw him as a more worthwhile son and successor. Even though this could also mean preventing Alchemex from ever being creating and thus preventing all the past evil the corporation did, Miquel believes he still has no choice but to stop Kron, and that means teaming-up with the Superior Spider-Man.

Furthermore, I think Slott will use this story to once again link the Marvel 2099 universe with the 616 by suggesting that Marvel 2099 could once again become the “official” future of the Marvel Universe. How? By having it so that Modell feels he has no choice but to step-down as CEO of Horizon Labs, feeling he can no longer in good conscience side with Sp-Ock, the NYPD, and Mayor Jameson as it goes against his own convictions, and believes the company he envisioned no longer stands for the ideals seeking peaceful solutions in the name of science. As a result, Tiberius Stone becomes the new CEO and renames the company “Alchemex.”

OTTO'S NEW "FRIENDS" AND "FAMILY"

While Dan Slott has touched upon how Doc Ock’s tenure as Spider-Man has affected the supporting cast throughout the series, in my opinion, he has only just barely scratched the surface. I hope that, in future issues, he'll really explore the ramifications even further now that Peter Parker is supposedly "gone for good." For instance, in Superior Spider-Man #6, it’s suggested that Mary Jane finally starts to suspect that, based on how Spider-Man assaulted Jester and Screwball, that it cannot possibly really be her beloved Peter under the mask. And I suspect as time goes on, MJ will start to suspect “Peter” is an imposter as well. Thus in a complete role-reversal, MJ is the one who becomes “Spider-Man’s” most vocal and antagonistic critic, just as Jonah has become “Spider-Man’s” most vocal supporter and advocate.

Similarly, I see Doc Ock’s tutor and obviously new love interest, Anna Maria Marconi, also be a critic of “Spider-Man’s” activities, even while her relationship with Doc Ock grows. The thing is, I cannot help but think that their relationship will lead to nothing but heartbreak for her; especially when the real Peter Parker is finally able to get his body back. Not to mention the possibility that Anna Maria might get the impression that Aunt May disapproves of her because she’s a little person, especially if Aunt May starts to think that “her nephew” is merely settling when compared to his past girlfriends. In any case, it’s evident that Slott is setting her up to be Doc Ock’s “Gwen Stacy,” although I’m reluctant to say that this also means Anna Maria will share Gwen’s tragic fate.

Aunt May, along with her husband, Jay Jameson, will also be against “Spider-Man‘s” latest activities. However, I also suspect that there will be a growing wedge between the two of them as Doc Ock continues to play the part of “Peter, devoted nephew” to Aunt May. Remember, this was a guy who was once very sweet on May and almost married her, so he’s bound be jealous over is ex-fiancee’s new husband. Something tells me that Doc Ock will exploit Aunt May’s love for Peter for all it’s worth and gradually driving a wedge between them.

As for Carlie Cooper, I believe the person she telephoned in Superior Spider-Man #8 was Captain Yuri Watanabee, who as you recall a brief stint as the Wraith. It certainly would fit the dialogue in that Watanabee fits the criteria of being a “good person” that went on a “forced leave of absense” when Carlie decided not to turn her in. However, note that Carlie also say that, while she knows that “Spider-Man” isn’t who he says he is, she also needs evidence beyond a shadow of doubt, hence why she’s been reluctant to tell more people what she suspects…which leads me to think that this decision by Carlie will backfire hard. Because I think that, in order to stop “Spider-Man,” Watanabee will have no choice become the Wraith again and in doing so will wind up getting herself killed or seriously injured, which would really put Carlie in an even tighter spot than she is now.

WHO IS THE “GREEN GOBLIN?”

You might be wondering why I haven’t talked about the return of Spidey’s glider-riding, pumpkin-bomb throwing nemesis until now. That’s because I’ve saved my most far-out prediction for last, which was inspired by a theory suggested by one RyanParkerMan on the Comic Book Resources Forums. You see, the Green Goblin is not Norman Osborn, or Harry Osborn, or any Osborn for that matter. The Green Goblin, ladies and gentlemen, is none other than…

Peter Parker!

“What?! That’s impossible!” I hear you shout at your computer screens. Ah, dear readers, you must keep in mind that Dan Slott has never actually confirmed that the Green Goblin was Norman Osborn; in fact he’s been very reluctant to say just who this Goblin actually is. Also, consider that in Superior Spider-Man #4, the Goblin says he “knows all of the Spider’s secrets.” But Norman, thanks to Dr. Strange’s mind wipe spell, no longer knew that Peter was Spider-Man, so how could he know all of Spidey’s secrets? But Peter would, especially since he would be the only one who truly knows that Doc Ock is in his body.

What I think happened is that, just as Peter died in Amazing Spider-Man #700, Julia Carpenter was able to use her psychic powers to grab a hold of Peter’s soul and bring him into her own mind. Then, once she explained how imperative it was for Peter to stop Doc Ock, she placed him into the comatose body of Norman Osborn. After all, not only was Norman an ideal vessel considering how his brain became overloaded due to his acquiring the Super-Adaptoid powers in New Avengers, Norman and Julia are both in the same hospital. That scene from Amazing Spider-Man #697 when Osborn’s body mysteriously disappeared? I believe that was actually a flash-forward taking place after Amazing Spider-Man #700. It would also explain why the guards who should’ve been guarding Norman weren’t there either--because Julia used her psychic powers to make them leave thus allowing Peter, in Norman’s body, time to escape. After all, it’s not the first time in the Marvel Universe in which a psychic could still use their powers and protect their will while in a coma, after all. Come to think of it, maybe those times Dan Slott had Peter riding around on a "Spider-Glider" (Amazing Spider-Man #682 and Amazing Spider-Man #697) was actually giving readers a bit of wink of what Peter's ultimate fate really had in store for him.

If you think that's twisted, if Peter is now in Norman’s body, maybe this also means he has to “team-up” with Osborn as well? After all, wouldn’t they literally be two minds in the same body? Not to mention that, even though Peter would be in control, he’d also have to do everything in his power to try to keep Osborn at bay? And if I’m right about this, and considering that Doc Ock’s original body is now a corpse in the ground, that means Slott could be setting things up for a potential three-way mind swap down the road, only somebody is not going to get their original body back.

Hmm...something tells me my earlier theory that the Jackal could clone the body of Doctor Octopus make be pretty close to the mark--especially since we’re going to be getting the long-awaited rematch between Kaine and Doc Ock in a crossover with the new Superior Spider-Man Team-Up and Scarlet Spider. (And I'm sure those who have been reading my reviews of Scarlet Spider know who I'll be rooting for in this match-up, even though it will most likely result in a forced team-up against the Jackal.

CONCLUSION

So Spidey-fans and fellow prognosticators, these are my latest guesses on what could potentially happen in the potentially unpredictable Superior Spider-Man series over the next few months. And in case you are wondering, I'm still standing by my earlier prediction that Peter Parker will return to coincide with The Amazing Spider-Man 2. I'll even further elaborate that, sometime after that film, we'll not only see Peter Parker back in the webs again, but the relaunch of Amazing Spider-Man with a brand new first issue to celebrate the occasion. But who knows? Maybe I'll have more speculations about Doc Ock's tenure as Spider-Man in the near future. Until then, I invite you to offer your own guesses on what you think could happen. Until next time.

Oh, and before I forget, guess who may also be making his return in the very near future?

Related Posts: Spidey Speculation on...The Superior Spider-Man Series

Age of Ultron #6

2013-05-12T04:27:00.003+08:00

Hello everybody & welcome to my review of Age of Ultron #6. Once again I'm really sorry for the delay and I'll try and get my review of the next issue out as soon as I can.

Synopsis:

Wolverine materialises in Nick Fury Sr.'s bunker in the Savage Land years in the past. After stumbling out of the cave, he says that the other person can show themselves now. The Invisible Woman becomes visible at that moment, having followed Wolverine from the present day instead of going with Fury's team. She says that Wolverine has that look in his eye and she knew he wasn't going to listen to Captain America. When Logan asks if she's here to stop him, Sue replies that she honestly doesn't know, as the situation is insanely complicated. Wolverine disagrees and asks Sue if she would kill someone to save her children (who she lost along with the rest of the Four in the Fantastic Four AU tie-in issue). Sue doesn't answer.

Wolvie suddenly picks up a scent and orders Sue to cloak them both, which she does. The scent turns out to be Fury, who lands nearby in a flying car and heads into the cave, presumably to inspect the bunker. When he re-emerges a short while later, he is shocked to find the car gone, with his bag dumped on the ground. Logan & Sue, having obviously stolen the car, quickly put some distance between themselves and the Savage Land.

In the future, Fury & his team emerge from the cave. They are surprised to find that the Savage Land is not a wasteland, but in fact anything but. Cap quickly notices that Sue Storm is missing, which annoys Fury as she was supposed to be their "stealth component", though Iron Man points out that invisibility wouldn't have worked with Ultron. Fury sends Quicksilver to Manhattan as recon, with he and the rest of the team flying there via Storm's powers.

Back in the past, Wolverine and Sue arrive in New York. Wolvie lands the car and swiftly picks up Pym's scent. He orders Sue to stay in the car. Inside his lab. Dr. Henry Pym is examining Dragon Man. He is also recording the seventh in a series of audio logs documenting this examination.

During his recording, he begins to get the idea to create Ultron, which Wolverine happens to witness as he enters the lab. After a brief, vague explanation as to why he's here, Logan draws his claws. Pym grows to giant size and attacks him.

Meanwhile, in the future, Fury's team arrive in New York, which has been transformed into what Tony dubs "a technological masterpiece". They are swiftly attacked by a swarm of Ultron drones (which are now just heads for some reason?). Though the heroes destroy many of them, the drones continue to arrive in large numbers and gradually, the heroes begin to be overwhelmed. One drone in particular manages to decapitate Captain America with a laser blast to the head.

In the past, Wolverine gains the upper hand against Pym. He prepares to strike the killing blow, but it's blocked by the Invisible Woman, who tries to convince Logan that they can't do this. Wolverine reminds her not only of the loss of her family, but the hundreds of innocent people that have fallen thanks to what Pym will create. Before Pym can argue otherwise, Susan lowers the shield and Wolverine kills him with a single blow. Sue asks what they do next, to which Wolverine responds, "Now we go home...and whatever is watin' for us...Hell, we know it's got to be better than what we left"...

Thoughts:

Age of Ultron has certainly gone in some interesting directions since it's opening issue, but it's here that we reach a game-changing moment in the series with the death of Hank Pym (well at least we got to see him for a little while anyway).

Wolverine & Invisible Woman are certainly an interesting pairing and Bendis find a way to make it work with their conflicting moralities. I could definitely buy that Sue under the right circumstances would let Wolvie kill Pym and these are definitely the right circumstances. Sue has lost her entire family to Ultron and however much Pym tries to dodge around it, he is responsible for every life Ultron has taken. I'm still a little disappointed that we haven't yet seen the modern version of Pym yet, but I'm holding out a little more. Don't let this twist fool you. Pym will be revived by the end of this. As for the future parts, not much happens here with the exception of the death of Captain America, thought the impact isn't that strong due to the knowledge this will soon be changed back to normal.

For this issue we have not one, but TWO artists taking over from Bryan Hitch. Brandon Peterson handles the artwork in the future whilst Pacheco serves as penciller to the past segments. Right now, I prefer Pacheco's work as it feels more polished that Peterson's, which is quite sketchy in places and the facial features look a little weird occasionally. Don't take this to mean that I didn't enjoy Peterson's artwork though, the action sequence with the Ultron swarm looked great. I like the touch of having Past Hank Pym & Past Nick Fury's dialogue balloons shaded a different colour to the future characters.

Score: 4.0/5.0

Amazing Spider-Man 2 movie: Gwen Stacy's Coat

2013-05-07T16:10:00.000+08:00

In the first Amazing Spider-Man movie, we were introduced to Gwen Stacy, played by Emma Stone, as the love interest for Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man.

If there is anything Gwen Stacy is famous for, it's for her death scene at the hand of the Goblin at the bridge. In fact, on a side note, we at Spider-Man Reviews had voted "The Night Gwen Stacy Died" as the best Spider-Man comic issue ever!

In some of the latest pictures of Gwen in the Amazing Spider-Man 2 movie, we see Gwen Stacy, on a bridge, wearing the exact same outfit she wore the day she died in the comics!

Serious Speculation here, but here are some photos..

Web Head Legion Podcast Episode 4

2013-05-06T11:59:00.001+08:00

Attention Web head's we've got yet another Spiderific episode of everyone's favorite new podcast the Web Head Legion Podcast !

On this episode we run down current events of Superior 6-8 and discuss the upcoming new series Superior Foes of Spider-Man and Superior Carnage, as well as the dramatic changes in status quo coming up.

Listen closely to find out who exactly Thomas Mets was talking about when he said this "He's just too arrogant for that." and why Mike McNulty said "His tenure... is over."
This is a webcast you don't wanna miss!

Spider-Man 2099 to return to comics

2013-05-03T10:38:00.000+08:00

In the latest C2E2 convention in Chicago, it was mentioned that we'll be seeing the return of Miguel O'Hara aka Spider-Man 2099.

While he's been missing from comics for a while now, we can expect to see him in a Superior Spider-Man issue sometime in September - namely Superior Spider-Man # 17.

If there is any Spider-Man who has the coolest looking suit, its Spider-Man 2099! Ryan Stegman, who will be illustrating Spider-Man 2099 explicitly stated, "Spider-Man 2099 will have his original costume, because it is awesome and it needs no tweaking!"

What do you guys think of Miguel O'Hara coming back? Will this initiate the return of the real Peter Parker?

Read More here

Superior Spider-Man # 9

2013-05-02T23:01:00.001+08:00

We've finally reached the long awaited issue of Superior Spider-Man # 9. In this issue, we finally get what
we've all been waiting for, a stand off between Peter Parker and Dr Octopus, inside Peter's brain - The Amazing Spider-Man vs The Superior Spider-Man.

The Story
Honestly, as far as the story itself is concerned there isn't too much that takes place. In Superior Spider-Man # 8, Spider-Ock has discovered the subconscious living memories of Peter Parker, still wondering about in his brain.

In this issue, Ock is ready to extract Peter and exterminate him once and for all! Peter Octopus decides that although he initially kept Peter's memories to help him live his new life, he decided it was too risky seeing that Peter's memories had taken a life form of its own.

Pretty soon we see the Daily Bugle building inside of Peter's mind disappearing. He finds himself forgetting all that took place at the Bugle. He puts up a fight for a while, but eventually regains his memories of the Bugle. We then see the Bugle rebuilding itself.

Peter manages to put up a small fight for his body in the real world, taking control of his own right hand for a moment. Eventually however, Ock has enough and decides he has to get into his brain and settle this once and for all.

Peter puts up a major struggle with Ock for his own mind. He calls on all his friends and family to come help him - Jameson, Mary Jane, Gwen, Captain Stacy, Uncle Ben and the whole gang. Unfortunately, Ock also knows Peter's mind and calls forth his greatest fears - his greatest enemies!

In no time, Ock begins to win the fight, causing Peter to forget even Uncle Ben. With absolutely nothing left, Peter changes to The Amazing Spider-Man. He challenges Ock to a final battle in which winner takes all. At first, Ock is afraid and begins running away. Spider-Man taunts Dr Octopus until he almost gives in. At that point however, Ock realizes that he too is a Spider-Man, The Superior Spider-Man.

We soon have a battle between the two. While the Amazing Spider-Man gains the initial upper hand, the Superior Spider-Man wins the battle. The issue ends making the reader believe that Peter Parker is gone for good.

Thoughts

As I mentioned at the start, there is not much story in this issue. Essentially, Peter and Ock fight for Peter's mind, and Ock wins, the end.

However, I would like to point out that this whole battle that takes place in Peter's mind is really just a mind game. Each time Peter gains the upper hand, it is because he is playing mind games with Ock. The same can be said for Dr Octopus.

In the final battle, the Superior Spider-Man finally wins because he preys on Peter's doubts and failure to kill his enemies, causing them to come back and kill more innocent lives. Deep down, Peter wonders if Ock is right and begins losing the battle. Ock also made Peter admit that he tried to stop the Superior Spider-Man from performing the surgery because deep down, Peter was afraid Ock might find him once he got a hold of his neuro-device in Superior Spider-Man # 8

So, what has happened to Peter Parker?

I doubt any of us really think he is gone for good. I certainly don't believe he is gone. Peter Parker is either:

Extracted out from his brain and put somewhere else
Hiding somewhere in the brain still or
Alive and well ( the last scene did not explicitly state that Ock won the battle, although very much implied)

In a way, I am glad that Ock won the battle, not because I like him better as Spider-Man, but because I can't wait to see the Goblin kick his ass and tell him that the real Peter put up a better fight.

I'm also guessing Norman Osborne will have a role in bringing our Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man back from the 'dead.'

LEGO® Marvel Super Heroes™ Game Trailer teaser

2013-05-02T11:26:00.002+08:00

In the latest LEGO® Marvel Super Heroes™ Game Trailer, we see easily recognizable playable characters
such as Spider-Man, Wolverine, Hulk, Thor, Deadpool, Black Widow and etc.

In this latest trailer, we have what looks like a giant LEGO Galactus as the bad guy.

Would the Silver Surfer show up?

Check out the teaser trailer below

Scarlet Spider #16

2013-04-30T14:26:00.003+08:00

Last time, readers of the Scarlet Spider got the dark, bizarre, and very satisfying "In the Midst of Wolves," in which Kaine was forced to embrace The Other in a way Peter Parker never did. So how does Chris Yost follow up this tale? Why, with a wacky romantic comedy, of course! And if that seems like an even more bizarre direction to take our resident Spider-clone, not to worry because it will all make sense very soon in this tale called "A Good, Ol Fashioned Rodeo!".

THE STORY
The comic opens by revealing the note that Julia Carpenter/Madame Webb sent Kaine in Scarlet Spider #12. It reads:

"You have to leave. She’s coming back. Everyone will die. You have to leave. Go to Mexico like you wanted. She’ll kill them all. I was wrong. I was wrong. I’m so sorry. Please, please you have to leave Houston."

We then see Kaine waking up in his hotel room, and, as he goes through his morning routine, he has a feeling that something horrible is about to happen. But it’s not Aracely floating in the next room, or of the Superior Spider-Man on TV beating up Jester and Screwball, or even from the Other, whose face he sees in the bathroom mirror. No, the answer turns out to be…Officer Wally Layton and his husband, Dr. Donald Meland, dressed in Western attire and cowboy hats inviting Kaine and Aracely to the annual Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Kaine thinks going to a Rodeo is stupid, but Aracely is ecstatic, telling Kaine that Annabelle Adams will be there and raving about the Bar-b-que contest. But Kaine is determined that there is no way in hell that he is going.

Cue the next scene where, sure enough, Kaine is at the rodeo and feeling completely miserable while his friends are having a grand old-time. Also, via Aracely’s psychic powers, that the star of the Rodeo, Wyatt Taft, is going to announce his engagement to get married. Just as Don and Wally start to ask Aracely how she knows this, Annabelle arrives also dressed for the occasion, which Kaine finds very attractive. Then Annabelle gives Kaine a big hug, saying that she’s very glad Kaine could make it, to which Kaine responds with “That makes one of us.” At this, Annabelle starts to cry and then runs away, leaving a dumbfounded Kaine wondering why she’s so upset. Kaine’s friends point out the obvious: Annabelle likes him, and she thought Kaine sarcastic remark about the Rodeo was intended at her. Kaine, while apologetic, tries to say that he and Annabelle can’t be together, but Aracely orders him to go after her.

We then cut to a reporter named Trevor Noll interviewing Wyatt Taft and his new fiancée, model Daisy Schilling. After the segment is over and they’re off the air, Noll openly complains about how he’s still doing puff pieces after four years of being in the Houston news market and is itching for a “real” story to get him back on top.

Kaine catches up with Annabelle and tries to explain himself, while she tells him to forget what she said. Kaine doesn’t want that, but he also says that a relationship between them can never work because “he’s a bad person.” But Annabelle says that she’s heard all that before and that it doesn’t matter; she knows that, in spite of his insistence that he’s a “monster” Kaine is a good person, and that she, like him, did bad things in her past. As Kaine tries to say she doesn’t understand, a big, muscular dude shows up, asking Annabelle what she’s doing with Kaine. Turns out this is Ray, Annabelle’s ex-boyfriend. He insists on wanting to talk with Annabelle, even though she clearly doesn’t want to, and Kaine tells Ray to leave her alone if he doesn’t want to get hurt. Ray, however, shoves Kaine, and, for a moment, Kaine’s “Other” is on the verge of taking over. Kaine quickly comes to his senses and says that maybe the three of them should talk things out.

Suddenly, there seems to be an earthquake and from out of the ground comes the Armadillo. Apparently, he was fired from the Texas-based superhero group, the Rangers, and thus is now considered a super-villain. At present, he‘s completely plastered, as he tries to ride one of the bulls thinking it’s a horse. While Aracely is excited and Noll thinks he now has a big story on his hands, Kaine tells Ray to look after Annabelle, much to her protest, while he leaves to change into the Scarlet Spider.

As the police start to close in, Armadillo calls out for Daisy, telling her he can be a cowboy like Wyatt if that’s what she wants. But before he can approach the couple, a strand of webbing snags and, riding into the arena on horseback, is Kaine as the Scarlet Spider, who swears in the narration captions that this was the fastest way into the arena, while Aracely says “this is like her birthday and Christmas rolled into one.” As Wally tells the cops to stand down, Kaine attempts to subdue the Armadillo and avoid his razor-sharp claws, and notices that the over-sized ex-superhero is crying. As the Armadillo attacks Kaine, he says that, despite being in love and happy together, Daisy left him for Wyatt because he was a big monster instead of a “dreamy rodeo star.” At this, Kaine tries to tell Armadillo that, if he truly loves Daisy, that he should do what is best for her and let her go so that she won’t wind up getting hurt.

Suddenly, Daisy runs towards Armadillo and embraces him, saying how sorry she is. She explains that the reason she left was because she thought Armadillo didn’t love her anymore, saying he became so distant after the Rangers fired him and that, because he told her to leave because he was a “monster” that she thought he would be happier without her. Armadillo tells her that she is the only thing in his life that ever made him happy and, after they profess their love for each other, they kiss much to the delight of the crowd. Speechless, Kaine begins to realize his own feelings, and swings away. Noll, watching from the stands, realizes that he’s now found his real story: he’s going to find out who the Scarlet Spider really is.

We then see Annabelle being dragged away by Ray, who tells her that they’re supposed to be together, and that she just needs time to clear her head, when Kaine appears and blocks Ray’s path. Ray warns Kaine “do you know who I am?” when Kaine suddenly knocks him out with a punch to the face. And before Annabelle can ask what about what Kaine said earlier, Kaine takes her in his arms and the two of them kiss. Aracely senses this and declares “Best. Rodeo. Ever.” As Donald attempt to find Wally for him to get Kaine off the hook (while Aracely cryptically states that Ray’s brother is worse) we see that, somewhere in the crowd, watching everything unfold, is Kraven the Hunter and his daughter, Ana.

We then flashback to two days earlier at the Four Seasons Hotel, where a female desk clerk informs Annabelle about Julia’s letter. Because Kaine was never registered under the name “Kaine Parker,” no one on staff knows who the letter is really for. After reading it, Annabelle tells the clerk she’ll ask around to see who it's for, but says that it’s probably nothing important. However, as soon as the desk clerk leaves, Annabelle takes out a cigarette lighter and burns the letter.

THOUGHTS
What an absolutely fun issue this was. Given the seriousness of the previous story, “In the Midst of Wolves,” it only makes sense for Chris Yost to follow it up with a more light-hearted, done-in-one tale such as this. And unlike the atypical single-issue story in which the plot could be regarded as just an amusing aside, Yost, just like he did for Scarlet Spider #12, takes the opportunity for some significant character development and tease upcoming and more significant story arcs.

I think most readers of the series knew Annabelle was cast as a love interest for Kaine, so the two of them officially becoming a couple in this story wasn’t much of a surprise. However, it’s the subtext of how their relationship becomes established which makes for some interesting commentary not just about Kaine relationship difficulties, but also Spider-Man's. Ever since One More Day, the Spider-Man comics have made the case that Peter and Mary Jane could never be together because his being Spider-Man would always put her in danger; similarly, Kaine thinks he and Annabelle can never be together because of his past, and that he puts her in danger because he’s a “monster.” So I’m sure it wasn’t lost on the other readers that the subplot involving Armadillo and Daisy deliberately echoes not just Kaine and Annabelle’s relationship, but also Peter and MJ’s (the fact that Daisy also happens to be a red-headed model further just underscores this even more) and used to make an effective counter-argument: that the only obstacles that get in the way of the person we love are self-imposed, and that, like John Lennon used to sing, “Love is all you need.”

Also, Khoi Pham’s artwork looks particularly good once again. I know I’m repeating myself but I think Pham is proving to be one of those comic book artists who improves the more he does, or perhaps it’s because I’m becoming more accustomed to his art style. Whatever the reason, he’s come a long way since he took over the art chores from Ryan Stegman.

As for what appears to lie ahead, certainly the prospect of Kraven the Hunter returning peaks my interest, as is whoever Julia was trying to warn Kaine about, and why Annabelle really burned Julia's letter. Was it because she just didn’t want Kaine to leave, or was it for far more nefarious reasons? One thing’s for sure, it did give us an interesting clue at who Julia was trying to warn Kaine about, if you take a closer look at certain particular letters in Julia’s message.

Superior Spider-Man 8

2013-04-23T11:20:00.000+08:00

Here we are at yet another late review of Superior Spider-Man, featuring Doctor Octopus as Spider-Man.

The Story
This story begins with Dr Elias Wirtham aka Cardiac, in his underground, illegal clinic, using Dr Octopus's stolen device to help the needy. Unfortunately, he does not know how to fully operate the machines he stole, as only Dr Octopus knows his own inventions properly.

Back at the Avengers tower, Spider-Man is having a full on battle with the Avengers. Surprisingly he is doing pretty well until Ghost Spider-Man shouts "... watch the face!" At this, Superior Spidey is stunned and pauses for a second, giving the Avengers time to knock him out.

Elsewhere, Carlie has come to the conclusion that it is definitely not Peter behind the Superior Spider-Man. She makes a call to an anonymous character, asking for his help to prove her theory.

Back at the Avengers tower, after putting Spider-Man through several tests, the Avengers conclude that he is indeed Spider-Man and not a skrull or anything similar. Spider-Ock however is the only one in the room smart enough to notice that there is a slight anomaly in his brain pattern. He requests for a soft copy of the readings to study it further.

Black Widow later tries to open up to Spider-Man telling him that she understands his strange behavior is because he has crossed the line in killing Massacre. Ghost Spidey tries to draw a message for Widow to clue her in to who she is actually talking to. However, when she sees his drawing after Spider-Ock leaves, she doesn't understand it and simply assumes it is a doodle.

After heading back to his lab, Peter Ock cant seem to fully understand the brain anomaly. He decides he needs his brain scanner which Cardiac stole.

We next see Spider-Man breaking into Cardiac's mini underground hospital. He begins trashing the place and is about to pull the plug on the sick child who is using his device, when Cardiac states that Dr Octopus put this child's life in jeopardy during his global warming scheme in Amazing Spider-Man : Ends of earth.

Feeling guilty, Spider-Ock says he will work the device properly and perform the surgery on the child himself. After the surgery, Cardiac thanks Spider-Man, as does the child, who gives him her stuffed toy ( I thinks the kid is a girl). Cardiac allows Spider-Man to take the scanner back with him, and Spider-Man agrees to return it once he is done. With his brain scanner back, Spider-Ock finally realizes Peter's subconscious existence and can now talk to him. He tells Peter that he is going to get rid of him once and for all!

Thoughts

I thought this was a great issue. I've been waiting for Ock, or anybody for that matter to finally figure out that Peter is still alive. It's still fifty-fifty chance that Peter Parker will finally emerge as himself again. (Unlikely in my opinion) Also do note that I make it a point not to look at solicits as much as possible, so I really don't know what issues are coming up.

Now, who is the man that Carlie is talking to? My first thought was Norman Osborn, although he is not a good person like how Carlie said. Some people seem to think it could be Vin Gonzales, or Captain Watanabe.

Finally my favorite thought, pointed out by Chris in his review from spidermancrawlspace - Spider-Man wears a redundant hair net and facial mask while performing the operation!.

Venom #34

2013-04-21T20:15:00.000+08:00

Hello everybody and welcome to my review of Venom #34. Well it's taken a bit longer than I thought, but it's finally here. Venom VS Toxin, feat. the U-Foes' Experiment. LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE!!!

Synopsis:

Not wasting time after his surprise reveal, Toxin attacks Venom, viciously slicing into him. Venom quickly retaliates however, knocking Toxin back. He doesn't have much time to recover however, as he soon has to dodge Toxin attempting to crush him with a car. As the symbiote heals Flash's wounds, Toxin rips through the car to get at Venom. Drawing his pistol, Venom fires some shots at Toxin (which of course do absolutely nothing) and leaps in to fight, pointing out to Eddie his recent views that the symbiotes were like a cancer. Brock assumes Flash is playing mind games and trying to get in his head, so he gets inside Flash's, stabbing him in the face with a tendril. He explains to Flash while the Venom symbiote heals his face that he and Toxin have an understanding. Once they've killed Venom, their going to kill one another, or try to anyway. This fight is interrupted by the Experiment, which causes Toxin to change targets. He quickly incapacitates the Experiment. Venom attempts to prevent Brock from killing it, but is quickly grabbed by a tentacle from Toxin.

Toxin mocks Flash as he smashes him into various objects, stating that he's deluded if he thinks he's playing the hero, and that sooner or later, the monster will show itself. Brock then kills the Experiment. Venom, filled with rage, leaps forward and bites off Toxin's arm, fighting with more ferocity. As they battle, Flash notes that Eddie & Toxin have bonded really fast while Toxin continues to mock him, saying he must know what a danger he is. The fight quickly starts to turn in Toxin's favour and he eventually stabs Venom, the symbiote barely holding Flash together. As a last resort, Flash unveils the serum he was given by Beast to control the symbiote and stabs Toxin with it, causing the symbiote to recede from Eddie's body. He leaves Venom, nearly passed out on the sidewalk, saying he's not done with him yet. The canisters containing the creatures attached to the Experiment's back leak out onto the floor as Venom loses consciousness.

Later, at the apartment block where Flash lives, Andi comes across Flash lying battered and bruised on the rooftop. She's shocked at how injured he looks, though Flash jokes that she should see the other guy. Flash tells her he's alright, but she persists, telling him they need to get him to his apartment, so Flash shouts at her to leave him alone. Clearly hurt by his outburst, Andi leaves, making sure to call Flash an ass as she does so. Flash feels guilty, but reminds himself that he can't get close to anyone, especially now that Toxin's around.

Meanwhile, the mechanical creatures that were attached to the Experiment begin to multiply, infecting a bunch of homeless people under an archway. They determine Venom and Toxin as the primary threats, before designating them both as targets...

Thoughts:

Wow, this was great. I was starting to worry that after building this up for four issues, Cullen Bunn wouldn't be able to deliver on the showdown between Venom & Toxin. Well he certainly proved me wrong. The fight in question was well handled by Bunn. I like that Flash called Eddie out on being bonded with Toxin. Toxin & Eddie's bonding is different to what we've seen before with symbiotes and hosts. These two don't like each other, but their held together by a mutual hatred of Venom. I do kind of question why he leaves Venom alone when Flash causes the Toxin symbiote to recede? I suppose we could say that the drug weakened Eddie as well, but considering that he's a 300 pound bodybuilder and that Venom was weak and on the floor, that just looked a little odd.

The scene with Flash and Andi was also handled well. This arc has been about Flash adjusting to life in Philidelphia and his increasing loneliness, and that scene really helps to forward that. While Flash is becoming an overall somber character, it's tempered by the fact that he's proactive and willing to make sacrifices. It's all the better seeing this character work with Flash given what's going on in Superior Spider-Man. When these two eventually come to blows (because, let's face it, it would be a massive missed opportunity if they don't.) I will definitely be rooting for Flash (something I thought I would never say).

I've really enjoyed Declan Shalvey's artwork on the series and this issue was no exception. The fight scene between Venom & Toxin is brutal and Shalvey renders that brilliantly. I'm hoping that he's going to "stick" around for a while, especially after what the last page indicates. Cullen Bunn has finally found his footing with Venom and I've really enjoyed reading this story arc. I'm really excited for what's coming next. Here's hoping Rise of the Symbiote Slayers will be as good as this story arc...

Score: 4.5/5.0

Age of Ultron #5

2013-04-18T19:03:00.001+08:00

Hello everybody and welcome to my review of Age of Ultron #5. Sorry again for the delay.

Synopsis:

This issue opens with a flashback several months before Ultron took power. Tony Stark, Reed Richards & Hank Pym observing the Vision's still form. Tony has brought Reed and Hank to help him fix the Vision. Reed is fascinated by the Vision's specs, remarking that he's never seen anything like this, which Hank acknowledges to be the reason why they've never been able to duplicate the technology that created Vision, because they've never been able to duplicate the tech that created Ultron. This confuses Reed, as he believed that Pym created Ultron. Pym responds by saying he didn't, he created the first version of Ultron's artificial intelligence, and from there, Ultron took over. He muses that he has often thought of going back in time and telling his younger self not to create Ultron, though that would mean the Vision would never be created, and as Mr Fantastic points out, the interference wouldn't end there. All of a sudden, the Vision springs to life, greeting the three men, which causes Iron Man to break out into a smile.

We then flashforward to the present, where Iron Man is pondering the previous event as the group of superhero's hike through the Savage Land. He starts to laugh at the realisation that they set this up when they took the Vision in all those years ago. This is interrupted by Black Widow, who informs everyone they've reached their destination. It's a cave containing Nick Fury's hideout. Emma Frost can't use her powers since the bunker is fortified to block psychic penetration, so Cap instructs Invisible Woman to investigate. After a moment of searching, Susan uncovers a massive door with a code lock. After she reports back, Cap sends Hulk in to give the door a good smashing. As he forces it open, Rulk is attacked by an unknown figure. Ka-Zar flings a spear at the figure, who effortlessly catches it and steps forward, revealing himself as Nick Fury Sr.. He scans everyone with a small device, which confirms to him that everyone is who they say they are (You sure you checked Spider-Man properly Fury?).

In Austin, Texas, a young couple are arguing over whether or not to leave the city or stay where they are. Their arguement is brought to an end as they hear the sound of laser blasts. Rushing outside to see, they witness an army of Ultron Sentinels laying waste to the city.

Back in Fury's bunker, after he tells Cap that he's been down here for a week, Iron Man asks him what his plan is. Fury replies that he's standing on it, "it" being Doctor Doom's Time Platform. Fury plans to head to whatever point in time where Ultron is residing and destroy him with the help of the heroes. Iron Man shoots this plan down however, saying Ultron could just be luring them into a trap. Wolverine suggests an alternative. They go back in time and kill Hank Pym so Ultron is never created. Valkerye points out they could just tell Pym not to create Ultron, but Wolverine says that Pym will just see it as a dare. Some of the heroes disagree with Logan's plan while some agree. Fury grows tired of the debate and opens a vault containing pieces of tech belonging to various heroes, such as Iron Man's Mk II armour & Spider-Man's webshooters. Fury then drafts Iron Man, Rulk, Invisible Woman, Captain America, Storm, Quake & Quicksilver into his plan. As they leave for the future, Wolverine asks Hawkeye if he can get the Time Platform up and running again. Spider-Man asks if he's going to chase after them, only to realise through Hawkeye that Wolverine intends to move ahead with his original plan of travelling back in time and murdering Hank Pym, and he "ain't asking for permission"...

Thoughts:

It was kind of obvious that there would be time travel involved in this series from the first panel and it's good that Age of Ultron is going that route so early. It prevents this aspect of the series from being jarring and it seems that whatever option is taken, there are going to be big ramifications. It's a thrill to see Nick Fury Sr. make an appearance here and Bendis handles his dialogue with ease. It does seem a bit odd that he scans everyone to see if they're the real deal and doesn't immediately notice that Spider-Man is really Doc Ock, but I suppose it would take up too much time in the issue, and maybe Fury does know who SpOck is, but is keeping quiet for now.

Wolverine going against Fury's plan at the end is very well handled. He's been in the background prior to this issue so it's nice to see him becoming more prominent. His plan (while being a tad similar to what he wanted to do to Hope Summers in AvX) is the classic Wolverine approach to these kind of things, and he's certainly got reason enough for thinking like that. Finally we get to see Hank Pym, even if it's just in a flashback. I'm not a fan of Ant Man, but he needs to be in this since he created "the first version of Ultron's artificial intelligence"...whatever.

This is Bryan Hitch's final issue on the series and he does as good a job as ever. There are a some epic shots here and the characters are well rendered, especially Wolverine, Nick Fury & Rulk. The landscape of the Savage Land and the futuristic look of Fury's bunker continue to refresh the eyes after four and a half issues of dystopian New York. Now that the time travel angle has been put into play, things look to be getting very interesting...

Score: 4.0/5.0

Venom #33

2013-04-16T05:57:00.003+08:00

Hello everybody and welcome to my review of Venom #33.

Synopsis:

Picking up where the last issue left off, Toxin attacks the Experiment (hey that's not a bad name, I think I'll use that), who fights back despite not really wanting to. After a brief fight, Toxin subdues the Experiment, stating he was going to let him live long enough to tell him where to find Venom, but he'd rather get one more freak off the street. As he prepares to kill the Experiment however, several hooked tentacles burst from the Experments stomach, wounding Toxin, who hurls the Experiment away. After healing, Toxin realises the Experiment has fled. He decides to let him live, reasoning that Venom will will be coming for him soon.

The next morning, Flash Thompson converses with Beast via webcam, telling him about his encounter with the Experiment last night. Beast tells him that he may be able to help the man, assuming Flash can bring him to Beast. He offers to help, but Flash replies that he's good. That afternoon Flash attends an AA meeting. While he talks about his alcohol problem, he thinks about how these people don't understand him and that he doesn't belong amongst them.

Later that night, at the kennels, the receptionist there hears a disturbance among the dogs. She investigates only to find that they've all been killed by the Experiment, who apologises just before he leaps to attack. The woman rushes outside with the Experiment in hot pursuit, only to be saved by Venom in the nick of time. Venom quickly subdues the Experiment with webbing and ponders over whether or not Beast will be able to cure him. He is then interrupted from his thoughts by Toxin, who states that he'll take care of the Experiment as soon as he's done with Venom...

Thoughts:

Okay, so Cullen Bunn is taking his time in having Flash and Eddie come face to face. It helps that he has some interesting character work with Flash to fill the issue. I enjoyed Flash's conversation with the Beast, Bunn has a good voice for Hank McCoy and it's nice to see them maintain a friendship even though their no longer Avengers. The AA meeting was also very well written, though I think it was a missed opportunity not to have Eddie Brock be there too, it would have added a nice bit of tension to the scene.

Speaking of Eddie, it's nice to see him actually DO something in this issue. If we aren't going to see him face off with Flash then we might as well see him in action. I didn't expect the Experiment to survive this issue, so it was interesting that he managed to hold his own against Toxin. It's also nice that Venom takes a proactive approach to finding him, and I was left super excited by the final page.

I'm still really enjoying Declan Shalvey's artwork. Toxin & Venom both look great and the gritty look continues to serve the series well. Cullen Bunn is definitely hitting his stride with this storyline and I hope he can maintain it to the end. If so, the we're looking at a great story for Venom...