Retro Review: Spider-Man: Torment

With the American comic book market currently in a somewhat precarious state, it seems ludicrous that once upon a time a single issue could sell in excess of two million copies. Yet once upon a time, in 1990 (funnily enough the year of my birth) Todd McFarlane managed just that with the debut issue of a fourth ongoing Spider-Man series, titled simply 'Spider-Man'. The issue kicked off a five part arc entitled 'Torment', but was this story worth its lofty sales figures? The short answer is probably not.

Torment has little plot for a five issue storyline. Basically, Spider-Man heads out to investigate a serial killer that he suspects to be old foe the Lizard. After finding the Lizard Spideyengages himself in one of the more brutal fights in the characters history, being drugged by a voodoo priestess along the way.

This stories greatest strength, by a long shot is its presentation. The issues have a very dark, almost gothic style, with the panels laid out in an abstract way never before seen in a Spider-Man book. The art, while clearly not being to everyones taste is spectacular, dynamic and vibrantly coloured. While his anatomy is not always spot on Mcfarlane draws Spider-Man very well, retaining the creepiness brought to the character by Steve Ditko while adding more modern sensibilities. His redesign of the Lizard is inspired as well and is as terrifying as any comic book villain has ever looked. However, McFarlane's storytelling is fairly weak. while individually his panels look great it is often unclear what is actually happening.

It is sadly indicative of McFarlane's priorities with this story that the first thing I discussed was its presentation. As I said before, Torment looks great but there is never that much going on below the surface. It definitely shows that this was McFarlane's first assignment as a writer, as he makes some amateurish decisions, most notoriously the ludicariously pretensious narrative captions that run throughout the story. McFarlane seems to be going for a 'Stan Lee for the 90's vibe' but sadly falls flat on his face. Torment is also very decompressed. While this has become quite the trend in recent years this does not make it excusable. Torment was clearly influenced by JM Dematteis' classic six part storyline 'Kraven's Last Hunt', but that story actually had the substance to justify its extended length, something that Torment is lacking.

McFarlane's characterisation of Peter Parker, Mary-Jane and their relationship is actually one of Torment's strengths in my opinion. McFarlane has a good handle idea of Peter Parker's 'voice', and while many have criticised the Mary-Jane focused sections of the story I enjoyed them and felt that they gave an interesting insight into MJ's character development since settling down with Peter and how events echoing Kraven's Last Hunt have become all too commonplace for her.

Overall Torment is a solid story, very well presented and perhaps only hampered by McFarlane's inexperience as a writer and the lofty expectations placed upon it

C+

Tpb Review: Madrox - Multiple Choice

Madrox #1-5 by David / Raimondi

A fair criticism levelled at this blog could be that it is too Spider-Man centric. Yes, the webhead is easily my favourite character but 100% of my 2010 posts being Spider-Man related is perhaps overkill. With that in mind, I thought I would review a recently bought graphic novel that while being penned by a renowned Spider-Man writer is far from related to the webhead. Great...my first non-Spider-Man post of the year and I have talked about nothing else so far. I'll move on.

Madrox stars Jamie Madrox aka the Multiple Man, a former member of Peter David's X-Factor team with the power to create duplicates or 'dupes' of himself. Handily prior knowledge of the character is not a requirement for enjoying this story, and David does an excellent job of getting new readers (of which I am one) up to speed with the character. The plot, while not being Multiple Choice's main strength, is adequate enough and features Jamie Madrox investigating the murder of one of his 'dupes' and its potential links to organised crime. Where the book really shines however, is in Madrox's characterisation and David's interesting and original use of his power. Madrox, logically enough, is portrayed here as an increasingly fractured individual, unsure of which direction to take his life in and thus taking it in every direction at once through his dupes. David also raises some interesting, if slightly vague questions about the nature of his powers and a new foe for him, both of which I hope are followed up on.

Interestingly enough Madrox is also given a strong if slightly small supporting cast and a slightly superfluous subplot, giving this series the mark of the opening of an ongoing series rather than a finite mini. As Madrox was ultimately spun into an X-Factor ongoing based around his private detectives agency this seems like a good move. Nevertheless, the supporting characters bounce off Madrox well and I look forward to seeing them given an extended role in X-Factor.

Raimondi's art is solid enough and a good fit for the story. While the storytelling is a little clumsy in places he has a very likeable style, realistic enough yet zany when necessary. The colouring is top notch as well and fits with the mock-noirish theme of the story.

Overall an excellent mini-series from a more than capable writer, that leads very well into the X-Factor ongoing.

A-

Spider-Man's Top Ten Villains: Best of the Rest

Solid villains who weren't quite memorable enough to make it onto my list...Sorry guys! In no particular order...


Carnage



First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #361

Recommended Reading: Amazing Spider-Man #361-363






The Scorpion






First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #20

Recommended Reading: Spectacular Spider-Man #215-216








The Vulture





First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #2

Recommended Reading: Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man #14-16.







Electro






First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #9

Recommended Reading: Spider-Man #38-40








Morlun:




First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #471

Recommended Reading: Amazing Spider-Man #471-476






The Lizard


First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #6

Recommended Reading: Spectacular Spider-Man (volume 2) #11-13

Spider-Man's Top Ten Villains: Part Two

Hey comic fans, hope everyone is well. I will waste no further time in introducing my fifth favourite Spider-Man villain...

5. The Sandman

Perhaps a surprising choice for inclusion in my top five, I consider The Sandman to be one of Spider-Man's most underrated foes. Despite being one of the first villains he ever faced, as with many the bulk of his earlier foes Sandman's characterisation has occurred in more recent years, with the villain enjoying a ten year spell of reformation during which he even appeared as an Avenger! Since then he has inexplicibly returned to the side of villainy, but is still a highly morally ambiguous character with an intriguing moral compass. And of course I can't fail to mention his inspired design. Perhaps one of Ditko's more realistic costumes, the Sandman's striped shirt has survived it's fair share of attempted revamps to become one of the most iconic designs among Spidey's enemies.


First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #4

Recommended Reading: Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man Annual #1, Amazing Spider-Man #302.


4. Venom (Eddie Brock)

Since his introduction in the classic ASM #300 Venom's popularity has exploded, and he is arguably the only modern Spider-Man foe to earn a place on the A-List of villainy. Venom is a classic 'mirror image' villain, of which Spider-Man always lacked in his early days, and his relentless style and almost frightening design was a start contrast with some of the more outdated (but still cool) Ditko villains. Perhaps would have placed higher but the character has stagnated in recent years, from the ill advised move of turning him into an anti-hero to the pointless one of replacing Eddie Brock with Mac Gargan aka the Scorpion, turning two solid villains into one average one.

First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #300

Recommended Reading: Amazing Spider-Man #300


3. The Hobgoblin (Roderick Kingsley)

The Hobgoblin was originally creating to fill the hole in Spider-Man's rogues gallery left by the absence of a Green Goblin, yet has become an inspired villain in his own right. A superb modernisation of the Green Goblin's costume coupled with an intriguing mystery (albeit one that perhaps went on too long) made Kingsley one of Spider-Man's most popular foes in the 1980s. Part of his appeal as a villain also lies in his status as perhaps the one foe that Spider-Man has never truly defeated...Kingsley is currently enjoying a relaxing retirement on an unnamed Caribbean island. Will he ever return? Most Spider-fans would love to see Kingsley again, but either way he will surely go down as one of Spider-Man's most persistent, intelligent adversarys of all time.



First Appearance: Spectacular Spider-Man #43 (As Kingsley) Amazing Spider-Man #238 (As Hobgoblin)

Recommended Reading: Amazing Spider-Man #238-239, 249-251.


2. Doctor Octopus

This man had to be in the top two. From his very earliest appearances 'Doc Ock' has tormented Spider-Man time after time, from handing the teenager a humiliating defeat in his first appearance to causing him to be partly responsible for the death of Gwen Stacey's father Captain Stacy, a man who had become something of a father figure to Peter. Doctor Octopus conjures up images of the sort of man Peter Parker may have become had he not had the guiding figure of his uncle Ben and aunt May in his life, a man twisted by his love of science and the lack of affection of those around him. Recently revealed to be terminally ill in Amazing Spider-Man #600, I sincerely doubt we have seen the last of Doctor Otto Octavius.

First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #3

Recommended Reading: Amazing Spider-Man #31-33 Spider-Man Unlimited #3.

1. The Green Goblin (Norman/Harry Osborn)

I would like to say that I had a tough time choosing the number one spot on this list, but in reality this couldn't be further from the truth. The Green Goblin is Spider-Man's deadliest foe, there is no question about that. Whether we are talking about Norman Osborn or his son Harry, there is no other villain which such a long lasting legacy of misery over the lives of both Peter Parker and Spider-Man. Heralded by Norman becoming the first villain to learn that Peter Parker and Spider-Man are one and the same and cemented by Norman's death driving a wedge between former best friends Peter Parker and Harry Osborn, the conflict between the Green Goblin and Spider-Man is nothing if not personal. From killing his first love, Gwen Stacy, to faking the return of his parents, to engineering the Clone Saga there is little that the father and son duo haven't done to terrorise Spidey. And with Harry recently returned to life it is a sure thing that you will see more diabolical plots from them in the future.

First Appearances: Norman - Amazing Spider-Man #14, Harry - Amazing Spider-Man #31, Amazing Spider-Man #136 (As Green Goblin)

Recommended Reading: Amazing Spider-Man #39-40,121-122. Spectacular Spider-Man #189, 200. Peter Parker: Spider-Man #75

The Spider-Man Movie Reboot: My Thoughts

Well, it seems that Sam Raimi's hugely successful Spider-Man film series is finally at an end, and the franchise will be rebooted, with a new film tentatively due for release in 2012. As a huge Spider-fan I feel duty bound to comment on this shocking news, and give my thoughts on which direction the series needs to take. I realise that this post is appearing some time after the news actually broke, but I felt like taking a bit more time to collect my thoughts about the matter.



Firstly I should make it clear that I have no problem whatsoever with the Raimi films. The first two are great, the third less so, but they are all enjoyable enough. The cast is pretty much perfect as it is. Maguire isn't perfect, he still has yet to nail the wisecracking elements of the character and struggled with some of the more emotional scenes but I think apart from that he was pretty much perfect. However, he is possibly getting a little too old for the role so I'm not too dissapointed with the idea of a recast. A lot of people had major problems with Kirsten Dunst as Mary-Jane, but I can't say I agree with them. Dunst is a good actress and deserves little of the abuse that she gets for her portrayal of MJ, the vast majority of the problems with the character come from her characterisation, and overuse as a damsel in distress. There is little that any actress could do to overcome that. The villains were all perfectly cast in my opinion (Yes even Venom and Sandman), as were most members of the supporting cast. I would have no problems whatsover with the likes of JK Simmons and Rosemary Harris returning as Jonah Jameson and Aunt May respectively.



In terms of story, I can't see the reboot dealing with Spidey's origin. For starters, it is one of the most iconic origin stories in comic book history. Beyond a brief recap the vast majority of the audience will not need to see it again, particularly as the original Spider-Man was released less than a decade ago. Raimi as far as I'm concerned also told as good an adaption of the origin as I have ever seen, and I'm unsure of how it could be improved upon, something that is only going to harm the film.



It has been confirmed that the Reboot will deal with Peter Parker's time at High School, something that gets a big thumbs up from me. The High School setting was notably underused in Raimi's trilogy, and a Reboot will give potential directors a chance to explore it, hopefully giving more screentime and development to the likes of Betty Brant, Flash Thompson and Liz Allen, who comprised the bulk of the Webhead's supporting cast in his early years. In fact, I would not be totally adverse to leaving out Mary Jane and Gwen Stacy entirely, instead using Liz Allen and Betty Brant as love interests. Mary Jane was originally a mystery character in the comics, who was seen many times in silhouette or with her face obscured before finally making an appearance. This is an approach that I think a Reboot could easily take. In terms of supporting cast, I would be fine with limiting it to those that were actually around when Peter was at High School in the comics, leaving out Harry Osborn for one. It is often forgotten that the Peter Parker of these stories was a loner who had very few, if any friends. It could be interesting to see this sort of take on the character on screen, perhaps eventually introducing Betty and Liz as friends or love interests as he grows in confidence. However, Harry, Gwen and MJ are integral parts of the Spider-Man mythos and it would take a very brave man to leave the trio out entirely.



Villainwise I would be dissapointed to see any villains that have already appeared, with the possible exception of Dr. Octopus. While I loved the character in Spider-Man 2, it was a much more sympathetic portrayal than in the comics, with the good doctor actually befriending Peter shortly before his accident, and then saving the day at the films climax. I think it would be interesting to see him as more of a straight villain, perhaps an adaption of the critically acclaimed Master Planner storyline? However there are still a number of classic villains that haven't been seen on film, and the likes of Electro, the Chameleon and Mysterio would all be solid choices. Either way I think that Norman Osborn needs to play a part in the movie, perhaps as a man in the shadows behind the films main villain? This was an approach taken by both Spider-Man: The Animated Series and the Spectacular Spider-Man show, very successfully in both cases!

Most importantly, I want to be able to judge the new film on its own merits, and not to have it compared to the Raimi trilogy. Yes it was generally good, but I would love the relaunch to go in a completely different, exciting direction, showing us aspects of Spider-Man's life never before captured on the silver screen.

NEXT: FINALLY - My rundown of Spider-Man's top five foes

Spider-Man's Top Ten Villains - Part One

Most people would agree that Spider-Man has one of the best rogues gallerys in comics, most of which created by the genius team of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. I thought it would be fun to count down my top ten! If you disagree with my list...Tell me why!


10. Kraven the Hunter


Initially Kraven was probably one of the least impressive of the Lee/Ditko created villains. Overly camp with somewhat lame powers, he was never a credible threat for the webhead in his early appearances. All of this changed with JM Dematteis' groundbreaking storyline 'Kraven's Last Hunt', a deep, dramatic storyline that delved into Kraven's motivations and just nudges him into the top 10. Just try to ignore his increasingly lame offspring that keep getting introduced.

First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #15

Recommended Reading: Kraven's Last Hunt (Web of Spider-Man #31-32,Amazing Spider-Man#293-294, Spectacular Spider-Man #131-132)


9. The Kingpin



Although he was introduced in Amazing Spider-Man, Kingpin has since evolved into a more persistant adversary for Daredevil after his successful use in Frank Miller's run. Nonetheless his initial battles with Spider-Man are among the best in the characters history. Before his introduction Spider-Man had mainly faced off against colourful costumed villains (with a few exceptions), The besuited Kingpin's debut was a welcome contrast to this, and heralded many future gang based storylines.

First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #50


Recommended Reading: Amazing Spider-Man #50-52


8. The Chameleon


The Chameleon was the first ever villain to battle Spider-Man, and despite being physically inferior to many of Spider-Man's other enemies he has been a consistent danger to the wallcrawler since. Favouring carefully laid out schemes rather than the knock-out brawls of other villains, among his devious plans have been kidnapping and replacing Jonah Jameson and convincing Peter Parker that his parents were alive through the use of androids. The master of disguise has recently been revamped by writer Fred Van Lente in the 'Red Headed Stranger' arc of Amazing Spider-Man.

First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #1


Recommended Reading: Webspinners Tales of Spider-Man #10-12

7. Kaine

On first glance a typical 90's 'mystery villain', Kaine is actually able to boast more depth than the vast majority of Spidey's rogues gallery. A failed, twisted clone of Peter Parker has also struck me as being a fantastic concept for a villain, a concept which has arguably never reached it's full potential (Beyond JM Demetteis' excellent Mini-series The Lost Years). Nonetheless, Kaine has recently been reintroduced to the Spider-titles, and appears consistently in Tom Defalco's Clone Saga loveletter Spider-Girl. He remains a huge threat to the Web-Slinger.


First Appearance: Web of Spider-Man #119

Recommended Reading: Spider-Man: The Lost Years #1-3


6. Mysterio

Blessed with one of Steve Ditko's most gloriously goofy costumes (and that's saying something), the master of illusion has become one of Spidey's most persistent antagonists, even joining every iteration of the Sinister Six! While often being regarded as a joke, partly due to his rather silly name and appearance, when taken seriously by writers Mysterio has proven to be one of the more colourful, wacky member of Spidey's rogues gallery, while more recently being given some much needed emotional depth.


First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #13

Recommended Reading: Amazing Spider-Man #198-199, Webspinners Tales of Spider-Man #1-3.


That's all for now folks, tune in next time for my top five Spider-Man villains of all time!

Josh on Comics Review of the Year 2009!

Yes, that time of year has come for me to round up what I think have been the best (and possibly worse, I haven't finalised the categories yet) of the comics world in 2009. Apologies for the lack of pictures, but to be quite honest I find it very frustrating uploading them onto blogger - part of the reason for my pathetic output of late! Anyway, without further ado...On with the awards!

Best ongoing series: Dark Avengers
Much of Dark Reign has flattered to decieve, promising much and delivering little. Thankfully Bendis' latest attempt at writing the Avengers has lived up to its meteoric expectations. I have had my misgivings about Bendis' ability to write a decent team book ever since his abortive relaunch of the Avengers franchise, but he seems disturbingly adept at capturing the dynamic of a team of pyschopaths. Of course I must mention the art, from Mike Deodato Jr. His moody, ink heavy style has not always been my cup of tea but it is a superb fit for this series. Splendid stuff!

It should be noted that I am not counting the widely panned 'Utopia' crossover with Uncanny X-Men, that ran through issues seven and eight. The storyline was written by Matt Fraction rather than Bendis so I decided to skip it.

Best mini series: Destroyer (MAX)
To be perfectly honest, 2009 has been a subpar year for mini series. Even the much anticipated Spider-Man: Close Saga series has, so far at least been merely average. Thank goodness for Robert Kirkman. I love the man, so it is no surprise that I thoroughly enjoyed what looks to be his final work for Marvel. Gloriously violent, with the occasional heartfelt moment, it is great to see Robert go out with a bang.

Best Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
A clean sweep from the man with one name too many. As far as I'm concerned no one can match his output this year. I haven't been reading his new Spider-Woman series (partly through lack of interest, partly as a protest at it's shambolic lack of a UK digital release), but as should be immediatley obvious I consider Dark Avengers to be the best ongoing series of the year. Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man has had mixed reviews but I have very much enjoyed it.

Best Artist: Olivier Coipel
Easily the comics world's most improved artist over the last few years. I found Coipel's work on House of M sloppy and confusing, but his Thor over the last few years has been beautiful. JMS's writing has tailed off slightly over the last year, But Coipel's art has remained consistently Mighty (pun intended). I am a big fan of his occasional replacement Mirko Djurdjevic but it is a crying shame that he has had to replace Coipel as often as he has.

Biggest WTF!!! Moment: Hank Pym being named 'Scientist Supreme'.
Dan Slott's Mighty Avenger's run started off solidly enough, in fact I remember devoting an entire post to its greatness early in the year. Sadly it has gone downhill to the point where I considered the inclusion of a 'Biggest Dissapointment' category so I could rant about the latest story arc. I can't even remember which issue this insane development occured in, but suffice it to say that its sheer lack of sense sadly undermined Slott's brilliant characterisation of Pym throughout his run. The latest issue however was fantastic, so I'm hoping that the run is back on track.

Best Character: Hercules
This should really go to Norman Osborn, superbly rendered by Brian Michael Bendis in Dark Avengers. However, this would possibly have made this post a little too much of a love letter to the aforementioned series, so the award goes to Hercules, from Fred van Lente's humerous Incredible Hercules. Brilliantly funny, and a pleasing tonic to the hordes of more responsible, some would say boring heroes, van Lente's Hercules manages to be an utter buffon while remaining immensely likeable. His relationship with Amadeus Cho is also very sweet, the two of them are currently one of my favourite pairings in comics.


There you go, and I managed to do it without a single wholly negative category (close as it was). If anyone is reading, I hope that you have had a prosperous holiday season, and that your 2010 is equally so! Josh out.