Credits: Plotted by Howard Mackie, scripted by Todd DeZago, pencilled by Gil Kane, inked by Tom Palmer and edited by Bob Budiansky.
Plot: Ben ‘Scarlet Spider’ Reilly starts the issue by dropping Seward at the hospital where it’s determined that he’s physically fine, but there almost no brain activity. Given the unusual circumstances the police have been called, causing Ben to swing out of there.
We then are introduced to the Professional, who is completing a job to warn someone to leave town, he informs this man that he wasn’t paid to kill him today, but that may change tomorrow. He then receives a message that there’s a new target, Jason Tso, Ben’s new boss. Back at Seward’s apartment building, Ben sees what looks like his neighbour Carrie being attacked, but it turns out she was just carrying a padded suit that is used as part of her self defence class. By that point Ben has already ‘saved’ her. This meet cute moment leads to her inviting him to the class, then a coffee afterwards. At the Daily Bugle, Ken Ellis receives a note that there’s a party at Club Noir tonight, given it’s criminal connections, Ken decides he will attend.
In cyberspace, Doctor Octopus II is meeting with her partner, the pair are planning at attack at Noir, using the Professional. As they conspire, they are observed by the Seward, whose mind is still trapped in cyberspace. At Noir, Ben (at his waitering job) spills a drink and is unceremoniously fired. He’s on his way out when he sees Seward’s face on the screen of an ATM. Near the club, two of Tso’s men encounter the Professional, who attaches magsats to their heads, informing him that they are controlled by a device he has and have the destructive power of a .44 slug. The pair walk into the club intent on killing Tso, to save their own lives. The each attempt to throw a grenade, but Ben hasn’t left yet and dives towards them, knocking the grenades away, allowing Tso to escape. The explosion creates enough of a diversion to allow Ben to change into his Scarlet Spider costume.
Tso feels he is safe in his back office, but that was part of the Professional’s plan and he is waiting for him. The Professional sets up what we would now call facetime and Tso is faced with Doctor Octopus II (I make the distinction, because of all the Spider-villains to replace, Otto Octavius looms too large a shadow) who offers to triple the fee if Scarlet Spider (who busts through the window from outside) is also killed. Not sure how well that was going to go as Ben kicks the Professional out the hole he made, webbing him to the wall. The Professional has one card to play and throws a grenade into the room. Everyone’s got out, the only people left are Ken Ellis and Angela from the Bugle who were in the hallway outside Tso’s office after trying to get in. As soon as he’s safe Ellis tries to get an interview Ben, but since he still hasn’t forgiven being called the Scarlet Spider, rebuffs him. Back in the undamaged part of the club, Ben is dressed in his waiter clothes and is about to go home when Tso recognises him and offers him a job as his bodyguard alongside the large Orlando. Orlando welcomes him with a handshake aimed to break his hand, but doesn’t realise whose hand he’s trying to hurt and Ben wonders what he;s got himself involved in.
Notes : This feels very much like a TV show episode, with a lot of subplots and Ben being much more of a character than the Scarlet Spider, almost as if they don’t have the budget for all the super-effects. But that is one of it’s strengths. We have subplots, work life and hero life clashing and hidden criminal masterminds scheming against one another with the hero in the middle. This feels like classic Spider-Man, in that I mean late 60’s early 70’s Spider-Man. This isn’t the thing that dates it, the technology stuff does, so what we have is a classic era style story in a 90’s setting and that’s very much what I’m interested in. Ben struggling is a lot like Peter struggling since Ben was Peter once and it adds a familiarity that this issue uses to further the overall plot. I really enjoyed the story here and it’s finally won me over.
Verdict: Writing – 3 out of 5: The plotting here is quite solid, it feels like a Spider-Man story, hard luck heroics and unforeseen circumstances as well as the Spider caught between two forces. This is where the story shines, but I’m not feeling the scripting here. Still the flow of the story brings you through it and fun is had.
Art – 4 out of 5 : From his glory days in the silver age, to his up-nose years to his 90’s efforts, Gil Kane was a legend. Whilst this may not have been his best work, his figure-work is good , his visual story-telling is tight and the whole thing has a nostalgic effect, but has quality added to it, rather than harkening back. This is how comics were is the vibe, but it never feels like pandering to an older demographic, it feels more like the old school still produces good work and this is good work.
Overall – 7 out of 10: This isn’t going to blow you away, but it’s quality stuff that pops off the page and gets you interested and you can’t ask for more in a single issue than that.
Next Time: The third verse of X-Cutioner’s Song
My Marvel Life 