Superior Spider-Man Volume 5: The Superior Venom
 |
| "I think it says... SUPERIOR!!!" |
Writers: Dan
Slott and Christos Gage
Artists: Javier
Rodriguez and Humberto Ramos
Collects: Superior Spider-Man #22-26 and Annual #1
Background
Information:
Otto Octavius, the former Doctor Octopus, has switched
bodies with Peter Parker. Peter has died inside Otto’s body and now Otto is the
Superior Spider-Man. He’s determined to carry on Peter’s legacy but do it his
way.
His way means fighting crime like a super villain. He has
henchmen, an island lab and a robot servant. Long story, short, this is a very
different Spidey to what you’re used to.
Review:
The must recurring theme in The Superior Spider Man has been Otto’s skewed idea of what being “superior”
actually means. Last volume saw Otto fail spectacularly and this volume is not
much different. But where Necessary Evil’s
plot felt lacklustre and pointless, The
Superior Venom is far more entertaining, far more significant and, most
importantly, far more “Agent-Venom-Featuring”.
 |
| There! See?! Even HE says it! |
In this volume, Otto has found himself bonded to the Venom
symbiote. Tricking himself into thinking he can control the black piece of
globular doom, Otto dubs himself the “Superior Venom” and goes about
terrorising criminals in a way that New York has never seen him do before.
Naturally, this earns him negative attention from his family, his workmates,
and his allies.
If there’s one truly effective villain in Superior Spider-Man, it’s Otto’s pride.
It’s been the cause of his downfall more than the Sinister Six, the Jester, the
Spider-Slayer, or any Goblin has ever been. Seeing Otto’s pride get the better
of him so many times in this series, and in Superior
Venom, it’s at its best.
Seeing Agent Venom here is also great; I quite like Flash
Thompson as Venom. I was introduced to him in the Venom issues that tied into Spider-Island,
got a second taste with Minimum Carnage,
and got very disappointed by his under-utilisation in Thunderbolts and seeing him here is great. Flash is an
anti-hero-turned-hero these days and that lines up quite well with Otto’s hero-turned-anti-hero
vibe. What really excites me, though, is Humberto Ramos’ art. Ramos’ art can
look a little outlandish when applied to completely human characters like Mary
Jane or even Peter; his cartoony “jangliness” sometimes looks silly on these
people. On Venom, however, Ramos’ body designs only accentuate the “alieness”
of both Agent and the Superior versions of the creature
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| SUPERIOR... um... superior... uh... FIGHTING! I'm really grasping at straws here. |
It’s not all great, however. The Annual Blackout story is
underwhelming at best. I didn’t know who blackout was at the beginning of
volume, not sure I really know at end, and not really sure that I care. The
issue offers some interesting Otto/Aunt May drama, and makes references to Otto
and May’s almost-marriage (which I surprised Slott didn’t refer to before-
kinda the elephant in the room), but the issue has no relevance to the rest of
the series. Odd, since previous issues had told such a tight tale, but there
you go.
Superior Venom
could have done just fine without the Annual, but it’s still a VERY fun read.
It gets 4 out of five globular dooms.
****
+ Agent Venom
+ Otto vs Otto’s ego
- Blackout is… meh.
Alternate Option: Scarlet Spider: Life After Death
Another dark and gritty version of Spider-Man
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