Scarlet Spider #3: OK, I'm going to go on a full-on rave here, so prepare yourself:
First, the opening sequence is amazing. For the first time, we see Kaine acting like a hero because he wants to be a hero. He's been a somewhat reluctant one over the last few issues, but, here, he stops a mugger (and would-be rapist) on purpose. He's not on patrol; he encounters the mugger because he's left his hotel room to find supplies for Aracely. But, it's heroic nonetheless. Moroever, the scene itself is great. From Kaine terrorizing the mugger into peeing himself to him commenting that he's pretty sure Spider-Man would've handled the situation similarly, Yost continues to remind us that we're not dealing with Peter Parker. ("I'll break your bones in ways that will never heal. I'll tear every piece of flesh off your body." Yup, Peter says that all the time.) Yost also gives us a great action sequence between Kaine and the assassin. Both these scenes -- the opening one and the assassin fight -- are made all the more amazing by Stegman, who I hope is legally forced to stay on this title forever. Stegman has given us such a complete and compelling idea of the contours of Kaine's world. I think it's safe to say that I wouldn't have formed such an emotional attachment to Kaine after just three issues if it weren't for Stegman.
But, it's not all doom and gloom. Yost and Stegman give us some fun moments, like Kaine cursing Houston for its lack of skyscrapers to his great conversation with the bartender. Moreover, Yost uses moments like the skyscraper incident to remind us that we're in Houston, not New York, something that I wish we saw more often in the Utopia-related X-books. (I want my Dagger-led San Francisco street team and I want it now!) In fact, after three issues, I'm impressed by how complete of a supporting cast Yost has created for Kaine (Houston included). I mean, for a loner, he's got something like a family in just his third issue. I hope we see more of Annabelle the bartender, because something about her and Kaine's banter reminded me of some of the great '80s romantic-adventure shows, like "Moonlighting" or "Remington Steele." (Maybe Kaine will form some sort of private-eye firm and she'll be his sassy-and-capable office manager.) Moreover, I'm intrigued that Yost starts off Kaine's superhero career with two relative strangers knowing his identity. Honestly, I can't think of any origin story (or, at least, quasi-origin story) with a similar scenario. I guess it's in part because Kaine doesn't really protect his identity all that carefully (as we see when he takes off his mask in front of the assassin) because he doesn't really have a family to protect. But, as we see his supporting cast grow tighter, I'm interested to see how that changes.
Moreover, I can't wait to see where Yost goes with the Assassins Guild. It was a great reminder that Kaine has years upon years of experiences, most of them bad, that could return to haunt him over the course of this series.
In sum, Yost and Stegman have given us a character, who, after three issues, I feel like I've been reading all my life. I genuinely can't wait for each new issue. If you're not reading this series, you're missing a pretty unique take on the traditional superhero story.
Venom #14: Honestly, I really disliked this entire event. It had some remote potential in the beginning, but it's only because it served as an extension of the personal problems that Flash was facing at the time. He was forced to go on the road trip from Hell with Jack O'Lantern, break off his relationship with Betty, abandon his mother during her time of grief, and escape the Red Hulk. When this event served as a way to develop those stories, it was fine. But, it quickly devolved into an advertisement for other series. I've never cared about X-23, I could care less about the new Ghost Rider, and I care only marginally more about the Red Hulk. But, if we had gotten a decent story, I wouldn't have minded having to read about these other characters, and may have come to care about them a little more. But, we didn't get a decent story, and I might actually care about them less. The story was a mess from start to finish, notable more for its quirky numbering system than anything else. The Ven-ulk Rider gestalt seemed to be born from the type of "shark v. bear" conversations that teenager boys have in comic-book shops, and I don't meant that in a good way. I could write more about it, but, honestly, I just want to put this event behind me and see what happens with Flash trying to put his life together. I doubt that this whole "shutting off the synaptic coupling center" bit is going to work, since the possibility of Flash losing control is the most interesting thing about this book. We shall see, I guess.
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