Amazing Spider-Man #684: "Ends of the Earth" Part 3

**** (four of five stars)

Favorite Quote #1:  "Just a suggestion.  This is where we should kill 'em off.  I've worked on enough horror films to know...you leave guys lying around, the second your back's turned, they pop up and getcha."  -- Mysterio, providing some really sound advice, in my opinion

Favorite Quote #2:  "An invisible jet?  Sounds like something out of a comic book."  "Hm.  I forgot about the constant quips."  "Regretting your choice, Sable?  Captain America's looking a lot better now, wouldn't you say?"  -- Spidey, Sable, and Natasha, in probably the best exchange that you're going to read all month

Favorite Quote #3:  "Silver Sable had it all wrong.  You want to take out Flint Marko, you don't go for the head..you aim for the heart."  -- Spidey

Summary

Calling herself a friend, an invisible figure helps extricate the Black Widow from the wreckage of the Avenger's Quinjet and plants an explosive charge on it.  When Natasha questions the decision, the figure says that it's better for the Sinister Six to think Natasha dead and for Spider-Man to get a much-needed distraction.  On the nearby beach, Doc Ock orders the other members of the Sinister Six to take away the unconscious Avengers.  When Mysterio questions that decision (see "Favorite Quote" #1), Ock merely states that he has a plan for them.  He, however, tells the men to leave Spidey with him.  As Spidey struggles to regain control of his suit, the other members of the Six depart with the Avengers.  Chameleon and Sandman note how well Ock's plan worked, though Mysterio mentions the loss of Electro as a point of concern, given that it's them versus the world.  (Someone should really start listening to Mysterio.)  Ock asks Spidey if he has any final words and Spidey asks him to reveal his plan to him.  Ock starts to do so, but he's distracted by the exploding Quinjet, allowing Spider-Man to escape.  Mysterio notes that Spidey fell completely off his radar, but Ock decides not to pursue him, given that "the leaders of every nation are awaiting [his] next move."

In the woods, the mysterious figure takes off her cloak, revealing herself to be Silver Sable.  (The cloak, which shielded the three of them, was new Symkarian stealth technology.)  Spidey asks why Sable saved him and Natasha, rather than "heavy-hitters like Cap and Thor."  She responds that Spidey is the one with the most experience defeating Dr. Octopus...and Natasha was "closest."  The trio boards Sable's invisible jet (see "Favorite Quote #2") and Spidey berates himself over the fact that Ock overcame the devices that he had spent months devising.  Just as he's wondering how he's going to do better on the fly, Horizon Labs contacts him, thanks to Grady hacking his secure line (something he knew how to do thanks to their "last adventure" together).  Max informs Spidey that he and members of the think tank are on Horizon's floating laboratory, circumventing JJJ, Jr.'s attempt to shut down their operations last issue.  He notes that they couldn't find Peter, though Sajani cracks that they don't need Pete since his designs were duds.  Spidey asks how Sajani knew that and Max answers that Doc Ock is broadcasting it at the G8 Summit, where he's also announcing his list of demands.

Horizon patches Spidey into the feed, where Doc Ock announces that the world's 24 hours are expired.  The countries of the world agree to help, and Otto suddenly raises "talk of payment."  He notes that he didn't mention it earlier, because his endeavor isn't about blackmail.  But, he feels that compensation for services rendered is in order.  He "requests" that each of the other members of the Sinister Six have their criminal records expunged and $2 billion deposited into their bank accounts.  (Sandman ponders how an expunged criminal record and his world-saving turn would help him win back custody of his daughter, Keemia.)  Meanwhile, Otto continues, stating that, for him, he requires only the construction of the Octavius Academy, the "greatest institute for technology -- and a shrine to [his] highest achievement."  (Sandman asks Rhino why he's depressed, and Rhino responds that the money means nothing to him, that Otto has offered him a different kind of payment.)  Otto continues, informing the world that his factories are mass producing the micro-satellites to create a permanent Octavian Lens in Earth's orbit.  He informs the assembled leaders that all the world's missile silos must be used to send them in orbit, an endeavor that requires a minimum of 200 rockets.  The Symkarian Prime Minister sends the feed to Sable, and Natasha recognizes one of the locations on the maps that Otto shows the leaders as an ex-A.I.M. base in North Africa.  Realizing that she could get them there, she suggests they destroy it to ensure that Doc Ock doesn't meet his 200-unit quota.  Sable agrees and tells Spidey that he has the rest of the several-hour flight to create a device to address the "most obvious threat."

Spidey works works with Sajani to develop a way to counter said threat, namely, Sandman, who'll likely be the one guarding a base set in the middle of the Sahara Desert.  Spidey comments that he'll need to find one specific grain of Sandman and, intrigued, Sajani helps him create a radioactive solution.  Max comments on upgrades that he made to Horizon's smart-phone technology to transmit at the proper frequency and Grady downloads an app called "Pink Hippo."  Natasha asks about the app, and Spidey shows her his smart-phone, which literally says "Pink Hippo."  He asks her what she's thinking about and, when she comments "a pink hippo," he tells her that's exactly how it works.  Sable lands the plane and the trio head for the factory.  Spidey suggests a "Luke and Han in the Death Star" plan (aka taking out guards and changing into their costumes), but that goes South when they discover that the plant is controlled by octobots.  Sable suggests blowing up the place, but Natasha realizes that something isn't right.  Getting closer, she discovers that the satellites are just empty casing and that they've fallen into a trap.

Fleeing the factor, they encounter Sandman, who confirms that Otto knew the Symkarian Prime Minister would alert Sable to the factory and notes that he has the entire Sahara supporting him.  Before he can fully attack, Spidey sprays him with the radioactive substance and orders the ladies to put on special lenses.  He then exposits what he meant earlier about "one specific grain of Sandman," sharing his hypothesis that one grain contains Sandman's consciousness.  The radioactive substance illuminates the grain with Sandman's brain waves, which the lenses help the trio see.  However, as Sandman attacks, they have difficulty isolating it.  Overhearing their conversation, Sandman buries the grain within him and announces that he has the power to become anything that he can imagine.  Spidey comments that he has all the power and no imagination, and the three of them use Grady's app to start showing images of shapes.  Spidey uses his booster rockets (!) to extricate the trio from the sand and exposits that the images are transmitting directly along Sandman's brain waves (thanks to Max's smart-phone upgrade).  Sandman contorts into the shape of the images, but, infuriated, pulls himself together, announcing that it's time for him to be "single-minded" like Spidey thinks that he is and dedicate himself to killing them.  However, Spidey then shows him the word "Keemia," bringing Flint's consciousness to the surface.  Spidey grabs it with a Web-Line, disabling Flint.  Elsewhere, an infuriated Doc Ock announces to the people of the Earth that Spider-Man is attacking his "planetary defense factories" and calls on the nations of the world to take down the terrorist, Spider-Man.

The Review

At some point in this issue, you suddenly realize that you're reading a "Marvel Team-Up" story with the Black Widow and Silver Sable.  I'm definitely not complaining.

The Good

1) Doc Ock was really going to reveal his plan to Spidey!  I mean, I actually believe that he would, because he is a sufficiently megalomaniac to do so.  But, seriously, he needs to start consulting Mysterio on how to handle captured heroes!

2) Slott continues to do an amazing job showing how past events play into the events of this current arc.  In this issue, we see Grady hacking into Spidey's secure link based on the knowledge of the system that he gained during their "last adventure" (a.k.a. when Grady almost destroyed the world with a time machine).  It's these moments that really make a continuity geek like me feel like he's part of something special.  I read a lot of reviews where reviewers wring their hands over whether an issue is instantly accessible for new readers.  But, I always feels like that underestimates the reader.  I pick up a lot of series where I'm dropped in the middle of a storyline or don't know much about the various characters.  It usually inspires me to learn more about them by finding back issues, reading about them online, etc.  Getting the sense of a character's history is part of the fun of comics, and gliding over that history to "appeal to new readers" ruins it for everyone.  It denies a new reader the opportunity to immerse himself/herself in something brand new and exciting and an established reader the thrill of being able to predict what happens next based on the character's past experiences.  So, thanks, Dan Slott, for not dumbing down a 50-year-old character's history in the pursuit of new readers and, in so doing, keeping every one -- new readers included -- engaged.

3) Aha.  I was wondering why the Sinister Six would agree to help Doc Ock with his plans.  Expunged criminal records and  $2 billion cash answer that question.  Of note, I applaud Slott for ensuring that Sandman has agreed to join Doc's plans to get back custody of his daughter, Keemia.  It's easy to portray a crazed villain; it's harder to portray a sympathetic one.

4) Similarly, I love how Otto announces his list of demands AFTER everyone has voted in favor of helping him.  Between the Gore incident and this little trick, you have to wonder if the world's leaders are really starting to question the decision that they've made here.

5) Rhino wants to kill Spider-Man, right?  That's his payment?

6) I love the crossing and double-crossing.  Just like Spidey expressing outrage over the Chameleon being set free last issue, when it was all part of his plan, Otto overly conveniently marking "MAIN FABRICATION SITE" on his maps to lead the trio into his trap was great.  I mean, a bit of a stretch that they'd fall for it, but fun nonetheless. 

7) I loved the scene of Sable, Spidey, and Widow fleeing the factory with Sandman's laugh booming over them and Spidey commenting, "Ooh...I got a bad feeling about this..."  If Slott wanted me to feel like I was watching a movie, he absolutely succeeded.

8) Sandman has to be the first villain defeated by an iPhone.  In all seriousness, though, I thought that Slott's integration of technology into "Amazing Spider-Man" just continues to make this series cutting edge.  We're not talking about your father's Spider-Man.  I have no idea how Slott thought of it, but, of course, all I could think about was a pink hippo, so I totally bought the plan.  In fact, the entire Sandman battle was brilliant.  Irradiating the grain of his consciousness, transmitting directly to his brain waves, using the "pink hippo" app to show him Keemia's name and bring his consciousness to the fore:  all of it showed how much thought Slott put into this issue.