Favorite Quote #1: "Shh! It's a smoke screen not a sound screen. Enough from you." -- Sable to Spidey
Favorite Quote #2: "Trust me...It'd just about take saving the world to be worthy of her." -- Spidey, on MJ (TEAM MJ ALL THE WAY!)
Summary
For the previous three days, the trio of Black Widow, Silver Sable, and Spider-Man have been hitting Doc Ock's missile sites to prevent him from launching his satellites into space. At the latest site, in Tongchang-ri, North Korea, they encounter resistance for the first time, in the form of the Rhino. Confident in his suit's abilities, Spidey takes on Rhino, who unexpectedly tears through it. Sable detonates a series of charges taking down the missile site, and Spidey worries that North Korean soldiers are stuck inside the site. Sable notes that they're fine, but wonders why Spidey cares, stressing that they're at war. Spidey notes that it's his war and that "no one dies!" Spidey uses a device he invented to knock the Rhino unconscious. At that moment, S.H.I.E.L.D. agents arrive. Spidey initially believes them to be the cavalry, but the officer-in-charge announces that he's there to arrest them. Black Widow throws a smoke-screen and the three escape to Sable's ship, realizing why no one has come to their aid.
On Sable's ship, Spidey notes how much every nation on Earth thinking that he's wrong hurts and Sable comforts him, commenting on the fact that he's always so worried about what everyone else thinks about him and encouraging him to believe in himself. Bolstered by her words, he and Sable begin to interrogate Sandman. Sable pours acid on him and Sandman appeals to Spidey to help. Spidey refuses, asking if he's just supposed to let Doc Ock take over the world. Sandman insists that they're the good guys and Spidey rejects that, saying that he'll allow Sable to "acidboard" him since six-billion lives are on the line. Flint caves and Spidey notes that Flint almost had him; he exposits that he's changed, but not that much. While Flint confesses to Sable, the Horion folks call, telling Spidey that they've studied the satellites that Spidey has collected on his raids. Unfortunately, though, they're unable to hack their stealth systems, preventing them from locating them in their current orbit. But, they are able to confirm that the lens technology would work. Max asks Spidey if he's sure that they should be stopping Otto, and Spidey simply responds, "Yes." Max says that's good enough for him and that Horizon stands ready to help.
Meanwhile, Otto watches news coverage of people all over the world expressing their belief in him. Chameleon, reviewing the losses than they've suffered (Electro missing, Sandman captured, Rhino injured) suggests that they all take the $2 billion and run. Mysterio acknowledges the point, but Doc insists that they see the plan to the end, noting that the money means nothing to him. He then threatens them, and, later, Chameleon and Mysterio discuss the issue, with Chameleon noting that the money has cleared and Mysterio stressing that they're professionals who need to see the job to the end. Elsewhere, Rhino reminds Otto that he promised something else to him, and Otto stresses that he'll make good on the promise. He also acknowledges that their ranks are thinning and puts out a call to "the darkest corners" to ask for assistance from a network of super-villains. However, Titanium Man calls Black Widow to tell her of the conference call, informing the trio that Otto promised the same amnesty and fortune that the Sinister Six received if they protect the factories and silos. Spidey puts out a call to superheroes (answered by Big Hero 6 in Japan, Kangaroo in Australia, Sabra in Israel, and Union Jack in England) for help in taking down the factories and silos. Sable adds her support to Spider-Man, noting that she would follow him to the ends of the Earth. In a quiet moment, Spidey expresses his thanks to Stable for the vote of confidence. He says that he always thought that she thought of him as a goofball, but she tells him that she sees the man underneath. She begins to proposition him, implying that they might fail and the world may end, but Spidey tells her that they can't fail, because he promised "her." He tells her that he "can't," and she asks if the "she" is worth it. Spidey says that saving the world would be what it would take to be worthy of her. Meanwhile, in New York, MJ (!) thinks about her faith in Peter that he's going to win, watching JJJ, Jr. on TV talk about securing New York with his Anti-Spider Patrol and deciding that she needs to prepare the hero's welcome that Spidey deserves.
Around the world, Spidey's team attacks factories and silos. He encourages them to save some of the tech so that Horizon can study the satellites' armor and stealth modes. Eventually, only one site is left and it's located on the border of Romania and Symkaria, much to Sable's outrage. The trio invade and Spidey notes that it's the largest facility that they've found and it could be Doc Ock's base. However, when they enter, they discover that it's empty. Doc Ock appears on the monitors and states that he's no longer manufacturing satellites at the facility because he has no more to make. He notes that, on the beach in the Mediterranean, Spidey asked if he was really going to save the world. Spidey begs Ock to surprise him and put him in his place, making him look like a tool for doubting Ock. But, Otto says that he'll happily admit that Spidey was right, announcing that he's "a creature of spite. of hate. of rage." Annoyed that his genius was coming to an end while "the mundane and mediocre lived," he decided that it couldn't be. He then activates the Lenses, scorching everywhere facing the sun.
Slott gets serious here. Between Silver Sable professing her...something...for Spidey to Peter begging Doc Ock to prove him wrong, this issue is as dark of one as we've had in a long time, possibly since the "No One Dies" arc.
The Really Good
1) I loved the Slott really just kept us guessing about Doc Ock's motives until the very end. Honestly, when Max asked Spider-Man if he was sure that Doc Ock wasn't really trying to save the world, I found myself asking the same question. I really had no idea how it was going to go. In keeping it a mystery, Slott delivered one of the best page-turners that I've ever read in comics. Usually, you can see the ending from the first issue. I mean, even here, Doc Ock eventually does what you more or less expected him to do the entire time. But, Slott spent enough time carefully casting doubt on those expectations that you actually found yourself questioning them, too. Awesome.
2) MJ! I'll be honest that I totally gasped when Peter said, "I promised her."
The Good
1) I love how Natasha just isn't buying Spidey's schtick. First, we had her ask Sable in issue #684 if she regretted saving Spidey over Cap. Here, after Sable delivers an emotional appeal to Spidey to believe in himself, Natasha simply says, "She's right. Focus on the mission." Heh.
2) Conversely, I'm just always happy that we're now seeing Pete get the respect that he deserves. Sure, the whole world is against him on this one, but, when he asks the heroes to "stack [his] character up against [Doc Ock's] -- and ask 'Who do you trust?'" they clearly chose him. Between that and Sable's profession of faith, I'm a happy camper.
3) Slott again brings in something from the past, showing the anti-Rhino device that Pete created in issue #679.1.
The Unknown
It's interesting that Flint really did seem to think that they were trying to save the world. Now, Flint is obviously the softest touch of the Sinister Six, so I wonder if Ock lied just to him. After all, he wouldn't want to live in a destroyed world with Keemia, so he had to believe that Doc was doing the right thing. But, then, you have to wonder if Ock lied to everyone, except possibly the Rhino, since it's not like Chameleon, Electro, or Mysterio could spend their $2 billion in a destroyed world. I wonder what their response will be to his actions.
The Unsure
1) Spidey is a lot more...severe here than he normally is. He almost kills the Rhino with whatever device that he uses against him and he allows Sable to torture Sandman. Even Sable notes that he's "changed." I mean, he doesn't kill the Rhino and he exposits that he wouldn't have let Sable kill Sandman, but it's interesting how close to that line he came.
The Bad
1) I thought Max said last issue that Doc Ock crowed about defeating the Avengers and Spider-Man to the G8 Summit. At the very least, Max said that he crowed about defeating Spider-Man. The intro page, however, says that the world doesn't know that Ock defeated the Avengers. I mean, even if he didn't explicitly mention the Avengers when he bragged about defeating Spider-Man, how hard is it to put two and two together? Spidey was with the Avengers in Rome and, then, hours later, got defeated by Doc Ock. Is it that hard to assume that the Avengers were with him? Plus, once Spidey surfaced and told people like Max that they had been defeated, wouldn't word spread? I get that we're supposed to buy them all operating on the margins as outsiders, but I think it's a bit of a stretch to assume that, if Max or Spider-Man got out word that Ock took down the Avengers, the world wouldn't believe them.
2) I'm not exactly sure how Doc Ock finished manufacturing his satellites and launched them into orbit. First, it's clear that the trio managed to collect some satellites, since Horizon had samples to study. I thought the whole point of the trio's initial raid on the factory in North Africa, though, was that stopping just one factory from producing satellites would prevent Otto from achieving his goals. Sure, that factory was a fake, but they clearly found other factories that weren't. Was Otto able to produce more than the 200, so he had extra ones to spare? Second, Natasha, Sable, and Spidey destroy all Doc Ock's missile sites. So, even if he was able to manufacture enough satellites, how exactly did he get all of them into space? Did he have missile sites that the trio hadn't found? Did he get them into space before they hit the sites?
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