Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Not-So-New Comics: The December 20 "Spider-Affinity" Marvel Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #298:  OK, I like Zdarsky (see above), but it made not a lick of sense for Peter to web up the window in the taxi cab so the driver didn’t see him change into Spider-Man.  The minute he webbed up the window, the taxi driver knew it was Spider-Man; it didn’t make a difference if he saw Peter change into the costume or not.  He would still know the guy sitting in his back seat was Spider-Man.  COME ON NOW, PEOPLE.

Spider-Gwen #27:  Latour does a great job of showing all paths converging on a final confrontation.  First, Gwen hardly seems bothered by the symbiote’s push for revenge.  She tracks down the dirty cop who opened her father’s cell for the Rhino (who then beat him into a coma) and is on the verge of killing him when the Punisher appears.  He reveals he has Gwen exactly where he wants her:  isolated from her family and friends and ready to embrace his violent approach to crime.  IT WAS ALL HIS SCHEME!  (Though, I'm not honestly sure how he theoretically pulled the strings.  I don't remember him setting any of these events into motion, to be honest.  He didn't really know George would ultimately turn himself into the police to end his (the Punisher's) crusade against Spider-Woman.  That was the fork in the road, and I don't think he forced George to make the choice he made.)  Gwen is appalled on some level, claiming she’ll never be like him.  But, she also accepts his cell phone to stay in touch without too much hesitation.  Also, her decision to let the dirty cop go free (threatening him if he doesn’t confess his crimes) seems more a decision born of convenience than conscience.  Meanwhile, Foggy is finally confronting his handiwork, realizing he’s always allowed Matt to manipulate him as he sits by George’s bedside.  When the dirty cop calls for help, he stands by helplessly as Matt sends the Hand to kill him.  The surprise is Gwen’s decision to ask Uncle Ben for help, revealing her identity to him.  It seems an attempt to rein in her own impulses, using Ben's conscience in place of her own.  It's maybe a sign she's still in there somewhere.  To overuse the metaphor, Latour is very carefully weaving this web, but it’s hard to know its final shape at this stage.

Also Read:  Venom #159

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