2012 was Spider-Man's 50th anniversary, but I don't think any fan expected how it would end. In the 700th and (then) final issue of The Amazing Spider-Man, a dying Dr. Octopus switched minds with Peter Parker, and while Peter tried his best to undo the process, Ock had taken precautions to ensure his victory. However, unlike other body-swapping stories, Octavius was able to access Peter's memories, making it very easy to pose as him, and it was those memories that made the villains see the error of his ways. Before Peter died in his body, Octavius promised Peter he would carry on his legacy and be a better man than Otto Octavius and a better hero than Peter and become "the Superior Spider-Man." It was a concept that divided fans from the start, and even earned writer Dan Slott death threats. How could Marvel make Doc Ock Spider-Man? But like many things, you can't judge something without even trying it, and when it comes to the Superior Spider-Man, it was considered by many, self included, to be the best book at Marvel.
A few issues in, my thoughts on Ock as Spider-Man was that he was actually doing a good job. While Peter started using more tech in his arsenal in recent years, Ock took it even further. For one, I really liked the updates he made to the costume, including the new lenses that could have special functions like a heads-up display and the claws on his fingers that could inject enemies with nanite spider-tracers. Not only that, but for a time, the Spider-Bots patrolling the city gave Ock a real leg-up on crime in the city. And while I'm usually in line with Peter's "no kill" policy, the only time I really saw Ock killing an enemy excusable was with the psychotic mass murderer Massacre in issue 5. Given all the mass shootings in the United States in recent years, it isn't hard to feel a little happy when someone gets what they should, and Massacre did. But I think what made me like Ock as Spider-Man was that he reminded me of Lelouch Lamperouge, the main character from one of my favorite animes, Code Geass. Like Ock, he was calculating and had a goal he would stop at nothing to accomplish. Lelouch even had an army at his command like Ock would starting in issue 14.
While Ock as Spider-Man was fun to read, Ock acting as Peter was very different. To be blunt, Ock made Peter look like a douche on several occasions. The one thing that really irked me was that Ock was upset that Peter didn't have a doctorate that he went back to school to get one.
While Spider-Ock, or SpOck, made an interesting read, what really made this book so interesting is that it was really unpredictable, and even if you think something will happen, Slott turned it into something else. The best example I can think of is issue 9, which featured a mind battle between Peter and Ock for control of his body, and that ended with Ock wiping out all of Peter's memories, and essentially "killing" Peter again. You'd think that would be the point Peter would be back, but nope, it gave fans a moment that would be just as upsetting as what happened in Amazing Spider-Man #700. While fans knew Peter would have to come back at some point, this moment brought on the question of exactly how it would be done. Issue 19 brought about the first clues though.
Another favorite example was SpOck's meeting with Black Cat. The cover to issue 20 showed her trying to seduce Spidey like she always does. What actually happens in the issue though? SpOck punches her square in the face, knocking out one of her teeth, and leaving her for the cops. As you could imagine, she's pissed. That's also example of another thing though. Since we all knew Peter would be back at some point, it would be fun to see how much of a mess Ock would make for both Peter and Spider-Man, and how Peter would have to deal with the consequences of "his" actions.
Other things I didn't see coming as the series progressed were Ock setting up his own headquarters (Spider-Island II) and starting up his own company with Parker Industries.
One of the aspects of the book was the tension of whether or not someone in Peter's supporting cast would figure out something was different with him. While Ock did try to get with Mary Jane, Peter's memories of her actually brought him to call off their relationship to protect her, something Peter would probably have never done. Now MJ got a lot of flak throughout this series for not being able to figure it out, but considering how much Ock ignored her through the book, I can see how she wouldn't have been able to. Then there's Aunt May, who should know Peter best since she raised him, right? But let's not forget, that even as Otto Octavius, Ock was able to charm May into thinking he was a good person. Hell, they almost got married at one point! So, even as Peter, Ock would have been able fool her.
But those are just civilians. When it comes to the other heroes Ock would interact with, like the Avengers. Now I know this series had to last awhile, but Slott kind of made the Avengers look like idiots. I mean, the Avengers did try to find out if Spidey was under mind control or a Skrull in issue 8, but even when those proved negative, they didn't really do anything to follow up on it. Hell, they saw Spider-Man with henchman and piloting giant spider robots, and they were still like "Hmm, he's acting different but I'm sure he's the same guy." Then there was the final part of the "Darkest Hour" storyline where SpOck was using the Venom symbiote but lost control, and when he got free, he acted like the symbiote was what was making him a dick the whole time. They almost bought it, but after they tried to confront SpOck about his actions again, he decided to quit the Avengers and jumped out the window. What do the Avengers do after that? Nothing. They were basically like "Oh, he quit the team. Nothing we can do now." I mean, come on! I really hope that Peter calls them out for being such idiots for not totally realizing he was different for some big reason.
Perhaps the biggest breakout character of the series was Anna Maria Marconi, Otto's classmate at grad school and later love interest. What makes her different in this supporting cast was that she was a little person, which we don't see a lot of in comics. When I first saw her when Otto met her, I was kind of surprised. I mean, as soon as I saw her, I pretty much knew right away she would be his love interest. I'll admit, the idea kind of made me uncomfortable, not because she was little, but that she would be involved with Peter even though it wasn't really Peter. But as their relationship developed, I really started to enjoy it and she became a character I started to care about. Even so, I thought at some point in the series, she would die. Over the course of the series, Ock had experienced a lot of the Parker luck Peter usually would, like not being able to honor some commitments to loved ones or losing his job at Horizon Labs. I thought Otto losing a love interest would have been the last thing he needed to really know what it was like to be Spider-Man. By the end, Anna Maria made it through the series alive. Since Otto is gone now, he kind of leaves Peter with the ball that is the relationship with Anna Maria. It should be interesting how that goes. I'm not sure how many people spotted it, but in issue 27, Otto as Peter was seen holding a ring box, meaning he was planning to propose to her. It's a good bet that Peter doesn't know about that, and I think Anna Maria will find the ring, and that will definitely lead to an awkward moment.
While Ock as Spider-Man was the main focus, there were many moments in the series that featured the newly returned Green Goblin building an army from the remnants of criminal henchmen left unemployed after Spider-Man had taken out their bosses. It would lead to the book's final storyline, "Goblin Nation". In that story, we saw that while Otto, and to some extension I as a reader, thought he was doing a good job, he only made it easier for the Goblin to take control of the city. Besides that, the final story arc brought about a few emotional moments. There was one moment involving Don Lamaze, who was Otto's classmate back when he was actually Otto, but as Peter, he was his grad school teacher. When the Goblin had hacked into SpOck's spider legs and trying to kill him, Lamaze had gotten in the way of one of the legs and sacrificed himself to save SpOck. In his last moments, Lamaze told SpOck that he wanted to make up for his past cowardice from issue 21. In essence, Ock was able to inspire someone to be a hero, which is what Spider-Man was meant to do.
The other emotional moment from this arc, and perhaps the most emotional scene through the whole series, was what everyone expected to happen: the return of Peter Parker in mind and body. When Ock realized both that he had failed the city and that Peter was still alive in his head, he decided relinquish control back to Peter, calling him the true Superior Spider-Man. To do so, Ock wiped out all his own memories, so Peter would have all his wits about him, so that he could save the city, and Anna Maria, who had been kidnapped by the Goblin. While Ock had been trying to play the hero in this series, it was this moment that I felt brought about his true redemption. In order to save the woman he loves, Ock erased all that he was so that a true hero could do so. It was also this moment that made me realize that while I have always related to Peter Parker, it turns out I relate to Octavius in some way too. While talking to Peter, Otto described himself as knowing that he's flawed and tries to compensate (which explains all the tech he's used as Spider-Man throughout the series), and he describes Peter that while he has potential, he always sets himself up to fail. In a way, I'm like Ock because I worry that I'm not good enough for anyone so I sometimes try too hard to be a part of something. And I'm like Peter because while I do feel like I have potential, and others see it in me too, I'm afraid to fail that I sometimes don't even try. My own life aside, it's cool to see how opposite, but similar Peter and Otto were.
Since the Goblin first reappeared in the book, there was some speculation that it may not have been Norman Osborn since we never saw him unmasked. It wasn't until the final issue that he was unmasked, and it was one of those moments where the unpredictability that always kept readers on the edge of their seats kicked in again. It turns out it was Osborn, but he got plastic surgery and became "Mason Banks" so that he could remain in the public and help set up Alchemax and create a new industrial empire to leave behind for his grandson to inherit. I really like this twist Slott used for Alchemax's creation, because it shows that even in 2099, the Osborn legacy is still a thorn in a Spider-Man's side, the future web-slinger in this case being Miguel O'Hara.
While I enjoyed Ock as Spider-Man for the first 30 issues, the final issue showing Peter back in the driver's seat and in his classic costume made me realize that I did miss Peter, his jokes, and his way of doing things. I love the fact that the instant Peter made a quip that Osborn automatically knew he was dealing with the real Spider-Man again. A lot of people may not get the point Dan Slott was trying to make with this book was that Peter Parker is the one true Spider-Man. Yes, Ock's tactics did gets results, but the final arc showed that everything fell apart because Osborn was able to use Ock's system to his advantage. I wouldn't say Peter's unpredictable, but the way he has gotten things done in story arcs like "Spider-Island" and "Goblin Nation", shows that he is a true hero that will rise to the occasion.
This whole series was the shot in the arm the Spider-Man series needed. While it divided the fan base in the beginning, it eventually won a lot of people over. I really think that anyone who says they didn't enjoy it probably didn't even give it a chance. There will be some who complain that comics rehash old ideas, but then complain when something completely different like this happens. This was the most fun I've had in a long time reading Spider-Man comics. I do kind of worry about things getting stale again with Peter totally back, but I think with everything that happened in the Superior era, it gives me two things to look forward to: 1) Peter will have learned a few things from this experience and work to become an even better Spider-Man than Ock and himself before. 2) Ock left some pretty big messes that Peter will have to deal with eventually.
With that, here are my ratings for Dan Slott's 31 issue "Superior Spider-Man":
STORY RATING: 9/10
RECOMMENDATION RATING: 10/10
Now this is the first of 3 Spider-Man related reviews I have planned for awhile. Stay tuned for my reviews for both "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" film and the video game based on it over the next week or two.
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