Superior Spider-Man #8 Review
Summary: For what may be the final time (right...) Superior Spider-Man has come to a close. With great art by Mark Bailey, eye catching color, and a sweet if awkward end to a romance that at one point was the main core of the book, Superior Spider-Man goes out on as a good of an issue as it possibly could. Rest in back issue bins Spider-Ock. You've earned it.
4
One last chance!
Background – Doc Ock gets to be the hero one last time.
Writing – Otto Octavius has had two loves in his life: science and Anna Maria Marconi. Through all the incarnations of Superior Spider-Man, she has been the driving force behind Otto’s desire to be good. While her tactic of faking possession was obvious, it was sweet to see Otto sacrifice everything to save her.
Otto Octavius has always been a different kind of villain. His brilliance is unmatched in his field. He could do so much for humankind, but his arrogance and ego hold him back. Peter’s original influx of memories had Otto trying to be a better person and when those were removed by Mephisto, Otto Octavius still saved a child’s life. In this, what may be the final heroic action of his villainous life, he sacrifices every advantage he has over Spider-Man (the knowledge of his identity, the knowledge of Estrella) and even the knowledge that Anna Maria was his love. Doc Ock’s final ultimate heroic act proved to also be his undoing.
As for Peter, he has finally caught a break. Otto Octavius does not know his identity for the first time in 13 years, The Superior Spider-Man is finally gone, and the day is saved. He may need therapy bills due to witnessing Aunt May, Robbie, and Jonah attacking him while possessed, but the positives far outweigh the negatives in this case.
Artwork – The art is solid, but the best page has to be the very first one. Peter is surrounded by a “Doctified” (Hey! I made a new word!) Joe Robertson, Aunt May, and Jonah Jameson wearing Otto’s old Octopus arms.
Final Thoughts – I’m not going to say that this was the final adventure of the Superior Spider-Man, mainly because this would be his 4tth final adventure and the 2nd time on this website I’ve declared the Superior Spider-Man dead, but I will say that this particular chapter in the characters history is closed. This run was short, perhaps a bit too short, but at this point there is only so much they can do with Superior Spider-Man without having him in Peter’s body. The writing has been quality Slott, the art has been solid, and it was nice to see this whole fiasco one last time. On to the next Spider-Verse character!
Final score: 4 out of 5
Publisher: Marvel
Writer: Dan Slott
Penciler: Mark Bagley
Inker: John Dell
Colorist: Edgar Delgado
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Cover Artists: Mark Bagley & Edgar Delgado
Genre: Superhero
Format: Monthly
Release Date: 06/26/2024
About the Author
Matt Fischer Lover of all things nerdy. Reader of Comics for over 25 years. DC encyclopedia. X-Men historian. Spider-Man and Marvel lover. Indie side guy.
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