COMIC BOOK REVIEW: A superior Goblin emerges from Superior Spider-Man #26

Writer: Dan Slott
Artist: Humberto Ramos/Marcos Martin
Cover: Ryan Stegman 

The secret of the Goblin King is finally revealed (or is it?) in Superior Spider-Man #26. Facing off against the Hobgoblin (who now controls his own criminal empire from afar), the Green Goblin, who has been a sinister presence behind the shadows ever since the early days of the title’s run, presents a series of rather compelling evidence that seems to point to his true identity.

I wouldn’t count on things being as simple and black-and-white as they appear to be right now, though, as Dan Slott does have a penchant for misdirection and sudden twists. Ironically, what would perhaps be even more surprising is if the revelation in this issue turns out to be true by the end of the title’s run.

I’m a bit disappointed that Ryan Stegman’s only fulfilling cover art duties this time around. It’s understandable, though – he’s got plenty on his plate right now, especially with his new gig as the artist for the now-killable Wolverine’s relaunched book. However, we do get two artists for the price of one, as Humberto Ramos and Marcos Martin handle the interiors for this issue.

Ramos’s art isn’t necessarily bad, just… odd and disproportionate. Most of the issue was illustrated by Ramos, including the entire Goblin fight sequence. Martin’s work on the pages that feature Superior Spider-Man, on the other hand, is as simple and clean as ever, and stands as a nice contrast to Ramos’s busy pages.

There are quite a few twists and surprises in this issue that I won’t spoil. It’s definitely worth your money – in fact, I highly suggest going for all of the Superior Spider-Man issues from now until issue #31.

The Goblin Nation is upon us at last, and the stage is set for the one true Superior Spider-Man, Peter Parker, to reclaim his life.

VERDICT: 9/10

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Surprise, BONUS REVIEW!

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: THE MOVIE ADAPTATION #1 (of 2)

It’s pretty much what the title promises: a straight-up retelling of the events in the first movie, just in time for this year’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2.

Written by Tom Cohen and illustrated by Wellinton Alves, the first issue covers, well, the first half of the movie, basically. A lot of scenes were cut – after all, a 20+ page comic book isn’t exactly the best way to do a half-movie recap – and so the writer was forced to improvise and rewrite some of it in order to make the transition between sequences as close to seamless as possible.

Unfortunately, this creates a lot of ridiculously rushed and “surprising” developments that don’t really make sense if you didn’t watch the first movie. It doesn’t help that the art, while adequate in as far as paneling is concerned, doesn’t exactly look like it matches up to the level of quality one could reasonably expect from a comic book adaptation of a movie. The characters barely look like their film counterparts, and some panels look traced.

Overall, it’s a decent read for younger fans and for people who missed out on the first one and want to catch up before TASM2 hits theaters.

VERDICT: 6.5/10

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This review was sponsored by Druid’s Keep (third floor, Fort Strip Mall, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig). Join the group on Facebook (here) and pay the shop a visit – it’s an awesome place to hang out and play games.