0
Posted July 11, 2013 by Nicolo Parungo in Comics
 
 

COMIC BOOK REVIEW: Superior Foes of Spider-Man #1

8 bit awesomeness

When one thinks of Spider-Man’s quote, unquote “superior” foes, the villains who usually come to mind are the Green Goblin, Venom, Doctor Octopus, and maybe even the Sandman. So why does this book feature Boomerang, Shocker, Speed Demon, Overdrive and a new female Beetle who have so far been anything BUT superior?

Make no mistake: this ISN’T a comic about Spider-Man’s lame villains. In fact, it’s one of the most fun comics I’ve read since Matt Fraction and David Aja’s Hawkeye. And believe me, that is high praise.

Part of the fun is that writer Nick Spencer knows these guys are lame and are treated as such. Boomerang spends most of the issue in jail after a bout with Spider-Man; Speed Demon loses his temper arguing with a little girl about puppy names – which is AMAZING! – and the new Beetle is robbing a COMIC BOOK STORE of all things. All the aforementioned scenes are genuinely chuckle-worthy, thanks to a mix of Spencer’s witty dialogue and the various visual gags by Steve Lieber.

regular cover

Lieber’s art is great; he packs a lot of detail in small panels, and his storytelling is smooth. You’ll never wonder what a character is doing in a particular panel, as it’s clearly presented there for you. Lieber’s style is similar to David Aja’s, which is no surprise, considering Lieber drew the Hurricane Sandy issue of Hawkeye. While the comparison is there, Lieber’s art definitely stands on its own, and helps make this a lovely looking comic.

The Superior Foes of Spider-Man is a great comic and one that you absolutely need to have on your pull list. It may not feature any of your favorite Spidey foes, but by the end of the issue, you’ll definitely have a new favorite comic book.

VERDICT: 10/10

Thanks to Druid’s Keep for the terrific comic book!

 


Nicolo Parungo