User blog:Dorkpool/The (Not Quite) Superior Spider-Man

A little while ago, I said that I would talk a bit about the Superior Spider-Man. Well, that time is here.

Ok, so the basic concept goes like this: Doc Ock was dying, and, due to scientific mumbo jumbo technobabble, he was able to implant his mind in Spider-Man's body, and put Spider-Man's mind in his body. Spidey tried getting his body back before Ock's died, but he was unable to. But due to technobabble/plot bullshit, they shared memories, and Doc Ock realized that with great power comes great responsibility. Spidey in Ock's body dies, and Ock decides to become a better Spider-Man.

I will admit, it's an interesting concept. It was approached the wrong way though.

What happened is that after Doc Ock decided to become a superior Spider-Man by the end of The Amazing Spider-Man #700, they ended that series and started The Superior Spider-Man, with the implication that this change was permanent. This naturally pissed off a lot of fans (me among them), with many vowing to not read Spider-Man again until Peter Paker is back in his rightful body. (Personally, I just used this as a jumping on point. I knew it wouldn't last forever, and, since I hadn't been collecting The Amazing Spider-Man, I decided to start here, and ride it out until Peter came back so I knew what the hell was going on.) They should've done this in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man as a story arc, and, depending on how things go, start a new series if this sells well. But that's just a thought.

Now, is The Superior Spider-Man any good? Honestly, it's alright. If you can handle the concept, and are willing to see where it goes, you'd probably think a bit highly of it. However, if you can't stand the concept, you won't like it.

Personally, I don't think it's that terrible. For quite a few issues, there's a ghostly version of Peter Parker floating around, which turns out to be Peter's conciousness. Honestly, it was fun watching Peter see what Ock is doing with his life and making jokes about it. But then they temporarily erased that vestige of Pete...until the final arc of the series, in which he reappears, simply to have him take back his body later.

Speaking of the final story arc, it was actually pretty awesome. That was where the series reached its peak. Basically, the Goblin King, who had been teased throughout Superior, turns New York into the "Goblin Nation"; in other words, a huge attack. Spider-Ock is pushed to his limits, and, at the end, realizes Peter was the real Superior Spider-Man. I'm not going to give away all the details, though.

Another thing of note about Superior: the return of Spider-Man 2099. I am a fan of Spider-Man 2099, and, because of his return in Superior, he's getting his own series again, which is written by the writer of the original Spider-Man 2099 and a writer who I happen to like, Peter David! Hell yes! Anyway, point of this paragraph: Spider-Man 2099 is awesome.

I should note that Spider-Ock still has a few stories left in him, the present one being Spider-Verse, which takes place around the time Spider-Man 2099 in reintroduced. Basically, some being is killing Spider-Men throughout different universes, so Ock assembles a group of Spider-folk to stop it. I haven't read all of it, but based on what I have seen, it's pretty good.

So, how is Superior Spider-Man? It's pretty good, and I would recommend it if you're ok with the concept. (This all being said, I'm glad Peter's back.)