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SPECTACULAR SPIDER-GIRL #1 Review

SPECTACULAR SPIDER-GIRL #1

“Back to the War!”

Writer: Tom DeFalco

Penciler: Ron Frenz

Inker: Sal Buscema

Colorist: Bruno Hang

“The Difference!”

Writer: Tom DeFalco

Penciler: Ron Frenz

Inker: Sal Buscema

Colorist: John Kalisz

“The Game!” (Reprint from Spider-Girl Annual #1)

Writer: Tom DeFalco

Penciler: Paul Ryan

Inker: Brett Breeding

Colorist: Christie Scheele

Cover Art: Ron Frenz, Sal Buscema, and Bruno Hang

Be warned – there are SPOILERS ahead!

Continuing from the reprints of her digital adventures in Web of Spider-Man, this four-issue miniseries (though not originally solicited as such …) brings to an end the long, tumultuous publishing history of Mayday Parker.  It looks like she won’t be saved this time, and for that, we’re all very sad.  Will this story be the send-off we all hope?

This review will focus primarily on the main Spider-Girl adventure, but I’ll touch on the two extra features briefly when discussing the pros and cons.

The Plot

As the gang war continues to heat up, the Punisher returns from “retirement” in South America to throw his hat into the ring.  May deals with the internal conflict over her role in the gane war.  April joins up with Man-Mountain Marko.  May saves some people from a burning building.  Kaine informs May that the Punisher is on his way.

The Good

What a tour-de-force!

This issue has it all: suspense, excitement, strong characterization, and beautiful art.  What more could you ask for?

The return of the Punisher could be seen by some as a stunt tactic, but it makes perfect sense in the context of the story.  DeFalco and Frenz do a good job of explaining what the Punisher has been up to all these years – stopping drug cartels in South America is a logical conclusion for him.  A big gang war in New York would definitely draw him out.  (My only question would be why it took this long, but I think we can excuse it given the relative seclusion in which he lives.)  His appearances in the issue give a genuine sense of tension and suspense that is missing in a lot of comics.

The conflict felt by May is also very genuine.  Unlike a lot of stories that try to present internal struggle, both sides of this feel realistic.  She doesn’t want to cross her parents, who are very concerned for her, but she feels the need to do something about the gang war.  It helps that her father has been there before – his advice and feelings on the matter carry extra weight because he knows exactly what it’s like.  None of it felt forced.

As the first issue of the miniseries, this story had a more measured pace than we might expect from DeFalco, but it was a good opportunity to catch up on the recent goings-on.  After all, even though this has a #1 on the cover, it is very much the middle of a story.  Several well-constructed recaps – which fit very neatly into the narrative of the story – relay us information about who May and April are as characters, her current situation at home and in the gang war, etc.

The biggest plus for me, though, is the focus on character.  Sometimes, Spider-Girl stories move so quickly that there isn’t much time to focus on the characters, but that’s not the case here.  This issue takes the time to flesh out many of the main and supporting cast, and it is those character moments that make the issue a standout.  In particular, there is a scene in Café Indigo that, very briefly, gives the impression that Wes may know more than he’s letting on – something that Courtney notices right away.  That subplot has me hooked.

The art by Frenz and Buscema is as it always is – well-constructed, easy-to-follow, and dependable.  This is one of the most underrated art teams in all of comics, a pair that can turn out issue after issue on time and at a quality that stands above most of the books on the stands.  This goes not only for the Spider-Girl story, but also for the American Dream short.

Speaking of the extra material, I have mixed feelings.  I can say that they are both well-illustrated and add some value to the issue to at least try to justify the $3.99 price tag.

The Bad

Both the new short and the reprint have a superfluous quality to them – I don’t quite understand how they fit here.  The American Dream story is a nice introduction to the character for those unfamiliar with her, but the plot is not interesting and doesn’t do much.  The reprint is, frankly, a little too spacey to be placed in a #1.  New readers may be confused by the characters that aren’t introduced, and the plot is a little too hokey for my tastes.

The Ugly

Honestly, the book is not a good value at $3.99.  The Spider-Girl feature and American Dream backup combine for 22 pages, and the reprint adds seven more.  Essentially, I paid an extra buck for the reprint, which I didn’t care for and which didn’t belong here.  I would have preferred the book ship without the reprint and at $2.99, which I have to imagine would help sales …

The Bottom Line

The main story is very good, but the backup story and the reprint are not at that same quality and make the comic a bad value for its price.  Still, it’s worth picking up to support one of Marvel’s most underappreciated creative teams, working on the company’s most underappreciated characters.  Make Mine Mayday!  Grade: A-