SPECTACULAR SPIDER-GIRL #3 Review
SPECTACULAR SPIDER-GIRL #3
“Caught Between Killers!” and “The Razored Path!”
Writer: Tom DeFalco
Penciler: Ron Frenz
Inker: Sal Buscema
Colorist: Bruno Hang and John Kalisz
“Getting Ahead!”
Writer: Tom DeFalco
Penciler: Colleen Coover
Inker: Colleen Coover
Colorist: Colleen Coover
Be warned – there are SPOILERS ahead!
This issue presents two sixteen-page Spider-Girl adventures. I’ll cover them together as one piece, since that’s how they are presented here.
The Plot
Spider-Girl and the Punisher face off. Wild Card intervenes, allowing Spider-Girl to escape and search for Mayhem. Mayhem attacks the Black Tarantula, but Spider-Girl arrives on the scene. They battle, with Mayhem nearly killing Mayday but finding herself unable to do so. The Black Tarantula escapes with Chesbro and Arana, promising to give up his control of crime and return to South America to marry her. Don Silvio calls Detective Drasco and orders him to help with the Punisher. April has a personal crisis, but she lashes out at Mary Jane and vows revenge. Spider-Girl and Wild Card battle. The Punisher encounters Man Mountain Marko, and they start fighting. Spider-Girl defeats Wild Card, and discovers to her shock that it is her father. Drasco shows up at Don Silvio’s home and threatens him, trying to get out of their deal, when the Hobgoblin returns to exert control over Don Silvio’s operation.
The Good
Action! Intrigue! Machinations! The criminal underworld! Hot damn, this is good …
Once again, I must begin with the team of Frenz, Buscema, and Hang (with an assist by Kalisz). They know this character and her world like the backs of their hands, and these guys are firing on all cylinders month in and month out. Is there a more consistent, reliable, solid art team in comics right now? In an industry where pencilers turn over every 6-12 issues, to have a solid core working together and putting out work of this caliber for as long as this crew has is a rarity. These guys are criminally underrated, and it’s a shame that they don’t get the recognition they deserve.
The two stories pack in a ton of action, but still find room for character moments. For one thing, April gets even more development here. We see that she’s fragile and in need of love and assurance, but in her twisted mind, it can only come without May in the picture. Thanks to the cold nature of her upbringing in the test tube, she doesn’t understand the depth of love and happiness that her adopted family possesses. Meanwhile, we get what is likely the end of the Black Tarantula. While I would have liked to see him kick ass one more time, he gets a fitting sendoff. DeFalco sets he and Arana up with a “happily ever after” rarely seen in comics.
The two twists are excellent. The first – that Peter Parker is Wild Card – was pretty unexpected. While DeFalco may have tipped his hand a bit by softening the character in these stories, I wasn’t expecting Peter himself to be behind that mask. I think it’s obvious what’s happening here (peter is using the identity to secretly get involved in the Gang War without alienating his wife, allowing him to watch over May), but it’s an interesting story nonetheless. The second – the reappearance of the Hobgoblin – sets the series up for a powerful finale. The Hobgoblin is arguably Spider-Girl’s primary foe, since the end of her first volume at least. Having him reemerge for her final adventure sets up the finale we’ve all been hoping for!
The Bad
Something had to give in such an action-packed issue, given its structure, and the main omission was the supporting cast. DeFalco has been setting up some interesting subplots with Courtney and Wes, yet we continue to have to wait on them as the Gang War has escalated. While I understand that the cancellation has affected this, forcing DeFalco to devote his space to ending his main plotline, I would hate for the subplots to go unresolved. As it is, I would like to see more of her friends and allies as the book winds to a close. (I suspect that they’ll get a proper sendoff in Spider-Girl: The End, but I can’t assume that at this juncture.)
I’m not sure how I feel about the fluctuating price point and page count of this miniseries. The first issue was $3.99 and extra-sized, the second issue was $2.99 and 22 pages, and this issue was once again $3.99 and extra-sized. This hurts the sales of the book, but I’m not sure what the alternative is.
The Ugly
For anybody buying this miniseries in digital format, the release of this issue was a mess. From what I understand, Marvel Digital released this issue in two segments. The second segment was released as issue #4, complete with issue #4’s solicited cover, leading to mass confusion. It’s a muddled situation that remains unresolved as of the writing of this review. So, be aware: “The Razored Path!” is NOT the last story of the miniseries. On the contrary, there should be two more left, both to be released as issue #4 in August.
The Bottom Line
This is another great issue. I was a little bothered by the slight tunnel vision with regards to the plot, but it is still excellent. Grade: A-
