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Scarlet Spider #16 Review

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May 072013
 

by Dylan Duarte, CMRO Contributing Writer

Scarlet Spider

Issue #16

Written by Christopher Yost, Art by Khoi Pham

Published: June 2013

I may be talking out of my butt, but in a lot of ways Scarlet Spider feels like the opposite of Spider-Man. Peter Parker is a relatively goofy guy trying to cope with a harsh, merciless world. Kaine, on the other hand, doesn’t have much of a sense of humor, but the world he lives in makes up for that. In Scarlet Spider 16, Kaine’s friends talk him into attending a rodeo, where he whines and complains and sulks, all while wearing a shockingly out-of-character cowboy hat. When it looks like things couldn’t be going less his way, a villain named Armadillo crashes the rodeo, in an effort to win back his ex-girlfriend. Scarlet Spider may not find any of this funny, but I certainly do.

Issue #16 seems to be more of a standalone issue rather than part of an arc, though current events are touched on and the last few pages certainly tie in to something larger. I’m usually not a fan of standalone issues as I see them as lacking in substance, and while I wouldn’t call this issue substantial, it’s definitely a lot of fun. It’s good to see Kaine spending some time with his friends. He character isn’t necessarily making great strides, as he spends most of the time standing around and being a hardass, but it helps to humanize the character. The character is just a grump.

I’m glad Kaine got the girl. We don’t know where it’s going to lead (though we’re given an unpleasant idea), but I’ve read more than enough superhero comics to know that superheroes and regular humans can co-exist romantically. While I’m sad that this isn’t going to be a Peter Parker/Mary Jane-caliber romance, I’m interested to see how it’s going to play out after what we learn at the end of the issue.

Scarlet Spider #10 Review (Minimum Carnage)

 Posted by  Issue Review, Marvel Reviews  No Responses »
Oct 292012
 

by Dylan Duarte, CMRO Contributing Writer

Scarlet Spider

Issue #10

Written by Christopher Yost, Art by Khoi Pham

Published: December  2012

Chris Yost manages to buck a major trend in comic crossovers in the first few pages of Scarlet Spider #10 and for that I am eternally grateful. More often than not, when two superheroes crossover and beat each other to a pulp, it’s all due to a misunderstanding that could be cleared up in a heartbeat if they would just simmer down and talk it out. Fortunately, despite both Scarlet Spider and Agent Venom being hotheaded individuals (Scarlet Spider much, much more so), they manage to avoid unnecessary conflict by using their words. And thanks to the venom symbiote’s volatile nature, we’re not even robbed of an exciting fight scene!

There’s a plague in the Marvel universe that prevents its heroes from staying inside of their own dimensions. Sometimes these outings work, a lot of the time they don’t. In Scarlet Spider #10, our hero and Venom venture beyond their realm in pursuit of Carnage. Despite my bitterness towards such practices, I didn’t hate it. Normally I wouldn’t think of Scarlet Spider as a dimension-hopping hero, but I think that Chris Yost kept it reigned in enough that I didn’t feel overwhelmed by nonsense.

Maybe I give Scarlet Spider more leeway than I do Spider-Man. When Spider-Man goes into other dimensions – which he does – it bugs me. I like my Peter Parker/Spider-Man to be grounded very hard in reality. Kaine, the man behind Scarlet Spider’s mask, is already a clone of Peter Parker, so it doesn’t bug me as much when things take a turn towards the fantastic.

Scarlet Spider and Venom make a good team, which isn’t much of a surprise. I hope this keeps up for at least a little while, but I don’t think it will. Still, I’m definitely enjoying it while it lasts.

Scarlet Spider #7 Review

 Posted by  Issue Review, Marvel Reviews  No Responses »
Jul 262012
 

by Dylan Duarte, CMRO Contributing Writer

Scarlet Spider

Issue #7

Written by Christopher Yost, Art by Khoi Pham

Published: September 2012

Scarlet Spider is equal parts superhero tale and sitcom. What would happen if a guy who was a teeny bit of a scumbag got spider powers? What if he had a psychic roommate? Sitcom stuff. While Kaine isn’t Peter Parker, he is a clone, making him no stranger to humor. He doesn’t joke like Parker, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t react humorously to the plethora of bad situations he gets himself in. This is a funny comic.

Scarlet Spider’s tagline reads “all of the power, none of the responsibility” and that line isn’t just for show. Kaine isn’t a bad guy, but he lacks self-control and foresight, which is exemplified in this issue when he accidentally sleeps with a villain. It’s certainly not traditional superhero fare, but it also isn’t trying real hard to be different. It finds a nice, comfortable spot in-between superhero and anti-hero. Scarlet Spider does a lot of protecting shady people from other shady people, which always makes him look like an angel by comparison.

Towards the end of the issue, Kaine squares off against a corrupt C.E.O. and it’s hard not to pick up Kingpin vibes. I’m not entirely sure how much I like this, because it does feel a tad uninspired, but it’s hard to argue with a dynamic that works so well. David Walsh is not just a carbon copy of the Kingpin, he just happens to share a few of Wilson Fisk’s qualities. The biggest difference is that he’s not larger than life. Even if he becomes a major player, he’s not going to be wrestling the Scarlet Spider the way Kingpin would do with Spider-Man.

I hate to sound so cheesy, but Scarlet Spider really is like Spider-Man with an edge. Not so much that you can’t get behind him, but he certainly isn’t your friendly neighborhood wallcrawler.

Daredevil #13 Review

 Posted by  Issue Review, Marvel Reviews  No Responses »
May 292012
 

by Nick Walden, CMRO Contributing Writer

Daredevil

Issue #13

Written by Mark Waid, Art by Khoi Pham

Published: July 2012

Classic Daredevil erupts on the pages of this solid book as our hero faces off with the new AIM/HYDRA thugs that have combined into the group Megacrime. Over the years Matt has been forced to put the beat down on AIM and HYDRA numerous times. Now they saved him the trouble of making multiple trips by combining into one group (that needs a better name).

Now I will fully admit that this issue drops down a bit in overall quality compared to just about all of the previous books in this series re-launch. But that being said, Daredevil is still one of my top 3 picks each month because of the overall quality and storyline. The only things that bugged me in this issue were a little plot and the art. For the plot DD is using the same tactic he did before to draw out the bad guys; if it ain’t broke don’t fix it I guess. Also Foggy starts to find a few things out at the beginning of the book that are never really addressed and I assume shall be in the next book or two. The placement felt off.

For the art Khoi Pham did an okay job. The problem is that he follows up some incredible work by the other artists like Marcos Martin and Paolo Rivera. While some of the up close and personal work was good, the overall tone just wasn’t what I was used to and generally paled in comparison.

So this issue slips to a 7.5 on the reader scale mainly due to the art. The plot was still decent and there is a nice twist at the ending so series readers need to grab this book. Overall I still love the way that Waid is working within the character of Daredevil and really showing his core style in the way he acts, fights, and the way Matt has to deal with problems. That alone makes this entire re-launch a must buy for the hardcore Daredevil lovers like myself.

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