Well, this is it. This is Superior Spider-Man as Dan Slott had originally planned it – no trace of Peter Parker left in the mind of Spider-Man. Not even the ghostly spectre in the back of his mind, created specifically to hold hardcore Spidey-fans hands through the jarring changes, remains. Otto Octavius is completely free to become a superior version of the hero Peter Parker became.
Otto’s methodology is quite different. In Superior Spider-Man #10, he brands Parker a “reactive fool, stumbling from one adventure to the next, allowing his enemies to make the first move.” Otto’s plan, when hearing about a gang war between The Owl and The White Dragon, is to kickback and let them beat each other up a bit first, before charging in to dish out justice in a brutal fashion, crushing tracheas and taking pleasure in inflicting a violent beating onto The Owl, for whom he has no love lost. Otto plans to rid the city of crime completely, and his hardline tactics have not gone unnoticed. The police think something’s off about him – although they all cover his ass about the Massacre incident, when Otto shot the man in cold blood – and the Green Goblin (is he Norman? Is he Harry? Is he someone else?) is offering sanctuary to every two-bit thug looking for protection from the Spider-Man’s wrath, and you know all that’s going to come home to roost shortly.
Whereas Ghost Peter was once comfort during the end of Amazing Spider-Man, he’s gone now. However, the presence of Peter Parker cannot be so easily erased. There’s no voice in Otto’s head, but there’s the fact that Peter lived a life that touched many other people, and those people are gearing up to solve the problem they’ve noticed now that their friend has radically changed. Mary Jane Watson knows something’s up when not only did Peter blow her off, but Spidey was a no-show when her nightclub caught fire. Carlie Cooper is working with Captain Watanabe to try and suss out some proof. Even Peter’s new stepfather, John Jameson, is not afraid to butt heads with his son, Jolly Mayor Jonah, about his new tactics, and Aunt May warns “Peter” to stay away from that horrible Spider-Man once more. Peter himself may not be the one to get things back to normal, but the friends he’s made, the lives he’s touched and the karma he’s spread around will likely be what comes back around when he needs it the most.
There are those that hate Octo-Spidey, but I’m enjoying it so far. For one, it’s very surreal to see Spider-Man as the disagreeable dick in all the team books he shows up in that it can’t help but be entertaining. For another, this really elevates Dr. Octopus to a new status as a completely unforgettable nemesis of Spider-Man, given the intensity and duration of this victory he’s achieved over him, and it also fleshes out his character beyond the tubby ego-driven genius who Talks Like A Supervillain, In fact, in this very issue, he’s starting to notice the ridiculousness of such Big Talk, although I hope he never stops saying “The die is cast!” Thirdly, when this all shakes out, this will really bring Peter back to the core circumstances of his character – the down on his luck loner whose life is a mess, and he’ll have a reason for it besides being a schlubby flake. He’s had so much success over the last few years, and this will put him back to square one. Or two, depending on how public it goes when the switchback happens. He may have a lot of work to do to dig himself out of what Otto does to his personal and professional life – but he may also have a few new tricks, given that some of Otto’s methods are actually wise and efficient.
Slott’s story is kind of fascinating. As much as I miss standard Spidey shenanigans, this is a compelling and unsettling look into the mind of a villain who is doing something villains never do – live the lives of the heroes they hate most. That’s something I really enjoy seeing – I always thought far too little was done several years ago, when Batman took a year off and left a surgically-repaired Harvey Dent in Gotham City instead. I’d read a whole series on Harvey Dent: Protector of Gotham, but that’ll never happen. However, Slott’s giving us Dr. Octopus: Protector of New York, and this kind of thing is very rare. It’s new. It’s weird. It’s different. It feels weird, and I understand why some people want nothing to do with it, but I’m really engrossed by it. Plus, Ryan Stegman is versatile enough that he can alter his style to bring more of a Humberto Ramos feel to his artwork when dealing with Superior Spider-Man, and that’s to be respected.
