Superior Spider-Man - Volume 1: My Own Worst Enemy (Marvel Now)

by Dan Slott

[inlibrisveritas]

This is my first true forway into Spiderman comics! I have a few older issues from the 80′s and 90′s, and I’ve watched a ton of cartoons/movies with him but I’ve never really sat down and enjoyed any of his storylines. After some nudging from a friend I finally did just that and I can’t wait to get the rest of this series.

You know that wacky question “what would you do if you switch bodies with so-and-so” where that essentially what Superior Spiderman tackles. A rather popular villain, Doc Oc ,finds himself in that very situation and he intends to make sure he is the better (*cough* superior *cough*) Spiderman. He turns Spiderman into someone sort of comparable to Batman, with gadgets and a slightly menacing nature and begins settling into (changing) Peter Parker’s life. This gives us the rare opportunity to be in a villians head, to see just how they truly think and what they would do if they had the chance to wear the guise of a superhero.

Dan Slott used the opportunity to answer quite a few what ifs in these first five issues and manages to do it in a way that doesn’t come off as cheesy or overdone. It was fun seeing how much changes. “Peter” is now obsessed with being a better Spiderman, he’s pursuing the ladies, ignoring small crimes, and putting villains in life threatening positions. All the while you’re wondering how Peter will ever gain control of his body again and just how much is going to change before that point. Trust me when I say it’s worth checking out, even if you’ve only had a few experiences with Spiderman.

Overall the writing and art are very solid for this one and I’m bummed I didn’t start reading this sooner!