The Spider #5
Publisher: Dynamite
Writer: David Liss
Artist: Colton Worley (cover “A” by David Cassaday)
Now that Anput has released her zombie gas into the city, we see that The Spider has already taken precautions against such a tactic. He’s outfitted his mask with a gas mask underneath so it doesn’t affect him. Now, there’s still the dozens of people that he’s in close proximity with, and Anput’s henchman to deal with, as well. The Spider also has infrared capabilities in his mask, so he’s more ready than his enemies think. He makes a quick exit and heads over to the laboratory of Dr. Brownlee with a sample of the gas, and the discovery he makes is quite disturbing to Richard. He finds out that his father’s company is responsible for the manufacturing of the gas, and he’s going to have a chat about this with dear old dad.
This book is not only the best book on the shelves right now, but it quite possibly is the best in the past few years. Give Remender credit for Uncanny X-Force, and Brubaker for Winter Soldier, but this book is right there too, no doubt about it. The depth of the main character, the villain and her plot, then also the fact that the supporting cast couldn’t be more awesome, and there you have it. Liss is making something incredible with Richard Wentworth (The Spider), and his personal life is just as much of a battle as his alter-ego, The Spider. His ex-girlfriend, best friend, and his daddy issues, all amount to a life that’s no break from battling the bad guys!
Colton Worley does a great job with the artistic duties. He blends the right amount of shadows and light for a perfect perspective of this time period and also of the scenery. There is a great amount of consideration given to the scale of things in this book. The buildings, the skyline in general, and even the size of the henchmen of Anput. All make the book larger than life, but never seem wrong or detract from the story in any way. The cover by Cassaday is a good one, but the Francavilla alternate is absolutely fantastic. There is a crossover forthcoming, that will feature The Spider, along with The Shadow, The Green Hornet, Kato, and Zorro, coming soon. Be on the lookout for that, and the subsequent issues of The Spider that will follow! Rating 5/5
Billy Dunleavy
billy@comicattack.net
