The Spider #6
Publisher: Dynamite
Writer: David Liss
Artist: Colton Worley (cover by John Cassaday)
Letters: Simon Bowland
A scene in the middle east provides a peek into the life of Richard Wentworth when he was a soldier. His one friend and platoon mate, Jackson, showed a lack of good judgement, and killed civilians. Fast forward to the future, and The Spider is watching as his former friend is now caught up in some kind of mob related hit. He interrupts the ordeal, but then loses Jackson. The Spider had overheard them talking about betraying some “Wingman,” and we soon see who they were talking about. A new criminal in the city can control birds and make them attack whoever he wants. Sounds a bit corny, but imagine a bank guard trying to stop a robbery while being attacked by fifty pigeons. You get the picture. Later, Richard catches up with Jackson, who seems to be on the right side of the law this time…or is he?
This issue was a nice break from the usual “first part of a new ongoing story.” Not that those are bad, truthfully, the first one was quite awesome, but this was also a cool story and great one-and-done to give you more perspective on who Richard Wentworth really is as a man. We know he’s a daring crime fighter, who has issues with his father and ex-girlfriend, and many other things, but this issue showed a side of him that was previously unknown and probably not one that anybody thought possible. A nice little trip off of the beaten path to bridge to the next big story.
What else can be said of Colton Worley’s artwork? He’s very adept at making both Richard and The Spider accessible to the reader. He also does a good job at keeping just enough distance between the hero and his alter-ego so the characters can’t make the connection between the two. There were a lot of panels that were character driven in this issue, and Worley does a fine job with them, too. Of course, the action scenes are the best, and there’s no denying that. The regular cover by Cassaday was pretty good, and showed a dichotomy a la Two Face from Batman. Truthfully, the alternate cover by Francavilla (below) was the best of all three. He just has a knack for these types of books (crime/noir). Rating 4/5
Billy Dunleavy
billy@comicattack.net
