Tags
Dan Slott, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Goblin Nation, Green Goblin, Marvel Comics, Otto Octavius, Peter Parker, Spiderman, Superior Spiderman, Superior Spiderman #27
Superior Spiderman #27
Review by Paul Bowler
The Superior Spiderman’s plans to rid New York of organised crime have failed, and the Green Goblin has taken control of the criminal underworld. Having hacked into Otto’s network of Spider-Bots, the Goblin and his minions have evaded detection, preparing for this moment to strike back at the city. Otto Octavius resolves to take responsibility for the crisis and reclaim the city. Superior Spiderman tracks the Green Goblin to his underground lair, where he must face his greatest battle of all; unaware the Goblin’s cohorts have now set their sights on Spider Island itself…
Goblin Nation gets off to a terrific start in Superior Spiderman #27 as Spidey-Otto is left reeling after the Green Goblin launches his attack on New York. After seeing the Goblin’s message on the Brooklyn Bridge, it becomes clear to Otto that he has been chasing the wrong Goblin. After the fantastic smack down between the Green Goblin and Hobgoblin last issue, Superior Spiderman #27 jumps forward 30 days, as the Goblin and his forces go on a massive crime-spree. Dan Slott’s handling of the story is superb, as Otto’s fixation with uncovering the flaw in his systems means he begins to neglect his responsibilities at Parker Industries, and even his new girlfriend Anne Marie. Then we also have the subplot involving Mayor J. Jonah Jamerson, as he sets about getting his Spider-Slayer patrol up and running as soon as possible.
The scenes were Peter Parker’s consciousness explores the strange Mindscape within his shared psyche with Otto Octavius become increasingly surreal, especially when Peter watches as Otto searched through his memories about the Green Goblin. Fearing he might be detected, Peter’s attempt to find somewhere to hide inside Otto’s mind puts him in a horrifying predicament
With the help of Uatu Jackson, the Superior Spiderman is able to track the Green Goblin to a disused subway tunnel, where the two mortal enemies finally confront each other. The nail biting showdown is brilliantly handled by Slott as the Green Goblin and Superior Spiderman engage in a dangerous game of bluff and double bluff, where the line between masks and secret identities becomes increasingly blurred, and a grave error of judgement leads to disaster.
Superior Spiderman #27 is a fantastic looking issue, Giuseppe Camuncoli’s art, with inks by John Dell, and great color by Antonio Fabela, moves the story along at a brisk pace. I really liked the early scenes in the area around Brooklyn Bridge, where the Green Goblin has left a message for Superior Spiderman. The scenes in the Mindscape with Peter Parker are also really good, it’s quite unsettling too, as Peter wanders the ethereal landscape of his innermost memories that Otto regards as little more than corrupted scraps of information. The confrontation between Superior Spiderman and the Green Goblin is a real show stopper, we’ve been building up to this for a while now, and the explosive finale scenes are magnificent.
Superior Spiderman #27 is a really good issue, Goblin Nation Part 1 looks set to be a really exciting storyline, and together with the superb artwork, this series continues to impress and is always great fun to read.
