This untold tale ends on a low note, but is still a solid read.
Writer | J.M. DeMatteis |
Illustrator & Inker | Michael Sta Maria |
Colorist | Chris Sotomayor |
Publisher | Marvel | 07.31.24 |
Spoilers Ahead
One of my favorite Spider-Man series is Kurt Busiek and Patrick Oliffe's Untold Tales of Spider-Man. It debuted in 1995 and ran for 26 issues, chronicling the previously unknown adventures of a young Peter Parker just learning how to be a superhero. At the height of the Clone Saga, it was refreshing to return to simpler times for Spider-Man, but it didn't hurt that the stories were also excellent. Busiek went through a lot of trouble trying to make sure that the new stories he crafted didn't interfere with any of the original adventures that his were being sandwiched in between.
Untold tales can be tricky to pull off, as there's a lot of dancing between the raindrops that has to take place to make sure everything lines up as neatly as possible between past and present. What's more, there's the additional challenge of creating stories where it can sometimes feel like there aren't any real stakes. After all, if Harry Osborn is alive all the way up to Spectacular Spider-Man #200, then there's no way he can die in an Untold Tales of Spider-Man issue, no matter how dangerous the story might seem. The best untold tales manage to keep things interesting despite having a lack of stretching room, Sadly, J.M. DeMatteis and Michael Sta Maria's Spider-Man: Shadow of the Green Goblin comes up just short of the greatness of Untold Tales of Spider-Man, but it's nonetheless an engaging, fun read.
The preceding three issues had been pretty solid. Nels Van Adder is the Proto-Goblin, the experimental version of what Norman Osborn would later become as the Green Goblin. Adders was a guinea pig, and after the serum turned him into a monster, he lost his wife and family. Desperate to regain his humanity and take back his life, Adders turns to someone promising him a cure for his condition. That person: Emily Osborn, the wife of Norman and mother of Harry. Now, if you're thinking, "Emily is dead, isn't she?," the answer is she was, but it's... convoluted. Emily apparently faked her death to get away from Norman, who was bipolar and abusive. However, while she did what she could to get away from her husband, she couldn't take Harry with her. Until now, with the help of Adder.
Running concurrently with the Adder story is Peter trying to reconnect with Aunt May. Both are still freshly grieving Ben's murder, and neither is quite sure how their relationship will work without him. The complication of Peter's double-life as Spider-Man is making things even harder, with his sudden disappearances and random injuries drawing concern from his worried aunt. Although this is all well-trodden ground at this point in the character's history, during rough stretches like Zeb Wells' abortive Amazing Spider-Man run it can be comforting to return to more familiar trappings.
DeMatteis is someone very familiar with these characters, and it shines through in his masterful characterization of the cast. This issue starts with Peter under the influence of a psychoactive alkaloid that Adder secretes from his body. Watching Spider-Man suffer as he hallucinates watching Uncle Ben get shot to death before his eyes, and the ensuing rage from Aunt May as she blames Peter for what happened, is gut-wrenching. Although the reader knows Aunt May would never say these things, nor physically lash out at Peter as she is here, it's hard to watch, and speaks volumes about the horrible guilt that Peter lives with every day. Reading this book, I felt like I was visiting a character that I haven't seen in years. Something has been off with Peter in the mainline continuity for a long time now and this book just makes it more evident.
Another bright spot is Michael Sta Maria's art. It can occasionally appear overly referenced and rendered in spots, but overall this is a strong effort from the illustrator. The opening sequence in this issue is especially strong, as is Adder's death, where the character slowly melts into oblivion. I sincerely hope DeMatteis does another story set in Spidey's past, and I'd be more than welcome to see Maria return to do it with him.
Less successful is the resolution of the Emily Osborn story. After three issues of buildup, she finally gets to talk to Harry and tell him everything. Then, Norman comes wandering into the cabin where she's hidden Harry, threatens to shoot her, doesn't, tells her to go away forever... and that's what she does. No muss, no fuss. She asks Harry to come with her, but Harry instead sticks by his father. Talk about anticlimactic. Now, maybe DeMatteis has some current day Emily Osborn story percolating in the back of his mind that's yet to come, but as the conclusion of her story here this is a total letdown. Worse, Norman zaps Harry with some magic gas to make him forget the whole thing ever happened.
Everything else wraps more satisfactorily. Adder's condition continues to deteriorate, with his and Peter's final conflict ironically leading them right to Emily's feet. Peter none the wiser focuses on Adder, who eventually dissolves into goo after learning Emily never had the remedy she promised. One other subplot throughout this series revolved around Helen Stacy, the wife of George and mother of Gwen, who is dying of cancer. She eventually succumbs to the disease, leaving the husband and daughter heartbroken. Although the Helen subplot might not seem wholly necessary, it does provide for a rare look into that period of Gwen's life, and the ensuing moments at the end between Harry and Gwen, and Norman and George, says a lot about everyone involved. Norman in particular, whose words leave readers, as ever, wondering how much of anything the man says is sincere.
Finally, at the Parker home, May brings Peter some breakfast and the two share a happy moment together. Peter serves as the narrator throughout Shadow of the Green Goblin, and it's apparently at a time when May has died and he's learned about the events that took place during this story. What's more, he's also a husband and a father, according to his narration. What could it mean? I suppose we might never find out, but despite fumbling the ball with Emily, Shadow of the Green Goblin is still a series that I think is worth reading. If you need a palette cleanser after being abused by ASM for the past couple of years, it's hard to beat DeMatteis returning to a character he writes so well.
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