Great art makes up for a story full of plot holes.
The Spectacular Spider-Men #5
Writer: Greg Weisman
Illustrator: Humberto Ramos
Inker: Victor Olazaba
Colorist: Edgar Delgado
Publisher: Marvel (07.17.24)
Spoilers Ahead
I really wanted to like The Spectacular Spider-Men. For one thing, The Amazing Spider-Man has been a nightmare since Zeb Wells took over the series, so the prospect of getting a Spidey monthly that doesn't actively suck was quite appealing. Throw in the return of Humberto Ramos to draw both Peter Parker and Miles Morales as Spider-Man, and prospects were looking good. Then the book launched and things were immediately a little off.
Greg Weisman is a Hollywood writer who has worked on animated projects like Gargoyles and The Spectacular Spider-Man. I don't tend to automatically think a series is going to be good just because a screenwriter gets attached, and I've had no reason to change my opinion on that now. Weisman's run has ben plagued with unlikable characters and confusing storytelling that has only gotten worse with each issue.
For instance, in issue four, Arcade and Mentallo are both bemoaning that they can't ascertain Peter and Miles' secret identities. This makes zero sense for multiple reasons:
Peter and Miles were both unconscious as they were inserted into the Arcadium. Why weren't they unmasked, fingerprinted, had blood samples taken, etc. during that period?
Arcade and Mentallo can both see Peter and Miles' faces as they watch surveillance feeds inside of the Arcadium. Despite all of the fancy technology that Arcade stole to power the Arcadium, he has zero way of searching up Peter's face?
Peter was Tony Stark-lite up until not that long ago in the Marvel Universe. Seriously, the former billionaire is now somehow completely unremarkable?
I could go on, but the gist of what I'm getting at here is that it isn't just a matter of disliking the story for its content, but that the story itself is fundamentally flawed. I would ask how editor Nick Lowe allowed this to float through without any seeming scrutiny, but this is the same guy publishing ASM twice a month, so...
With issue five, SSM is doubling down on the confusing aspects of issue four. There is still zero explanation for any of the incongruities I detailed above. The reader is just supposed to accept that none of the incredibly obvious ways that Miles and Peter could have been identified were ever attempted and that's it and that's fine. Uh-huh. Hammerhead doesn't make things much better when he references the epic beatdown Madame Masque gave him during ASM's Gang War story line, because the whooping he got was so severe and brutal that it doesn't really make much sense he's up and kicking like he is here with nary a scratch nor bruise. "Time passed!" shrieked the peanut gallery. Considering Arcade can't be bothered to do a reverse image search on Peter's unmasked mug, I don't know if I buy that.
The other problem I have with SSM is the subplot with Professor Raymond Aaron Warren, brother of Miles Warren—the Jackal. He's reentered Peter's life because Peter and Miles have been hanging out at the Coffee Bean on the Empire State University campus because maybe Miles might go there one day (yes, it's very contrived). What's more, a seeming clone of the Jackal was Peter and Miles' first opponent in issue one, with the implication being that Jackal-Miles might be back and up to his old cloning ways.
Meanwhile, throughout the series, there have been random characters popping up in segue scenes, characters that have never been introduced, all living it up. As the story has progressed, some of the (cardboard cutout) characters from the Coffee Bean have been getting pulled into what seems to be these same fantasy scenes, too. By the time the Arcadium was introduced, I thought things were neatly dovetailing. To help pull off the illusion, Arcade and Mentallo are using Jackal's clones to help sell the illusion for the subject. Right?
Except... that's not what's happening, if I'm reading this correctly. The Jackal subplot is not connected to the Arcadium. Which wouldn't be so confusing if the main plot didn't seem to so perfectly enmesh with it. Worse, I don't entirely understand what's happening with Raymond. The subplot is written in this odd, staccato way where it doesn't get built up very clearly. It comes across as another editorial shortcoming as much as a writing problem, and it's frustrating.
Throw in an incredibly ham-fisted commentary on demonstrations and police violence from the scene with Dr. Krepps, and the story is remarkably amateurish for someone who is by no stretch of the imagination an amateur. Weisman has been working as a writer for years and has written comics before. Why his take on Spider-Man is so wonky is beyond me. There are hints of good ideas here—I have a soft spot for the Clone Saga, so I don't hate the idea of the Jackal coming back, and the notion of Arcade making a more elaborate illusion than what he gets up to in Murderworld has potential, too—but the execution is abysmal.
The saving grace here is that Humberto Ramos might be turning in some of the best work of his career. Joined with his usual collaborators in inker Victor Olazaba and colorist Edgar Delgado, this team is firing on all cylinders. I don't know that Ramos' figure work has ever been better. Both Spider-Men are perfectly lean and svelte, their athletic frames snapping across the page like rubber bands. Ramos' manga-influenced style has always been polarizing, but I consider him a true artist, not someone who merely tries to draw everything as realistically as he can. His layouts are dynamic, his characters expressive—I could go on and on about the guy. Olazaba and Delgado combine to elevate Ramos' line work—Olazaba's inks maintain the energy of Ramos' pencils, while Delgado's palette adds pop without smothering the line art. Incredible stuff. Spectacular, even.
What isn't spectacular is Spectacular Spider-Men itself. It's a serviceable storyline if you want simplistic action and adventure, but the plot holes could fit an entire pack of Vermin through them. This issue's tired old "the heroes fight until they don't" centerpiece was pretty to look at but beyond predictable, and the "cliffhanger" of Hammerhead teaming up with a bunch of robot versions of guys that would normally be his boss doesn't have me on tenterhooks for next month. I only recommend it for the joy of experiencing Ramos' gorgeous pencils. Otherwise, not worth the four bucks.
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