3. Superior Spider-Man Annual #1 by Christos Gage and Javier Rodriguez (Marvel)
The first Superior Spider-Man Annual is ironically about Peter taking May for granted and not spending enough time with her, a complaint that could be levelled at main series writer Dan Slott who's largely kept May out of Otto's story until recently. The vampiric demon villain, Blackout, targets Aunt May, taking her hostage in an attempt to get back at Spider-Man through Peter, demanding that Peter sabotage Spidey's gear so that Blackout can take him out in his comeback. Except Blackout is, like so many of Spidey's villains, unaware that the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man they once knew has gone, in his place the vicious and ruthless Superior Spider-Man. I liked seeing May in this issue as Otto underlines her importance to him in his life, something I think a lot of fans wondered would continue now that he, and not Peter, was in control. Writer Christos Gage also keeps the surprises coming as readers are left wondering whether the ending will be another Massacre-esque scene or not until the final page. Javier Rodriguez's art and colours are really something, especially when depicting Spidey's lair and a cameo from a certain vengeful spirit was cool to see. The action is handled well and Blackout is drawn really menacingly - I don't recall seeing any comics by Rodriguez before but I wouldn't be surprised if his background was horror comics. Superior Spider-Man Annual #1 was a really solid, enjoyable story that's surprisingly quite similar to classic Peter Parker Spider-Man stories in some regards too. Gage's script is great and Rodriguez's art is wonderful. Web-heads will love this!