Superior Foes Of Spider-Man #2 Review

rating: 4.5

When "Superior Spider Month" launched last month it was easy to look at it as just another gimmick. A ploy to boost sales via crossovers, and to get readers to pick up new books by adding Marvel's favorite new adjective to the title. The reality is that there is really only one new title. Superior Spider-Man Team-Up is essentially just a re-titling of Avenging Spider-Man. Superior Carnage is a mini-series, and not a new ongoing. So the title that stands above the recent changes to the Spider-quo is Superior Foes of Spider-Man. Written by Nick Spencer and drawn by Steve Lieber, Superior Foes of Spider-Man features a down and out Fred Myers trying to adjust to life on a parole. Far from trying to stay on the straight and narrow, he quickly dons the persona of Boomerang and decides to assemble the newest iteration of the Sinister Six. Problem is, he only recruits four others. So the new Sinister Six only features five members, and this ends becoming one of the recurring gags in the series. And that's the thing that drives Superior Foes of Spider-Man, gags. The idea that gets thrown around a lot when discussing this title is that it has basically taken the formula that has made Hawkeye such a hit, and is doing with the villains of Spider-Man. Hence, the title. Like Hawkeye, Superior Foes of Spider-Man focuses on what these particular Spidey antagonists do when they aren't battling, or in the case of Boomerang getting mercilessly pummeled by, Spider-Man. Humor is what drives this book, both in terms of plot and story. There is the obvious comedy through the character interactions, the dialogue (Shocker's reaction to encounter the Punisher is priceless), and the recurring themes. Everyone thinks that they should find a sixth member, whereas Boomerang thinks that only having five is the way to go because of the element of mystery. Whether or not he believes this himself, or is just trying to keep from having to put more work in, is up in the air. Then there is the fun that the reader gets to have, not just from reading the story but from the "Haha, they don't know!" aspect of the plot. Sure, the new Sinister Six will eventually find themselves coming up against Spider-Man, but just like the rest of the Marvel Universe they have no idea about the old switch-a-roo. Stepping outside of the contents of the book, Marvel gets this title right by keeping priced the same as the other second tier titles. For whatever reason, they've decided to attach the premium title price tag to the recently launched mini-series Superior Carnage. Now, it could be because the new Carnage event includes digital download codes for each issue, seeing as how the second tier priced books do not include digital codes. For the price, you definitely get what you pay for without having to dip too deep into your pockets to add another book to your pull list. It's worth the laughs. The art and writing work great in tandem. There are the makings of more serious undertones, with Boomerang having hidden agendas and ulterior motives that he of course keeps from his rag tag team of villains. The artistic style helps keep the light-hearted parts fun and engaging for a reader, and the sections with Boomerang fantasizing about decapitating his therapist are the highlight of this issue. Superior Foes of Spider-Man is the superior Spider-man spin-off.