Superior Spider-Man has fast become my favorite comic of the moment; I've been reviewing every issue over at geeksmash.com and despite a ropey Superior Spider-Man #2, it's the book I'm most excited about in anticipation of what's coming up. So let's take a look at what that is, in both Superior Spider-Man, written by Supe's-Spidey-mastermind Dan Slott and sister book Avenging Spider-Man, written by Christos Gage--with a gaggle of talented artists including Ryan Stegman, Giuseppi Camuncoli, Humberto Ramos and Paco Medina...
Here're some excerpts from interviews with Gage and editor Steve Wacker at marvel.com, along with info, covers and Preview pages for upcoming issues of both books, as well as sneak peeks at where else Supe's might be popping up!...
Marvel.com: One of the most exciting things about SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN is that it provides a new context for familiar old villains. Can you give us an idea which bad guys we should expect to see?
Steve Wacker: In the first issue we saw a reinvented Sinister Six—-who will play an elevated role as the year goes on—-and the Vulture is right behind too. Plus we’ll be seeing the return of Massacre and the Jackal as well as many others.
Marvel.com: What about new foes?
Chris Yost: Well, in the sense that they're new to Otto [Octavius, a.k.a. Doctor Octopus, whose mind is now in Peter Parker's body, along with Peter's memories and, to some degree, sense of responsibility]--yes. While Peter may have faced villains like the Jackal and such before, it's a first for Otto. It gets interesting when Otto has to face villains he's worked with before.
Marvel.com: Will we see Ock settling some old scores?
Chris Yost: I think Otto really is trying to move forward, but in at least one case he may not be able to help himself.
Steve Wacker: Ock has a lot of hate for Kaine [a.k.a. Peter's clone, the Scarlet Spider] considering their past. That will surface over in Yost’s SCARLET SPIDER book in the coming months.
Marvel.com: Is Ock's relationship with his former allies going to be purely adversarial, or does he still feel some loyalty to some of them?
Chris Yost: You'll see this in both SUPERIOR and AVENGING; Ock has a very interesting approach to his old friends.
Marvel.com: Could any of the villains tempt Otto back to the dark side? Could he convince any of them to become good guys?
Chris Yost: Check out AVENGING in the coming months for the answer to that. You may be surprised.
Marvel.com: Is there any chance some of these villains might recognize Otto?
Chris Yost: There's always a chance. People are focused on the danger of the heroes figuring it out—-but what happens if a villain does?
Marvel.com: One of the hallmarks of Peter Parker is the endless banter when he fights the baddies. Will we see an Otto Octavius version of this?
Steve Wacker: The Superior Spider-Man is slowly trying to fit into the personality of Peter Parker’s Amazing Spider-Man with mixed results as we’ve [already] seen in DAREDEVIL #22. But Otto is aware he needs to fit in better and that is a subplot of the book over the first few months.
The rest of Yost's interview can be found at Marvel.com here.
So here's what coming up in Superior Spider-Man:
In issue #7, it's the return of villain Cardiac, Supe's membership of the Avengers is in jeopardy, and the issue begins the lead up to this Summer's Spider-event!
Superior Spider-Man #8 promises a moment that will break hearts! #9 is then billed as "Superior No More"! But whatever that means, the book's still going with issue #10--which features the long-awaited return of the Green Goblin!
Meanwhile, over in Avenging... Sleepwalker shows up for issue #19 and then #20-#21 feature a 2-parter co-starring the Secret Avengers in which the Chameleon is loose aboard the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, along with the Hulk!
The whole Superior Spider-Man thing has caused a lot of controversy, but that's partly down to some people deciding what it is without reading it. Superior Spider-Man #3 was my favorite comic since I don't know when, and if you're still not sold, you can check out my Review of it for geeksmash.com here, and a Preview of Superior Spider-Man #7--in which Peter fights for control of his body--below!
