SENSATIONAL SPIDER-MAN #29 - July 1998

Back on his Game!

Credits:  Todd Dezago w/Andy Zefowicz (writers), Roberto Flores & Tom Lyle (pencilers), Juan Vlasco & Robert Jones (inkers), Matt Hicks (colors), Comicraft’s Kiff Scholl (letters)

The Plot:  Spider-Man investigates the disappearance of local drug dealers.  He runs into the Black Cat, who is searching for a missing drug mule, Dougie.  While they spy on a dealer who allegedly knows what happened to Dougie, a suspicious trash truck pulls into the alley.  Spider-Man recognizes it, but is caught in its trap before he can rescue Black Cat and the dealer.  Soon, they realize they’re captives of Arcade.

The Subplots:  Peter feels uncomfortable around Hope, now that he suspects she knows his secret ID.  Peter and MJ meet with Desiree at the Daily Grind.  She tells Peter that she felt a psychic connection to Ben Reilly as he died, and she wants him to know that Ben’s last thoughts were of Peter.  While at the Daily Grind, Billy refuses to sit with Peter and MJ.  

Web of Continuity:  Black Cat has a detective agency at this point in continuity.  She’s been hired by Dougie’s parents to locate him, after he disappeared from home to pursue life in New York.

I Love the ‘90s:  Spider-Man tells Black Cat she talks “just like Sipowicz.”  Later, Arcade declares that he feels luckier than Bill Clinton on “Let’s Dismiss the Paula Jones Case Day.”  (By the way, when I searched for co-writer Andy Zefowicz's name, Google suggested I search for Andy Sipowicz instead.)

Review:  The title of the issue is a reference to how Spider-Man feels after reclaiming his original superhero identity, a sentiment that would’ve had more meaning if “Identity Crisis” didn’t end so incoherently, and if there weren’t a half-dozen other Spidey comics coming out simultaneously.  So Spider-Man’s thrilled to be back in his real costume, a thought that’s conveniently missing from most of his other appearances from this period, just like Spidey doesn’t seem concerned about Hope knowing his dual identity or Desiree’s secret in the other titles.  And it’s not as if he’s given much thought to Flash Thompson’s alcoholism, Paul Stacy’s snotty attitude, or the mystery surrounding MJ’s criminology professor in Sensational, either.  I think it’s safe to say that the Laissez-faire attitude towards cross-title continuity in this era has been a mistake.  Peter Parker’s life feels segmented into even more than four areas a month, when you consider how often the subplots appear and disappear in their home titles, along with the addition of the specials, annuals, and quarterly Unlimited title.  I can’t necessarily argue that any of the regular writers don’t get Peter Parker as a character, but numerous story threads running in various directions make the entire line feel unfocused, which means the reader doesn’t get the sense that he or she’s truly following the life of Peter Parker.  The subplots highlighted this issue actually aren't so bad (with the exception of the Desiree plot, which had an intriguing beginning but somehow turned into more Ben Reilly nostalgia), but the fact that Peter couldn’t care less about any of these events for 3/4th of the month automatically diminishes them.

Ignoring the larger question of how subplots should be addressed in a franchise title, the issue’s main story follows the Sensational tradition of reviving underused characters and placing them in fairly straightforward superhero adventures.  Black Cat seems to have a dedicated fanbase, so I’m kind of surprised she hasn’t appeared more often during this era.  David Michelinie had already carved out a role for Felicia as the recurring jealous ex, one who just so happens to be able to participate in Spider-Man’s adventures, years earlier in Amazing.  That’s a simple and effective set-up for the character, one that’s also utilized in this arc.  Black Cat’s debut in the story highlights its biggest failing, however.  She jumps into frame on one page, looking like something straight out of dubbed anime, and on the next page she’s virtually identical to Mark Bagley’s interpretation from 1993’s “Revenge of the Spider-Slayers.”  No sane human being thinks Roberto Flores and Tom Lyle are compatible artists, yet here they are, not even segregated to separate scenes in the comic.  Since Roberto Flores is clearly the more “cartoony” artist, he would seem to be a logical choice to fill in for ‘Ringo, but if he wasn’t able to complete the issue, would it have been so hard to find someone like Pop Mhan to step in?  Conversely, if Tom Lyle wasn’t available for twenty-two pages, couldn’t he split them with Steven Butler?  At the very least, have the two artists divide the action and the subplot pages.  The issue would still look like a mess, but less of a schizophrenic one.

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN Annual ‘98 - July 1998

Duel with Devil Dinosaur

Credits:  Tom DeFalco (writer), Tom Lyle (penciler), Robert Jones (inks), Mike Rockwitz (colors), Dave Sharpe (letters)

The Plot:  Peter covers the discovery of Moon Boy and Devil Dinosaur with reporter Noel Beckford.  Ringmaster, in disguise, enters and produces paperwork forcing Dr. Thomas Marles to turn custody of Moon Boy and Devil Dinosaur over to him.  Peter realizes that Ringmaster used his hypnotic powers on various judges in order to receive the ruling.  He observes a performance by the Circus of Crime featuring the prehistoric duo, but is shocked when Ringmaster doesn’t use his powers to rob the audience.  As Spider-Man, however, he discovers that other members of the Circus are committing crimes across town.  While trying to free the hypnotized Moon Boy and Devil Dinosaur, Spider-Man’s forced to fight them during one of the Circus’ performances.  When Moon Boy comes to his senses, he helps Spider-Man defeat Ringmaster and his allies.  Later, Peter Parker accompanies Noel and Dr. Marles to the Savage Land, where Moon Boy and Devil Dinosaur will now live.

The Subplots:  Dr. Thomas Marles and Noel Beckford develop a romance over the course of the issue.  Noel tells Peter she’s going to stay with Dr. Marles in the Savage Land and help his research.

Web of Continuity:  

• As far as I can tell, this issue marks the debuts of both Dr. Thomas Marles and Noel Beckford.  Their exploits will become legendary.
• Moon Boy recognizes Peter Parker’s scent on Spider-Man, making him the latest character to learn Peter’s secret ID.

*See _________ For Details:  Moon Boy and Devil Dinosaur were discovered in New York following the events of Ghost Rider #81.

I Love the ‘90s:  Moon Boy has learned English from watching TV, so his dialogue is littered with references to Buffy, Xena, and Party of Five.  He also declares that he’s “all jiggy now” during a fight scene.  Spider-Man complains that he could’ve had a “quiet evening at home with Ally McBeal” instead of fighting the Circus of Crime.  Later, he works in a “Happy, happy!  Joy, joy!”  Spider-Man’s also as dubious about the Ringmaster going straight as he is that James Cameron will “hire Leonardo DiCaprio to star in a major motion picture based on my life!”  No, but Sam Raimi will hire Leo’s best friend for the part in just a few years, Spidey.

Review:  I’ve been down on DeFalco’s Amazing Spider-Man work for a while now, but I have to admit this is a fun annual.  Moon Boy and Devil Dinosaur are just goofy enough without going overboard, and having Spider-Man face off against his (very) occasional foes the Circus of Crime adds some novelty to the story.  At least they’re not the Shocker, a vaguely defined mystery villain, or the latest goon hired by Norman Osborn.  Tom Lyle might not be an obvious choice of artist for a story packed with Kirby characters, but I’ve always likes his interpretation of Spider-Man and he’s able to handle the action pretty well.  I wonder now why Tom Lyle wasn’t used more often during these days, because it’s hard for me to imagine anyone preferred Joe Bennett’s rushed ASM work to what Lyle produces here.

If DeFalco had been producing light-hearted, Silver Age inspired superhero work with a few engaging character subplots thrown in while writing the monthly title, maybe we all would’ve been better off.  There’s no great depth here, but the story feels like something we might’ve seen in Untold Tales of Spider-Man, a one-shot adventure with Spidey being pitted against obscure foes and guest stars the audience doesn't normally associate with the hero.  Admittedly, Dezago and Wieringo were doing something very similar in Sensational at the time, which might’ve been why DeFalco opted for that bizarre gang war/ninja action direction in ASM.  Two books going for traditional Spidey fun wouldn’t have been a bad thing, however, and with a focus on more compelling subplots, I think a decent number of fans would've returned to Spidey during this era.  

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #433 - April 1998

The Long Farewell

Credits:  Tom DeFalco (writer), Tom Lyle (penciler), Bud LaRosa (inks), Bob Sharen (colors), Comicraft (letters)

The Plot:  Robbie Robertson’s retirement party is held at the Roosevelt Hotel, which is where Mr. Hyde is staying in his civilian identity of Calvin Zabo.  Peter overhears Zabo’s name at the check-in counter and, after talking to Ben Urich, realizes he’s Mr. Hyde.  With no costume or webshooters, Peter secretly dons Phil Urich’s oversized sweatshirt and covers his face with the hood.  Peter fights Hyde to a standstill until the NYPD arrives and gases Hyde into unconsciousness.

The Subplots:  Peter, Shantal, and MJ visit Jill Stacy in the hospital.  Jill’s criminology professor Marina Caches also visits, with her boyfriend Dante Rigoletto.  Peter is unnerved by Rigoletto for reasons he doesn’t understand.

Web of Continuity:  

• MJ suggests Peter find a new identity so long as Spider-Man has a price on his head.  This is the third setup for “Identity Crisis” -- MJ hinted at the same idea at the end of Spectacular #255, and Spider-Man has already visited Hobie Brown in Sensational #26, after another incident where his costume got him into trouble.
• Peter is complaining about a sprained right ankle that only seems to exist in this title.

*See _________ For Details:  Mr. Hyde lost his change of clothes after fighting the Hulk on an airplane in Incredible Hulk #458.

I Love the ‘90s:  MJ and her friends joke about finding doctors that look like Eric LaSalle and George Clooney.

Review:  More time is killed while the titles await “Identity Crisis.”  While I appreciate the novelty of seeing Spider-Man go up against a foe he hasn’t faced four hundred thousand times, and the more cohesive approach to the Marvel Universe we’ve been getting lately, it’s hard to pretend this isn’t filler.  At least it’s non-offensive filler, though.  The story’s structured fairly well, and there’s a decent joke towards the end when Mr. Hyde has finally deduced that his mystery opponent is…his ex-partner Cobra, with his “blinding speed and agility.”  MJ is also much more tolerable this issue, as she reiterates that she accepts Peter’s life as Spider-Man, she just doesn’t think he needs to specifically be “Spider-Man” in order to help others.  Fair enough.  And Peter exhibits some emotion for the very first time regarding Jill’s shooting, predictably blaming himself for allowing it to happen.  There’s a classic Spidey feel to the issue, which is a feeling Amazing doesn’t have often enough these days.  I do have issues with the art, however.  I’m assuming Joe Bennett is considered the regular penciler on this title now, but even the perennial go-to fill-in guy occasionally needs a fill-in.  Tom Lyle isn’t a bad choice to step in given his past with the character, although I’m not sure how he felt drawing a Spider-Man issue that doesn’t feature Peter as Spider-Man.  While Lyle does a credible job on the action sequences, his civilian characters look unusually flat and generic for much of the issue.  The most flagrant example of this would be Billy Walters and Phil Urich, who are pretty much impossible to tell apart when both appear at the party.  This is the type of story that calls for very specific, human faces and unfortunately that’s not what Lyle delivers.

SPIDER-MAN: THE VENOM AGENDA #1 - January 1998

Bad Day at the Bugle

Credits:  Larry Hama (writer), Tom Lyle (penciler), Robert Jones (inks), Steve Oliff (colors), Janice Chiang (letters)

The Plot:  Venom receives orders from the federal Overreach Committee to silence Jonah Jameson after his public criticism of Operation: Zero Tolerance.  Venom ambushes Jameson at the Daily Bugle, just as Peter Parker arrives for a photo assignment.  While Jameson’s distracted, Peter changes into Spider-Man and faces Venom.  Spider-Man saves Jameson after he’s thrown out of a window and takes him to a nearby construction site.  MJ comes across the disturbance and follows Spider-Man to the site, along with federal agent Darryl Smith, who now realizes that Venom misinterpreted his orders.  Venom buries Spider-Man under a pile of debris and turns his attention back to Jameson.  When MJ enters, Venom decides he’ll kill Spider-Man’s wife as well.  Spider-Man finds the inner strength to free himself and, with the help of a nearby supply of dynamite, defeats Venom.  Later, Venom tells Smith that he knew something important about Spider-Man, but has now forgotten it.

The Subplots:  Peter has a cold throughout the story.  For unknown reasons, Jameson has called him to his office at the end of the Bugle’s workday.

Web of Continuity:  This story takes place during Venom’s stint as a secret agent, which was the character’s status quo during the final days of his regular series of miniseries.

I Love the ‘90s:  Peter remarks that he feels like Evander Holyfield’s right ear.  On the same page, he wishes that he could be a movie superhero and face villains like Uma Thurman and Michelle Pfeiffer.  

"Huh?" Moment:  Seriously, why does Jonah want to meet Peter late in the day as the Bugle closes?  There’s no obvious story reason (except to give Peter an empty office to change into costume in), yet the dialogue mentions several times how odd this is.

Production Note:  This is a forty-eight page one-shot, in the standard format with ads.  The cover price is $2.99.

Review:  We’ve now reached the end of the Venom era, as his ongoing non-series is cancelled and Marvel moves towards making him 100% villain again.  Venom never quite worked as an anti-hero protagonist, true, but the idea of Venom having his own moral code is one of the unique elements that I liked about him in his early appearances.  This was likely developed as a rationalization for why he didn’t just kill every member of the supporting cast after he learned Spider-Man’s secret ID, but I think David Michelinie did understand how to play Venom as a hero in his own mind, protecting the innocent from a “fraud” like Spider-Man.  Venom is so thoroughly nasty this issue he doesn’t quite feel like anti-hero Venom or Classic Venom, but perhaps this is a natural outgrowth of the stories Hama was already telling in the numerous Venom miniseries.

This one-shot seems unusually low-key considering it’s the long-awaited rematch between Spider-Man (not the Scarlet Spider) and Venom.  I don’t recall any promotion for it, and none of the titles at the time referenced this one-shot even though it was edited by line editor Ralph Macchio, whereas Venom was one of Tom Brevoort’s books at the time.  Spider-Man vs. Venom fights used to be an actual event, but I wonder now if Marvel’s relentless overexposure of Venom killed much of the interest in seeing another rematch.  Plus, it’s late 1997 at this point, so no one’s really nostalgic yet for those early Spider-Man/Venom fights, either.  It’s several years before Marvel gets around to even reprinting the full McFarlane Amazing Spider-Man run.

The opening pages don’t seem to rise to the level of the early Spider-Man/Venom confrontations, since Hama appears to be under the impression that Spider-Man and Venom are evenly matched, which is not how the early stories played out.  Ideally, Spider-Man should be terrified of facing Venom.  The second half of the story gives Venom a better showing, thankfully, and Hama is fairly successful in raising the stakes and making this seem like a hard-fought victory for Spider-Man by the end.  As a straightforward action comic, it’s pretty entertaining and some of the jokes are funny, although Venom’s convenient amnesia is a bit ridiculous.  I can understand why Marvel felt uncomfortable with Venom knowing Spider-Man’s secret identity, but surely there’s a better way to deal with the issue.  Also, did this quickie amnesia solution even last?  I seem to recall Venom targeting Peter Parker once again during his next appearances.

Finally, I have to address the story’s homage to the original “Final Chapter” in Amazing Spider-Man.  Spider-Man remarks that he has an “overwhelming sense of déjà-vu!” after he’s buried under a pile of debris, a cute reference to the classic scene from Amazing Spider-Man #33.  This scene has been homaged and parodied so many times over the years, there’s even an internal Marvel memo asking people to stop referencing it.  So, I have to ask…who was the first creator to recreate this scene?  I wasn’t even aware of this classic bit until Spider-Man Saga ran a few panels from it in 1992, and I didn’t see any tributes to it until the late ‘90s.  As far as I can tell, Hama might actually be the first writer to do the homage.  In 1998, after this era of Spider-Man closed out with a crossover entitled “The Final Chapter”, it seemed like every few months someone was riffing on this moment, even outside of the Spider-Man books.  I can understand why people like the scene, but the way creators just grew obsessed with this bit from a decades-old comic, seemingly out of nowhere, has always perplexed me.

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN ‘97 - September 1997

Before the Dawn

Credits:  Roger Stern (writer), Kurt Busiek (story assist), Tom Lyle (penciler), Robert Jones (inks), Matt Webb (colors), Comicraft (letters)

The Plot:  Sundown is released from prison after serving his full sentence.  Due to his refusal to return to Osborn Chemical, he’s unable to find steady work.  Mobster Lucky Lobo singles Sundown out as a potential enforcer, but he refuses to return to crime.  Lobo eventually threatens the life of Mary Kelleher, a girl that Sundown accidentally harmed years earlier after gaining his powers.  He agrees to kill Spider-Man for Lobo in exchange for Mary’s life.  Unbeknownst to Lobo, Spider-Man makes a deal with Sundown to save Mary from Lobo’s men.  Sundown physically threatens Lobo to stay away from Mary, then watches as Lobo is taken by the authorities.  Spider-Man suggests Sundown become a hero, but he decides he’d rather be forgotten.

The Subplots:  Peter reflects on his past while thinking about the years that have passed since Sundown’s first appearance.

Web of Continuity:  

• Sundown debuted in the Untold Tales of Spider-Man ’97 annual.  
• The amount of time Sundown spent in prison is referred to as “the last decade” and “nearly ten years” on separate occasions.  A year or so after this comic was published, Roger Stern would co-write the Lost Generation miniseries, which was based on the premise that the modern Marvel Universe began only seven years ago.  Irate fans often used the time references in this very issue to refute the “Seven Year Rule.”

*See _________ For Details:  Lucky Lobo was sent to prison all the way back in Amazing Spider-Man #23.  We discover this issue that Lobo met Sundown in prison, and was impressed by his reluctance to use his powers.

"Huh?" Moment:  Tombstone is on the back cover, even though he’s never even mentioned in the issue.  He’s presumably there to represent one of New York’s crimelords.

Review:  It was only a matter of time before one of the new villains created for Untold Tales of Spider-Man showed up in the modern continuity titles.  I’m not sure if anyone thought it would be Sundown, though.  Untold Tales of Spider-Man ’97 is probably remembered as the UTOS annual that didn’t have the Mike Allred Fantastic Four story, and for not much else.  It wasn’t a bad comic necessarily, but I wouldn’t hesitate to call it the weakest UTOS story.

The sequel, thankfully, is an improvement.  Tom Lyle is back as artist, and while I wish he could be paired with a more polished inker, he’s able to straddle the modern and retro styles the story requires.  Sundown himself works much better this time, as his rather generic origin is now out of the way and the story’s free to delve into his psyche a bit.  Portraying Sundown as one of the few truly repentant villains in Spider-Man’s rogues gallery is a nice angle to explore.  Stern points out more than once that Sundown never attempted to have his sentence reduced, and he could’ve escaped prison at any time, anyway.  He stayed to pay his penance; he accidentally harmed young Mary and was compelled to pay the price.  This is of course a convenient way to explain why this retconned character never appeared in any comic over the years, but it also works to humanize Sundown.  It’s a sober story about the passage of time and the consequences of paying for your mistakes, told as a competent superhero adventure.  I don’t know if he was willing, but Stern should’ve been called to do more of these done-in-one Spidey stories.  

X-MEN UNLIMITED #17 - December 1997

Alone in his Head

Credits: Terry Kavanagh (writer), Tom Lyle (penciler), Perotta/Parsons/Wong (inks), Comicraft (letters), Ariane Lenshoek (colors)

Summary: Wolverine falls for a trap set by Sabretooth and his new associate, Hoo. Hoo uses her powers to swap Wolverine and Sabretooth’s bodies. Before the switch is completed, Sabretooth mortally wounds himself, leaving Wolverine to die in his new body. Posing as Wolverine, Sabretooth informs Archangel that one of his research firms is developing a mutant power neutralizer. They travel to the plant, where the true Wolverine reveals the truth. During their confrontation, the neutralizer prototype is destroyed. Suddenly, the two mutants return to their original bodies. Hoo informs her employer, Sebastian Shaw, that the prototype has been destroyed, as Wolverine decides he must trust that Archangel didn’t know about the research.

Continuity Notes: The neutralizer is based on the one Forge created in his early appearances. Archangel swears he didn’t know about the research and that all of the information has been destroyed. This issue also establishes that Archangel is spending more time at Worthington Industries following his departure from the team.

“Huh?” Moment: Sabretooth (while posing as Wolverine) hints that Archangel might be racist for using his image inducer to replicate white skin.

I Love the ‘90s: Archangel is given a “Dutch boy” haircut reminiscent of the one sported by the blonde member of the Backstreet Boys.

Review: As the recap foldout points out, this is Wolverine’s first confrontation with Sabretooth since Wolverine gave him a partial lobotomy in 1994. You would think this would’ve been a big deal, and X-Men Unlimited was originally created to showcase “event” stories, yet the two concepts aren’t a match. Unlimited has deservedly earned its “filler” reputation by now, and Sabretooth has been so poorly used in X-Factor his appearances are nothing special, so this is just more X-product. By the standards of Unlimited, though, it is an improvement over the previous issues. The rushed inking doesn’t do Tom Lyle any favors, but his yeoman work here is easy to follow and doesn’t sear your eyes with freakish, deformed figures or a bad Jim Lee impression. The story uses the premise pretty well, opening with a just out-of-character Wolverine berating Archangel for a few pages, before a flashback reveals the truth. Archangel is a good choice as the third star, given his relationship with Psylocke and anger with Sabretooth over her assault (plus, Sabretooth nearly killed Archangel in X-Factor, although everyone seems to have forgotten that by now). The story predictably tries to introduce some identity issues, which don’t go very far, but at least the idea is more ambitious than the usual Kavanagh script from this era. I would complain about Wolverine (in Sabretooth’s body) managing to discreetly tail Sabretooth for hours by staying “downwind,” but Sabretooth’s always been able to do that to him, hasn’t he?

ONSLAUGHT Crossovers Part Five – September 1996

Punisher #11 (Ostrander/Lyle/Jones/Starkings/Comicraft/Kalisz/American Color) – Another tie-in that has nothing to do with Onslaught. SHIELD investigates the arrival of Sentinels in Manhattan, which leads to their helicarrier getting shot out of the sky. The Punisher witnesses the event and reluctantly dives into the river to rescue the survivors. He aids G. W. Bridge against a street gang that’s jumped on board to loot the helicarrier, and then agrees to take down a mutant terrorist group while SHIELD deals with the situation in Manhattan. This is a straightforward action story, and it’s executed rather well. The actual effect of Onslaught’s electromagnetic pulse attack hasn’t been portrayed very consistently throughout the tie-ins, or internally within this issue (SHIELD agents are forced to use hang gliders, yet the helicarrier can remain in the air, and the gangleader’s jetski still works), but that’s a relatively minor nitpick. I’m not sure what exactly Marvel was doing with the Punisher during this period, but I seem to recall this series opened with him working (presumably undercover) as a mob boss. With a ponytail. It never seemed that promising to me, but Ostrander does show a strong handle on the character with this issue (and his hair is back to normal). The Punisher’s narration is often humorous and the action moves at a steady pace. I wasn’t expecting much, but it’s an inoffensive action story.

Spider-Man #72 (Mackie/Romita, Jr./Williamson/Starkings/Comicraft/Tinsley/Malibu) – Well, it’s an entire issue of Romita, Jr. drawing Spider-Man fighting Sentinels, so it can’t be all bad. At this point in Spider-Man’s continuity, Peter Parker believed that he was a clone and that Ben Reilly was the true Spider-Man. Peter scientifically removed his spider-powers, in the hopes that he could retire and have a normal life with his pregnant wife. Behind the scenes, Marvel decided that the story had gone too far and that Ben Reilly couldn’t remain as Spider-Man. So, shortly after Peter’s powers were gone, they began to sporadically reappear (I’m basing this on my memories of the Life of Reilly serial). Now that his powers are gradually coming back, Peter's a target for the Sentinels, while Ben Reilly tries to protect his cloned “brother”. The two spend the entire issue fighting Sentinels with each other, contributing essentially nothing to the Onslaught story, or any of the storylines in the Spider-titles. Mackie’s script has its share of clunky dialogue and corny jokes, but the story manages to keep moving and rarely feels repetitive, even though the plot’s razor-thin.