Writer: Paul Jenkins
Artists: Humberto Ramos (p), Wayne Faucher (i)
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Plot:
The book open with an anguished Peter Parker who has come to the conclusion that Norman Osborn (aka. the Green Goblin) is going to keep coming after him until one of them is dead. However, since Norman's latest attack has left Flash Thompson clinging to life in the hospital we see Peter also has to deal with the idea that no one close to him is safe as long as Norman is alive. We then look in on Norman, as he pays a visit to Peter's school posing as a well meaning business leader trying to make amends for the reckless behavior of one of his employees, but he's really there to rub salt into the wound, and Peter has to rein himself in to keep from laying into Norman. As Norman sets a time & place for a meeting later that night we join Spider-Man as he arrives to find Norman recreating the death of Gwen Stacy using action figures. As the battle between these two old enemies erupts we see Peter is splashed in the eyes by chemicals, and this acts to temporarily blind him. However using his other senses, including his ever handy spider sense, Peter is able to lay his hands on Norman, who was busy laying out who his next victim would be.
Comments:
Paul Jenkins has crafted a wonderfully intense encounter between Spider-Man and the Green Goblin. I fact he's done such a credible job building up the tension between these two men that I fully believe that Spider-Man actually intends on following up on the uncharacteristic statement that he makes on the final page of this issue. However, I've been burned by the battle to end all battles promise before, and while Paul Jenkins has laid the groundwork for what looks to be the most intense battle between these two since the one that took place in the aftermath of Gwen Stacy's fatal plunge, I must admit part of me is made a bit wary by the ending this issue offers up. Now given Marvel has shown a newfound willingness to let its writers take fairly major steps in shaking up a character's status quo (e.g. Aunt May becoming aware of Peter's secret identity), I may be eating these words following next month's big finish, but right now I'm steeling myself for the age old ending to these battles to the death normally offer up, with Norman Osborn skulking off to return another day, after Spider-Man comes to his senses & realizes that he's not a killer.
It also doesn't help matters all that much that I simply can't work up the same degree of enthusiasm for the Green Goblin that I reserve for other villains in Spider-Man's Rogues Gallery. I recognize why he's viewed by many fans as Spider-Man's greatest villain, and out of all the villains he's fought none has dealt a blow as devastating as Gwen Stacy's death. This issue also nicely plays up the idea that Norman's one of the few villains who knows Peter's secret & almost takes a perverse pleasure in interacting with Peter when both of them are in their civilian identities. In fact Norman's one of the only villains who has made terrorizing the supporting players in Spider-Man's universe a regular part of his plots against Spider-Man. Still even with all these elements in his favor, I find myself in a position where I have to actively force myself to find the Green Goblin an engaging threat, as frankly Norman's never come across as that formidable an opponent once the battle reaches the stage where the two engage in a purely physical battle, and since this normally serves as the big finish to their encounters, I find myself continually disappointed by these visits from the Green Goblin.
Humberto Ramos simply isn't a good fit for this title, and while he has a fan-base who are probably quite excited by the rumor that he's slated to be the regular artist on Paul Jenkin's new Spider-Man title, I find myself a bit concerned, as these past three issues have shown that Humberto Ramos is not a Spider-Man artist. His web-slinging shots lack a sense of grace, his shots of an enraged Peter in furious combat with the Green Goblin are undone by the cartoonish appearance of the faces of the two men, and the worst sin of all is that for such an expressive art style, Humberto Ramos' facial work seems unable to offer up all that great a variety of expressions. I mean take the scene where Norman & Peter meet in the school, and the two nearly come to blows while Peter's principal unknowingly tries to play the peacemaker between these two men. This is a scene where Humberto Ramos could've sold me on his ability to handle an emotionally charged sequence, but the art simply doesn't convey any sense of the danger that is playing out in front of us. I will give him credit for the nice atmospheric rainstorm that seems to be a constant companion during this story though.
Final Word:
Spider-Man fans who consider the Green Goblin to be Spider-Man greatest villain are likely to find this issue to be quite enjoyable, as this issue plays upon all the elements that made the Green Goblin into the villain everyone loves to hate. The interaction between the two men is very strong, as we see them confront each other both in & out of costume, and while this issue doesn't pack the same punch as last issue's rather impressive finish, we do get a fairly strong scene where Spider-Man pays a visit to the bedside of Flash Thompson. Now I did find the scene where the Green Goblin was playing with action figures to be a little too obvious in its bid to remind the readers once again of this key moment in the history of this rivalry, but the ensuing battle is a fairly exciting exchange, and the last page offers up a fairly chilling scene as we see Spider-Man come to a fairly major decision regarding how he's going to deal with the Green Goblin.
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