SPIDER-GIRL #44
"Cry Uncle!"
Neutral (3/10)
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Marvel Comics
Writers: Tom DeFalco & Pat Olliffe
Pencils: Pat Olliffe
Inks: Al Williamson
Colors: Christie Scheele & Heroic Age
Letters: John E. Workman
Editors: Tom Brevoort
Price: $2.25 US/$3.65 CAN |
From the start, this title has tread a fine line. Since it was building on Marvel continuity, accessibility was always an ongoing concern, but DeFalco's scripts seemed to fill the reader in everything s/he needed to know. And then there were the subplots. They kept piling up, and still, DeFalco did a good job of juggling all of those elements and the necessary exposition.
This month, the balls come crashing to the floor. DeFalco gets stuck on a period of Spider-Man history that most would rather forget, and it makes for a confusing read.
Peter Parker shares with his daughter the story of how he became a super-hero, including the tragedy that he could have prevented. It makes May realize that she may have been wrong to let Funny Face and Angel Face go after their encounter with her and her heroic friends. Meanwhile, that loose affiliation of heroes shares the same concern among one another, while Peter tells May the story of the other Spider-Man: Ben Reilly.
The biggest weakness in this issue -- and I fear for future issues of the series -- is the introduction of Ben Reilly as a new character and element. The exposition here is terribly unclear -- even the characters say so -- and the reason for the haziness seems to be a purposeful avoidance of the term "clone." The clone saga that gave rise to the Ben Reilly character a few years ago is considered a creative low point for Marvel Comics, and I can understand why DeFalco or others involved in the production of this title might want to avoid referring to it. But if that's the case, why bring Ben Reilly into the book at all?
Olliffe's art is as strong in most scenes in this issue as it usually is, but there are those that lack clarity and definition. Those scenes are, of course, those in which Peter tells may of Ben Reilly. It's as though both the writer and the artist are trying to create a blank slate from which to work, and it makes for a disorienting read.
If the contrived and muddy pseudo-history of Reilly weren't enough, DeFalco continues to pile on new subplots while never resolving any of the old ones. There are a multitude of little stories here, but they're not really stories unless they have endings. There are no endings to be found as of late in Spider-Girl.
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