SPIDER-MAN'S TANGLED WEB #15
"The Collaborator"
Mildly Recommended (6/10)
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Marvel Comics
Writer/Artist: Paul Pope
Colors: Lee Loughridge
Editor: Axel Alonso
Price: $2.99 US/$4.75 CAN |
Paul Pope is hailed as one of the most challenging creators in the industry today, bringing new perspectives to the medium. And so, getting him to do an issue of Tangled Web was a bit of a coup. Imagine my surprise when I discovered his contribution to be rather... ordinary and predictable. This isn't a bad story, per se; Pope's look at innocence celebrates youth and denounces the anger that often seems to be a defining characteristic of adulthood.
A young Spider-Man fan hears of a new super-villain making a stand at a Manhattan bank, and she rushes to the scene for a glimpse, not only of the armored baddie, but maybe a look at her favorite hero. This new villain finds himself surrounded by police with plenty of firepower, and in the confusion, the yougn girl slips into the bank. She soon finds herself in thick of things, not just in terms of the scene of the crime, though, but personally as well.
I originally read this story in thanks to a black-and-white photocopied preview. I found the art to be a be inky and hard to make out at times. Things are a bit clearer here in the finished product, but not entirely so. The villain of the piece is as monstrous in appearance as he is in demeanor, but that reinforces the more one-dimensional nature of his character, really. I love how Pope captures the youth of the main character, the young Spider-fan, and Loughridge's dark colors create a spooky, almost alien tone.
Speaking of the bizarre, Pope grants both Spider-Man and this new villain with thoroughly inhuman looks. It sets them apart from Heather's small world even more, making it clear that her journey into that weirdness isn't going to be the positive experience she expects it to be.
I was surprised at how much of the storytelling in this issue consisted of conventional super-hero/villain circumstances and characterization. Pope's decision to open up on the Stag Beetle's preparations seemed rather ordinary, detracting from the teenage girl's more down-to-earth, personal tale.
Note: Some of the comments in this review were reproduced from a previous feature on the website.
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