Now this is what I look for in a Bendis script.
I had a lukewarm reaction to Bendis's higher-profile book this week, Avengers #501, so I was relieved and pleased to find the strength I expect from him as a writer in this issue, a denouement to the "Carnage" story arc. This episode's been billed as "the Breakfast Club issue," and it's a fitting description, given that it focuses on teens getting to the roots of their feelings during a Saturday afternoon detention session. There's a lot to love about this issue. Bendis taps into a universal sense of anger one experiences during one's teen years and explores a couple of characters who really have only been touched upon superficially so far in this series.
Flash Thompson's porcine attitude toward those around him leads him to make some unbelievable comments about Gwen Stacy's death at school, and it sparks another student to lash out at him. In the ensuring chaos, a teacher gets shoved, and as a result the melee's five participants -- Flash, M.J., Peter, Kong and Liz -- earn themselves a weekend detention. M.J. confronts Flash once again, and Peter directs his new, cynical and angry world view toward his classmates.
This is the first issue since Scott Hanna's replaced Art Thibert as the inker on this title that the art looks as polished as it did before. Hanna and Bagley are meshing better as an art team. Hanna brings a softer look to Bagley's pencils, though. It doesn't enhance the action sequences all that much, but for the grounded, character-driven scenes, it's a welcome approach.
Does the dialogue ring in this issue? Yes and no. Bendis isn't writing what he thinks teens would say to one another; such emotional confrontations are rare, I believe. But there is a ring of truth to the script because Bendis explores universal feelings. We've all thought about saying things like what M.J. puts forth here, or Peter's tirade against jocks. Bendis gives those thoughts life, and that's why they feel so real. The reader connects with them.
I'm pleased that the writer didn't make the "Spider-Man no more" subplot linger on too long. The reader already knows that Peter will eventually head back down a heroic path, and Bendis doesn't string his audience along too long at all. It's a wise move, but he doesn't sacrifice emotion or drama either.
One of my favorite aspects of this issue is Bendis's focus on Flash and Kong. This is the first hint we've seen that Flash is anything other than the one-dimensional jackass he's been portrayed as since the series began. Fortunately, Bendis doesn't go too far in the other direction. Flash is still contemptible, but at least now, we understand him a little better. Kong is one of the best additions Bendis has made to the cast of supporting characters in Spider-Man's world, and I love how Bendis has bucked the jock stereotype with him while embracing it with Flash. It makes for a more balanced read. Kong is genuinely a likable character, but it's not because he rescues kittens from trees or reads to the blind. Bendis avoids the easy, shmoltzy ways to get the reader on Kong's side.
