I'll admit it... I've begun to get swept up in the growing popularity of poker in pop culture. I find myself flicking the channel over to a sports station -- practically unheard of, given my completel disinterest in sports -- to watch a Texas Hold 'Em match. There's a local tournament coming up here in town, and I'm considering signing up to see how I'll fare (not well, I predict). So imagine my surprise to find a Texas Hold 'Em game at the heart of the plot in this issue of Spectacular Spider-Man. Though I'm at a loss as to why Paul Jenkins doesn't opt to explore the radical physiological changes the title character underwent in the previous issue, I have to admit he delivers a fun and offbeat -- if somewhat hard-to-swallow -- story.
It seems that once a year, a number of members of New York's super-hero community gets together for a game of Texas Hold 'Em poker. The members of the Fantastic Four are mainstays of the game, as is your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. Also taking part are the X-Men's Angel, the sly Black Cat and the surprisingly inept Dr. Stephen Strange. This year, though, someone has decided to crash the game and raise the stakes, as a familiar but sinister figure shows his face... but he doesn't tip his hand.
Talent Caldwell is a chameleon. He's perhaps best known as Michael Turner's protege, and his style always seemed to be more than a little similar to that of Turner. Here, though, his work is far more reminiscent of the work of Paco Medina, who illustrated the previous issue of this series. Caldwell doesn't seem to have a style of his own at all. Still, he tells the story clearly here and captures a light, friendly tone that's an integral part of this issue. He captures the lithe and agile nature of the title character nicely, and the comedic reactions of Dr. Strange are perfect.
The lack of antagonism between the heroes and the villain is necessary to make the story work, but for those familiar with these characters, there's a sense that things are off. Furthermore, I don't think Jenkins has enough time here to build up dramatic tension. The end of the game -- a showdown between Spidey and the villain -- arrives suddenly. It's understandable, as Jenkins spends the first act setting up the poker game premise, the second introducing the bad guy into the equation, leaving only the third act for any real conflict.
As much fun as I had reading this issue, one major problem stood out after I'd finished: there's not enough poker in this story about poker. Too often, we see the aftermath of a pivotal hand. I wanted to see a couple of them actually unfold, not just the final one. Still, this is a light and accessible issue that makes the most of the shared continuity of the Marvel Universe by depicting a strong sense of camaraderie among the colorful characters. 6/10
