Conspiracy-theory fans can rejoice over Millar's contribution to the Spider-Man mythos in this issue, as he comes up with a far-fetched but entertainingly plausible explanation for the way the title character's adventures, triumphs and tragedies have unfolded. Does it fit with the larger context of the character's history or the Marvel Universe? Not really, no. But on its own, it's a clever and intelligent take on conventions of the super-hero genre. The Dodsons' art is wonderfully moody. Considering that this is basically a talking-heads issue, start to finish, they do a fantastic job of maintaining a dark and tense atmosphere throughout the book. This might be the best issue of the series thus far.
Peter Parker finds himself face to face with Aunt May's kidnapper, and though he doesn't recognize him at first, he reveals himself to be one of Spider-Man's frequent foes, sans costume. They meet in public, and the kidnapper keeps Parker in line by letting him know in no uncertain terms that his obedience and co-operation are the only things keeping May alive. Peter learns May was kidnapped in order to force him to carry out a mission on behalf of his enemies, but more importantly, he's told that the frequency with which he's faced the various members of his rogues gallery is far from random.
Perhaps the Dodsons' most important contribution to this issue is the intensity they instill in the villain's eyes. The corruption shines through there, as does the pleasure he's taking in tormenting his longtime foe. Terry Dodson keeps the perspective on the two main characters here always moving, creating the illusion of action. These two characters basically just sit and talk for most of the issue, and it's not easy to keep the reader's eye engaged, but he manages to do it quite well.
Where Millar goes astray in this issue is with the overabundance of sentimentality. The flashback to Uncle Ben, the flashback to Gwen's death... I understand why he's included them here. The villain manipulates Spider-Man not with threats, but with guilt, and the flashbacks establish what Peter fears and why. But Millar overdoes it. The guilt is an inherent part of Spider-Man, and reminders to this extent just get redundant.
The new premise introduced here may not pan out to be the new bible truth govering Spider-Man's world, and that's fine with me. Some readers may complain Millar is playing too fast and loose with how many people have learned of the title character's secret identity over the course of this series. I can forgive it all, though, because I find this Freemason-esque notion fascinating. Is it too dark for Spider-Man? I can see how some might react that way, but I rather like this grown-up take on the wallcrawler. 8/10
