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SPIDER-MAN'S TANGLED WEB #11
"Open All Night"
Highly Recommended (10/10)
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Marvel Comics
Writer/Pencils: Darwyn Cooke
Inks: Jay Bone
Colors: Matt Hollingsworth
Editor: Axel Alonso
Price: $3.50 US/$5.75 CAN |
Coming in just two weeks late for Valentine's Day, Darwyn Cooke's Tangled Web story is nevertheless the perfect
Valentine's Day comic. The style here is an interesting mix of screwball comedy
and super-heroics, the kind of thing you might see from an Archie book if it
were aimed at an older audience, or maybe written by Eisner. The story follows
several people in and around the Daily Bugle on Valentine's Day, dealing with
their trials and tribulations, mostly with a romantic slant. It's a lot of fun,
and while it doesn't require prior knowledge of Spider-Man, knowing Peter, a
couple of his supporting cast and the routine way their lives work will add
considerably to the experience.
I've been a fan of Cooke's artwork since I saw it on Batman: Ego, and his work on Catwoman has only increased that respect. It's especially interesting when Cooke is paired with an artist who has something of a cartoony style, such as Mike Allred on Catwoman or
J. Bone here. Cooke's animation background shows in his strong model designs for
each of the characters and the strength and clarity of the storytelling, but the
addition of inks by Bone gives everything a sort of rounded and genial edge over
and above that clarity. The tone for this book, the sort of romantic comedy feel
you used to get in the 1950s, is set as much in the artwork as in the writing.
Of course, the fact that Darwyn Cooke is an accomplished writer as well as an artist is what makes the book work so well. The story weaves its way through about eight different characters, connecting them in the most unexpected ways, and there is a quality to the writing that reminds me of both Will Eisner and Seinfeld. Especially impressive are some of the
transitions, such as the moment where Peter Parker's name is suddenly on
everyone's lips, and we see how he connects with the various characters. Of
course, I also liked that in the space of the issue, Cooke manages to establish
several likable characters with reasonably complex relationships and past
histories, giving each of them a satisfying ending.
Leaving aside the strength of
the overall structure, the book itself is hilarious. Peter's hard luck has
rarely been so vividly demonstrated, and the bluster of J. Jonah Jameson is
captured in all its over-the-top glory as well. I also thought that Cooke did a
nice job conveying the romantic side of romantic comedy, whether it's the sweet
and understated love affair between Spence and Jenny, the surprising love affair
revealed on the last page or the imaginative fantasies of Jill and Miss Kay
about Peter.
With an impressive roster of guest creators and an approach that has a bit of indy cool, Tangled Web continues to surprise and please me. This is
another fantastic single issue story in the vein of last year's "Severance
Package," and I look forward to seeing what editor Axel Alonso has cooked up for
us next.
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