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SPIDER-MAN'S TANGLED WEB #13
"Double Shots"
Recommended (8/10)
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Marvel Comics
Writer: Ron Zimmerman
Artist: Sean Phillips
Colors: Steve Buccellato
Editor: Axel Alonso
Price: $3.50 US/$5.75 CAN |
Ron Zimmerman is best known in comics for the widely-derided Punisher issue he wrote, and given my reaction to that issue, I wasn't particularly anxious to read anything by him again. Tangled Web #13 has its problems, but it's a damn sight better than Zimmerman's Punisher, and I found the central premise and much of the characterization to be fairly engaging. Artwork by Sean Phillips, working in a milieu similar to the one he used on Wildcats, fills out the story nicely.
If you've seen the Batman: The Animated Series episode of "Almost Got 'Im"
you've pretty much seen the framework of this story, although the ending is
definitely different. It's mostly a chance to look at Spider-Man from the
villains' point-of-view, and I thought Zimmerman did a pretty decent job of
humanizing these villains. Indeed, he depicts most of them as selfish, arrested
adolescents, which fits in with their chosen profession fairly well. Even the
son of Kraven the Hunter, who seems to be Zimmerman's character of choice in
upcoming projects, comes across mostly as arrogant rather than competent. He is
definitely the focus of this story, and I think we're meant to get some sort of
vibe from him that he's a cool customer, an anti-hero rather than a villain. I
actually found him to be fairly obnoxious, but in the context of this story,
that worked out just fine.
The background bits are a
little more hit and miss. The story takes place in a bar where various
super-villains hang out between jobs. Some of the background bits, like the
introduction of bartender (and former Latverian chief of security) Calab are fun
and stylish. Others, especially the "Daredevil is gay" exchange between the
Matador and Stiltman are uncomfortably close to being racial and homophobic
stereotypes, and fall flat as gags as a result.
This is one of those fairly
quiet, talky types of stories that can be absolutely sabotaged by the wrong
artist. Fortunately, Sean Phillips is ideal for this sort of work. While there
are super-powers and costumes, they exist alongside a more gritty and real
backdrop (in this case a bar). The result is that the characters look fairly
realistic, even in their costumes, with attention paid to their facial detail
and the more human side of them, rather than to the curves of the spandex. Which
doesn't mean that Phillips can't handle action sequences; the flashbacks to
various encounters with Spider-Man are exciting and dynamic, and the final page
is one of the creepier renditions of the surprise villain than I've seen in a
while.
This is a fun examination of
one of those rarely-seen sides of the super-hero universes, as we get a look at
the villains not as antagonists to the heroes but as people. They're not real
likable, but they're recognizably human, and Zimmerman's story is an
entertaining look at a few of the rogues in Spider-Man's gallery.
Email Randy Lander comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board. |
