by Randy Lander

SPIDER-MAN'S TANGLED WEB #8 (Best of the Week!) "Gentlemen's Agreement Part Two" Highly Recommended (10/10) Marvel Comics Writer: Bruce Jones Pencils: Lee Weeks Inks: Josef Rubenstein Colors: Steve Buccellato Letters: Comicraft Editor: Axel Alonso Price: $2.99 US/$4.50 CAN Tangled Web has distinguished itself as the Spider-Man title that's not really about Spider-Man, as "Gentleman's Agreement" so ably demonstrates. Jones and Weeks are telling the story of a man who has crossed paths with Spider-Man, but that's not his defining characteristic. Instead, Charlie Clemmens is a familiar archetype from crime fiction, the decent guy forced into a life of crime and suffering as a result. The story hinges on Jones's ability to make Clemmens sympathetic and believable, and the first two issues have been spent doing exactly that, as well as setting up a tragic fall or a heroic redemption for the final issue. Though Marvel hasn't announced any titles that don't at least have some super-heroic elements in them, Tangled Web is probably the closest thing they have to a "regular life" book. Clemmens's story takes us through getting a job, dealing with a fatal disease and facing down the mistakes he's made with his wife and son. The super-heroic aspect is done in more of an Astro City vein, a background element that is there simply to add flavor. This tone is perfectly suited to Lee Weeks, who does terrific work on the normal settings of cities and the expressive faces of a variety of regular people. The New York cityscape is vividly realized in his art, and he does subtle and powerful work on the emotions of the various characters, particularly when it comes to scenes between Clemmens and his wife and son. This entire issue is focused largely on one goal, showing us that Clemmens is basically a decent guy who has had more than his share of bad luck. Jones succeeds in this regard, with Clemmens using his "in" with Spider-Man not for personal gain but to help him save others or, at worst, to make his son smile. In addition, his willingness to offer a similarly downtrodden man a free ride or his interference in a crime show a man who is more likely to step in on the side of right than the side of wrong. All of which makes the direction of the story, although not surprising, certainly more sad. Clemmens is in a no-win situation, and he knows it, and though he obviously has strong morals, he's not quite strong enough to resist the hope offered by crime. The story could really go in either direction and maintain its tone, serving up a self-sacrificing change of heart or delivering a tragic finale. Whatever the case, I'll definitely be around for the third part, as the first two have been excellent comics. Email Randy Lander comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.