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bookishrealm's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was an interesting installment to the Spider-Man series. I've seen Dr. Octopus in the movies, but it was really intriguing to see his origin story and his first battle with Spiderman. 3.5 Stars
I think as a reader of these older comics, I'm still trying to figure out whether I'm really a fan of Spider-Man or not. I've enjoyed reviewing his origin story through the creations and brilliant mind of Stan Lee; however, I don't think he'll turn out to be my favorite Marvel character. This issue specifically looks at Spider-Man's first encounter with Dr. Octopus. If anything, this issue reminds readers that while Peter Parker is a superhero, he's still a teenager. So far, Dr. Octopus is the most difficult villain that Spider-Man has come into contact with (trying to figure who's more spectacular: Dr. Doom or Dr. Octopus). When he's unable to defeat Dr. Octopus by brute force he's forced to use his mind and a sense of creativity. I appreciated Parker having to deal with self-doubt. It makes him more human and more relatable as a character. And it also leads to an interesting paring between him and the Human Torch. Once again, readers are also exposed to the "three versions" of Peter Parker. There's Peter Parker as Spider-Man, the internal dialogue of Spider-Man/Peter Parker, and then teenage Peter Parker. The differences between the three really do stand out in this issue. One thing that I didn't really enjoy about this issue are closely related to the excess use of internal dialogue. There didn't seem to be a lot of conversation occurring between characters. Most of the "speaking" happened in character minds. Ditko still makes me cackle every time I see the way that he draws faces, but I still think he's done an amazing job. Overall, this was a decent installment. Looking forward to reading some more in this storyline.
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