The Superior Spider-Man 12

superior spider-man 12

Today, Ethan and Shelby are discussing The Superior Spider-Man 12, originally released June 19th, 2013.

Ethan: When I sit down to write about an issue, I tend to start by flipping through my digital copy to grab the panels I want to include in the post. As I was looking through Superior Spider-Man #11, I ended up with about 10 separate images. That obviously won’t fit into a single post, but it’s a credit to writers Dan Slott & Christos Gage and artist Camuncoli that so much of the issue struck a note with me. A flashback to the worst day of J.Jonah Jameson’s life, further insights into Otto’s and Smythe’s psyches, a surprise cameo – there’s no time to waste!

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The Superior Spider-Man 11

superior spider-man 11Today, Patrick and Drew are discussing The Superior Spider-Man 11, originally released June 6th, 2013.

Patrick: Spider-Man’s always been one of the most relateable superheroes out there. Whether it’s because he’s a social underdog, or quick with a joke, people just love Spidey. I’ve always assumed it’s because Peter Parker lot of petty baggage that we can all relate too.  Tough time making rent? Girls don’t understand you? Homework got you down? Otto seems to think he’s immune to inane distraction, but for every dinner date with MJ he’s blown off, there’s an advanced degree he’s insisted on pursuing. And for what? Bragging rights? He’s already Spider-Man. Otto’s done a pretty good job of making his baggage work for him — thus far it’s mostly motivated him to be an effective crime fighter — but on the eve of the Spider-Slayer’s execution on The Raft, Otto’s hit with a few too many personal attacks to maintain his steely veneer. Continue reading

Superior Spider-Man 6AU

superior spider-man 6AU AU

Today, Ethan and Patrick are discussing Superior Spider-Man 6AU, originally released March 27th, 2013. This issue is part of the Age of Ultron crossover event. Click here for complete AU coverage.

ultron-div

Ethan: Familiarity is a funny thing. The exposure we have to a thing or activity, the more hard-wiring space our brains devote to it. That’s great when you need to do something quickly — like recognize and react to a baseball flying at your head — or when you do something the same way over and over — like driving a route to work every day. That hard-wiring can save you from injury, or save on processing power that could be put to other use. Automatic responses aren’t always helpful though; sometimes your conditioning assigns a label and to situation too quickly and funnels you into a course of action that almost always works, but not this time. In the Age of Ultron crossover Superior Spider-Man #6, writer Christos Gage and artist Dexter Soy demonstrate the folly of this kind of snap judgement as Otto Octavius (in the body of Spider-Man Peter Parker) faces off against the malicious artificial intelligence. Continue reading