Review by Ian Keogh
Discovering that New Sinister only gathers three issues of Spider-Man may have you suspecting sharp practice on Marvel’s part, but as the collection includes the bulky 900th issue there are actually more pages than in World Without Love, most of them drawn by Ed McGuinness.
Few superhero artists match McGuinness’ enthusiasm for an action scene, but he’s not always been as keen on the moments between, so he may not strike as the ideal Spider-Man artist. That’s no longer the case. Plenty of Spider-Man’s supporting cast are required, and they’re all recognisable and properly drawn standing around like normal people. When it comes to the action Zeb Wells provides McGuinness with all the cues he needs. See J. Jonah Jameson trapped in the arms of Doctor Octopus! See the powers of the Sinister Six in a single being! And see some crazy stuff dating back to Spider-Man’s earliest days and never revived in all these years. It’s a lot of fun wrapped in the existential question of who Spider-Man is.
The best of three short back-up strips is by Dan Slott and Marcos Martin, who manage a pin-up, a battle, a date and a homage to the 1960s in just two pages.
John Romita Jr is back on the art redefining the Vulture as a complete maniac well able to deal with Spider-Man. That’s never been the case since his earliest appearances, but Wells has considered how that could happen and come up with a viable method. Considering his poor reputation, Spider-Man vs. the Vulture proved his villainous status, and this two-parter is a worthy addition.
New Sinister isn’t quite as good as World Without Love, but it’s not far behind and ends with a step up again for Peter Parker. Check how that works out in Hobgoblin.
