Review by Ian Keogh

You’d be hard pressed to guess it from the way Humberto Ramos draws him on the cover, but that’s Doctor Octopus menacing Spider-Man. It exemplifies an unconventional and stylised approach to the art. Defining Spider-Man and other costumed characters in cartoon forms works well, Ramos able to exaggerate posture effectively, but his distorted gawping people out of costume are very much an acquired taste.

An additional problem about the art is a primary plot being Flash Thompson confined to a wheelchair and seemingly no longer having any mental capacity, so meant to be gawping. The way Ramos draws some others you’d imagine they were in the same vegetative condition. Past the cover, though, Ramos’ version of Doctor Octopus has greater resonance, especially silhouetted against the moon in the opening chapter.

Doc Ock’s new plan as provided by Paul Jenkins is that he wants Spider-Man to remove his mask and parade through Times Square. The initial request is forthrightly refused, so Doc begins to arrange circumstances giving Spider-Man no choice as threats escalate. Jenkins insinuates a political element via the exploitation of Palestinian tensions, and the way Spider-Man’s failure digs him in deeper is also noteworthy. The choice of Doc Ock as main villain is no coincidence either, as Jenkins was writing this just before the release of the 2004 Spider-Man film in which Otto Octavius is the main villain, and Ramos draws him with the film costume. What Jenkins adds is the first hints of his troubled childhood, which would eventually result in the excellent Doctor Octopus: Year One.

There’s a good use of the supporting cast, and notably more Mary Jane than in The Hunger, which helps to solidify Peter Parker’s world. Jenkins leads up to a fine selection of comedy dominos opening the final chapter, before reinforcing that Doctor Octopus is no joke after all. This is better than the opening Spider-Man from Jenkins and Ramos, and leads into Here There Be Monsters.