Choices!
Credits:
Tom DeFalco (writer), Joe Bennett (penciler), Ralph Cabrera, Harry
Candelario, & Bud LaRosa (inks), Bob Sharen (colors), Comicraft
(letters)
The Plot:
Dragonfly and the True Believers target Robbie Robertson, attracting
the attention of Electro, who’s been hired by the Rose to kill the True
Believers. Spider-Man is caught in the middle of the fight, and is
eventually beaten into submission by Electro. Electro leaves, content
knowing that he’s humiliated Spider-Man. Meanwhile, Robbie saves
Dragonfly from Electro’s attack. She feels honor-bound to spare him,
and answers his questions about the Black Tarantula.
The Subplots:
Robbie Robertson’s wife Martha is upset with him for working extra
hours at the Daily Bugle during their downsizing. Peter Parker’s tutee
Neil questions if Paul Stacy should be his tutor after meeting Paul.
And Spider-Man is still experiencing headaches, not nausea (as seen in
the other titles), following Morbius’ bite.
Web of Continuity:
Electro can now tap into the Earth’s electrical field and fly. His
other new powers include the ability to evaporate water before it
touches his body, and the capability to enter someone’s brain through
electrical impulses.
Review:
Oh, hooray. More Green Ninjas. And another Joe Bennett fill-in.
This is probably Bennett’s weakest issue on the Spider-titles yet,
although to be fair to him, having three inkers leads me to believe this
had to be a rush job. Even by Bennett’s standards of the day, his
faces and anatomy aren’t usually this bad. (There’s a ridiculous shot
of Dragonfly on page nine that would make even Jim Balent blush.) The
story Bennett’s been given probably wouldn’t have inspired the greatest
artist, anyway. The basic idea of Electro being upgraded and picking a
side in this Rose/Black Tarantula feud is fine, but the story fails to
create any real sense of drama. Dragonfly and the Green Ninjas are
dull, Robbie’s great personal crisis boils down to his wife nagging him,
and all we see of Peter Parker’s life is a brief glimpse of him
tutoring SHOC’s secret identity. This all adds up to an issue’s worth
of “Who Cares?” to be honest.
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