X-MEN Episode Fourteen - October 23, 1993

Till Death Do Us Part (Part 1)
Written by Mark Edward Edens

Summary:  Friends of Humanity leader Graydon Creed foments anti-mutant hysteria by faking a mutant attack on President Kelly.  Meanwhile, Cyclops and Jean are married, unaware that their minister is Morph in disguise.  Under the influence of Mr. Sinister, Morph lays traps for the team.  Ultimately, Gambit is left unconscious after kissing Rogue, Jubilee is ambushed at the Friends of Humanity’s headquarters, Beast is trapped inside the Danger Room, Professor Xavier is tricked into traveling to Antarctica, and Storm is sent to the hospital after being shot by police during an anti-mutant riot.

Continuity Notes:  

• Graydon Creed, the Friends of Humanity, and Mr. Sinister make their official debuts on the series.  Sinister is still given the odd organic equipment, and sharpened teeth, from his earliest appearances in the comics.
• A brief flashback to the events of the second episode shows Mr. Sinister rescuing Morph’s injured body on the grounds of the Mutant Control Agency.
• Mole, a surviving Morlock who appeared during Louise Simonson’s X-Factor run, has a cameo as one of the FoH’s victims.  He claims that he has no actual powers, he just looks strange, which ignores his ability in the comics to tunnel through walls.
• Jubilee’s foster parents from the first episode can be seen as guests at Cyclops and Jean’s wedding.  Oddly, the prejudiced judge from Beast’s hearing in episode number three stands behind President Kelly as he gives a speech on mutant rights.

“Um, Actually…”:  Senator Kelly never became President in the comics, although his position on mutants did soften at around this time during his comic appearances.  Years later in 2000, the comics ran a storyline about Kelly running for President that ended with his assassination.

Approved By Broadcast Standards:  The Friends of Humanity, and police, fire “energy weapons” as opposed to actual guns.

I Love the '90s:  Morph jokes that he’s “Makin’ Copies!” before impersonating Wolverine inside the mansion.

Miscellaneous Note:  The closing credits now feature a series of clips from the show, replacing the CGI models and profiles from the first season.

Review:  I remember the wait for the second season debut was excruciating.  The first season of the show surpassed all expectations (even if it did compare unfavorably to Batman), so everyone was eagerly anticipating the late October start of the second season.  When word leaked that Morph would be back, the anticipation became even more unbearable, especially amongst kids who weren’t familiar with comic book characters returning to life.  

Looking back, Mark Edward Edens stands out as the best writer of the first season, so I’m glad he’s returned to write the second season premiere.  As he demonstrated last season, Edens is extremely skilled at balancing various plotlines and juggling the large cast of characters.  The plot’s advanced virtually every minute of the episode, as two new threats to the team are introduced, a “deceased” member returns, numerous characters are left in cliffhangers, and Xavier is sent on the first step of his season-long adventure in the Savage Land.  I feel sorry for whoever had to adapt this episode in the X-Men Adventures comic book, because this would be a lot to cram into twenty-two pages.  (Had X-Men Adventures given up on adapting one episode per issue by this point?  I know at some point they had to, because the plotting of the show was often just too dense.)

The tone of this opening two-parter is surprisingly dark, right down to the gloomy color palate, which is a stark contrast to the look of the majority of the first season.  The episode begins with Wolverine “killing” Cyclops in the Danger Room while Cyclops and Jean exchange vows, and that’s the lightest moment of the show.  Morph is now insane, a new foe named Mr. Sinister lurks in the background, and the Friends of Humanity are doing the Saturday morning equivalent of mutant lynchings all across America.  The FoH consists of former followers of Senator Kelly who have now embraced the even more extreme views of Graydon Creed, and even if they do carry energy blasters instead of rifles, they’re rather effective in their role as generic anti-mutant thugs.  (It occurs to me that the X-Men movies could’ve followed up on Kelly’s supporters after the first film, and introducing Creed as their new leader wouldn’t be a bad avenue to explore.)

So, the second season is off to a strong start.  Actually, I only recall one or two flops in the second season.  Let’s see if the episodes stand up against my memories of the eighth grade…

Credit to http://marvel.toonzone.net/xmen/ for the screencap.

SENSATIONAL SPIDER-MAN #6 - July 1996

The Ultimate Responsibility
Credits:  Dan Jurgens (story/pencils), Klaus Janson (finishes), Gregory Wright w/Malibu (colors), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (letters)

The Plot:  Jessica watches as Spider-Man rescues civilians from a burning building.  When he nearly dies saving two boys from a collapsed roof, Jessica realizes that Spider-Man really is a hero.  She gives him the incriminating photo she took earlier and leaves.  She later visits the Parkers’ gravesite, making peace with her father’s lies and learning a lesson about responsibility.

The Subplots:  Desiree talks Ben into taking her to lunch.  He reveals to her that he sees through her façade and knows how lonely she truly is.

Production Notes:  This is the first issue without glossy paper.  Marvel downgraded the paper quality in their $1.99 books this month, claiming that extra pages would compensate for the lower-grade paper stock.  The extra pages turned out to be ads for other Marvel books.  (Yes, I've complained about this before.)

Review:  Dan Jurgens departs the title, directly connecting his final issue with his first one by mimicking its title and opening splash page, only now Jessica is the focus of the story.  Jurgens thankfully doesn’t kill Jessica off, the fate that usually awaits any new cast member that discovers the hero’s secret ID, and instead goes with the “cynic learns a lesson about heroism” story.  It’s a little schmaltzy, but the execution’s better than some of Jurgens’ other “sentimental” works.  There’s a pattern of Jurgens giving Spider-Man some pretty tame threats to deal with in this book (muggers, armed robbers, now a fire), so it’s disappointing that after seven issues, we’ve barely seen Spider-Man fight any recognizable villains from his rogues gallery.  Mysterio only appeared for a few pages, Rhino even fewer, and Molten Man was mainly there to kill time before the forgettable Gaunt debuted.  Jurgens does deserve credit for trying to restore some of the focus on a supporting cast, but most of the new characters debuted in this series are either poorly developed or too reminiscent of existing characters to truly be engaging.  This issue, for instance, reveals that aspiring actress Desiree creates a fun-loving, sexy persona in order to hide her insecurities and loneliness.  I know what you’re thinking, but this is totally different because Desiree’s a blonde and not a redhead.

So, Dan Jurgens has left, but this series will not go through a lengthy Web of Spider-Man-esque period of fill-ins and inventory stories.  A new creative team is named very quickly, even if Marvel isn’t quite sure what to do with the franchise yet…

SENSATIONAL SPIDER-MAN #5 - June 1996

Collisions with the Past
Credits:  Dan Jurgens (story/pencils), Klaus Janson (finishes), Gregory Wright w/Malibu (colors), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (letters)

The Plot:  Spider-Man trails Multivex Corporation’s financial controller and rescues her from a group of muggers.  She reveals to him that Multivex is funded by Osborn Industries.  From Peter Parker, Spider-Man learns that Liz Osborn’s stepbrother Mark Raxton, formerly the criminal Molten Man, now runs Osborn Industries.  He engages Raxton in a fight, which leads to the pair crashing into a hidden chamber that houses a mysterious cyborg.

The Subplots:  Ben Reilly’s been framed by Multivex for burning down the Daily Grind.  The owner, Shirley, talks to her insurance agent as Jessica and Desiree debate Ben’s guilt.

Web of Continuity:  Since the previous issue, the mysterious Multivex Corporation has emerged and targeted Ben Reilly’s life.  This storyline concludes in Amazing Spider-Man #412.  

*See _________ For Details:  Molten Man’s origin was given in Amazing Spider-Man #28.


Creative Differences:  The mystery cyborg, and the manipulator destroying Ben’s life, is soon given the name Gaunt.  He was originally intended to be Harry Osborn, back when “Blood Brothers” was going to be the penultimate chapter of the Clone Saga.  Following Bob Harras’ promotion to line-wide editor-in-chief, Gaunt was revealed as a revived Robot Master, and absolutely did not become the true architect of the Clone Saga.

Review:  That cover is probably my favorite piece of Jurgens’ Spider-Man art.  Did you notice Spider-Man’s eyes on the cover?  Not too small, not too big, with a cool swoop that goes up the edges?  I think this design for his eyes is the perfect way to go.  Unfortunately, it’s the eye design that Jurgens has designated for “squinty Spider-Man” or “thinking really hard Spider-Man.”  It’s not his default eye design.  As much as I enjoy Jurgens’ art on this book, I never liked the giant, bug eyes he gave Spider-Man.  It didn’t seem to suit his art style, nor did it really match the eye design McFarlane popularized when he first gave us giant Spidey eyes.  Giant, bug eyes don’t exactly evoke the “classic” era Jurgens is trying to revive, anyway.

Is there anything besides eye design to discuss this issue?  Not really.  It’s interesting to read the behind-the-scenes chaos in “Life of Reilly” today and know that Gaunt was originally going to be the villain behind the clone fiasco and a revived Harry Osborn.  And it looks as if the pace of the titles has picked up in the other Spider-Man books, given the recap of the previous chapters of “Blood Brothers.”  Sensational was apparently stuck with the dull chapters, though, since the previous issue didn’t touch the Multivex plot at all (spending most of the issue on a jewelry store heist and more fun with the skeleton), and this issue mostly sets up the final chapter…of a storyline that wasn’t allowed to have a real conclusion because the Clone Saga was to be extended six months.  So, outside of a brief Spider-Man/Molten Man fight that Jurgens handles very well, there’s not much here.  

Oh, and who decided that Mark “most-of-his-adult-life-in-prison” Raxton should be running Osborn Industries?  The last time I remember seeing Molten Man in a story, Harry Osborn gave him a pity job lifting boxes or something.  Who would take this guy seriously as a CEO?

SENSATIONAL SPIDER-MAN #4 - May 1996

Shooting Spider-Man
Credits:  Dan Jurgens (story/pencils), Klaus Janson (finishes), Gregory Wright w/Malibu’s Hues (colors), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (letters)

The Plot:  Jessica explains to Ben why she hates Spider-Man, but he has to abruptly abandon the conversation and stop a jewelry store robbery.  After saving the final hostage from a gunman, he goes into the alleys to change.  After he notices Jessica taking his picture from a nearby rooftop, he tries to explain that Spider-Man did not kill her father.  She refuses to listen and runs into the building.

The Subplots:  Peter sells Jameson a photo of Spider-Man carrying the stolen skeleton, but learns that having the photo isn’t enough to extinguish Jameson’s interest in the story.  Later, Peter and Ben bury the skeleton in a corner of a Queens cemetery.  They discuss the tests that confirmed Peter is the clone, a result Peter now disputes.  Angry that Ben is defending Seward Trainer, Peter abruptly leaves, vowing to do his own investigation.

Web of Continuity:  Ben’s boss, Shirley, complains that she’s having a hard time verifying Ben’s Social Security number.  Ben questions why this wasn’t fixed by Seward Trainer during his adventure in cyberspace.

*See _________ For Details:  The burglar, Jessica’s father, died of a heart attack in Amazing Spider-Man #200.  Jessica’s convinced herself that Spider-Man strangled him instead.  Spectacular Spider-Man #226 is the infamous issue that “confirmed” Peter Parker was a clone.  Shockingly, it’s about to be retconned.

Review:  This begins “Blood Brothers,” the crossover that was setting the stage for the end of the Clone Saga…before Bob Harras became editor-in-chief and ordered that Ben remain Spider-Man until the “Onslaught” crossover finished, and that Norman Osborn be revived and named the mastermind behind the events.  So, essentially, we’re wasting more time here.  It is somewhat gratifying to see Peter Parker reflect the audience’s reaction to Seward Trainer’s test results and finally question if this man he doesn’t know at all could be trusted to tell the truth, but even this scene is forced and unconvincing.  It reads as if someone in editorial has decided that Peter and Ben should turn against each other at this point, so that’s what Peter dutifully does.  

Another awkward plot element in this issue is the introduction of Ben Reilly’s false identity problems, an issue that was pretty obviously dealt with during the horrid issues that set up Ben’s reclamation of the Spider-Man role.  If the point of sending Seward Trainer into cyberspace wasn’t to set up a new false identity for Ben, then why did the readers have to suffer through that crap?  Even Jurgens has Ben question why the false identity Trainer created isn’t holding up.  I don’t know if this subplot was ever resolved in the other titles, but I’m guessing it’s here to hint that maybe Trainer wasn’t all he claimed to be?  It’s a necessary step in invalidating the test results that labeled Peter a clone, but it’s an obvious copout.  Clearly the creators intended Trainer to be a credible source of information, or they wouldn’t have used him to validate the identity of the “real” Spider-Man.

Finally, the Jessica subplot continues along the most obvious path imaginable.  Jurgens probably knew at this point that he only had an issue or two left, so he’s moving the storyline up to the point that Jessica discovers that Ben is (oh, no!) Spider-Man.  The execution is noticeably weak, as Ben idiotically ignores his spider-sense and unmasks in public, just as Jessica takes a photo of his naked face.  There is precedent for this kind of plot convenience, such as Nick Katzenberg discovering Peter’s secret ID in a similar fashion in an earlier issue of Web, but that’s no excuse.  (And at least the letter column at the time acknowledged the screw-up.)  Maybe this subplot could’ve worked with more time to properly develop, but so far it’s added little to a book that’s already something of a mess.

SENSATIONAL SPIDER-MAN #3 - April 1996

Headlines:  Web of Carnage Part One
Credits:  Dan Jurgens (story/pencils), Klaus Janson (finishes), Gregory Wright & Malibu’s Hues (colors), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (letters)

The Plot:  Spider-Man travels to Ravencroft after meeting a man that had recently encountered Carnage.  John Jameson proves Cletus Kasady is still in custody, shortly before police arrive to arrest Spider-Man for stealing a skeleton from the morgue.  Peter Parker pulls up in a car and rescues Spider-Man.  They travel to Avengers’ headquarters, where Giant-Man’s tests confirm that the skeleton was a clone of Spider-Man.

The Subplots:  Ben discovers that Jessica has plastered her walls with Spider-Man photographs.  She blames Spider-Man for something that happened to her father, but won’t give Ben specifics.  Later, Ben discovers a shadowy photo of Jessica’s father.  He shows it to Peter, who later scans it with the Avengers’ advanced equipment.  They discover Jessica’s father is Uncle Ben’s killer.

*See _________ For Details:  Peter Parker gave up his powers in Spider-Man: The Final Adventure #4.  The Avengers’ mansion was destroyed in Avengers: Timeslide, forcing the team to relocate to one of the Wasp’s homes.

Review:  Yes, let’s waste more time on the mysterious skeleton.  Since no one knew what to do with this storyline, the apparent resolution was to dismiss it as another clone and move on with more of the directionless storytelling that marks this era.  I know that some of the proposed resolutions to the Clone Saga involved making Ben an alternate reality, or time-traveling, version of Peter Parker, so reaffirming that the original clone’s skeleton was still in the smokestack could work in setting up those conclusions.  But knowing that Ben will simply be revealed as the clone from the original storyline, the one we know was left for dead in the smokestack, makes this diversion seem utterly pointless.  

And a lot of time is wasted getting to the test results this issue -- presumably so that it could be a dramatic final page reveal -- time Jurgens surely wanted to spend doing something (anything) else.  Because Jurgens has little space after addressing the skeleton story and advancing Jessica’s subplot, he’s left setting up Carnage’s return for yet another crossover and wasting a few pages on Spider-Man running from the police (who are only after him because of the stupid skeleton in the first place).  I honestly can’t blame the guy for leaving so soon; I imagine most creators wouldn’t want to work on any franchise character if it meant headaches like this.  As for the lone storyline that Jurgens himself has brought to the table…I guess it’s one way to take advantage of the “new” Spider-Man’s single status.  But like I said before, having Ben randomly meet the daughter of his uncle’s killer, and then begin to fall in love with her, strains credibility too much.  It doesn’t seem as if Jessica could be treated as a legitimate love interest after this revelation, anyway, making her time in the book seem predictably short-lived.

SENSATIONAL SPIDER-MAN #2 - March 1996

Remains of the Day:  The Return of Kaine Part Two
Credits:  Dan Jurgens (story/pencils), Klaus Janson (finishes), Gregory Wright w/Malibu’s Hues (colors), Richard Starkings and Comicraft (letters)

The Plot:  Spider-Man discovers that a skeleton wearing fragments of his costume has been found in a smokestack, the same smokestack he remembers waking up from years earlier.  He travels to the morgue and steals the remains, but on his way home runs into Kaine and Muse.  They’re on the run from the Rhino, who’s forcing the duo to join “The Game.”  A building toppled by the Rhino crushes Spider-Man.  When he comes to, everyone is gone.  He returns home with the skeleton.

The Subplots:  Ben’s friends from the Daily Grind plan a housewarming party and purchase him a television set as a gift.  Ben never arrives for the party because of his encounter with the Rhino.  When he does return home, Jessica is still there.  She reveals her feelings to Ben and they kiss.

Web of Continuity:  The skeleton in the smokestack was discovered in Spectacular Spider-Man #231.  Originally, the body of the clone was thrown down this smokestack, back when a) the clone was supposed to be dead, and b) Peter Parker was not supposed to be a clone.

*See _________ For Details:  More details on the mysterious “Game” are in Spectacular Spider-Man #231.


I Love the ‘90s:  Jonah Jameson tries to bribe his way into the morgue to see the skeleton.  The man at the desk asks if he is “Hootie, or the Blowfish?”

Review:  According to “Life of Reilly,” two significant events have occurred since the previous issue.  One is that Dan Jurgens convinced Bob Budinasky that the audience would not accept Ben Reilly as Spider-Man and that Peter Parker must return.  The second was Kurt Busiek's (who was writing Untold Tales of Spider-Man at the time and not directly involved with the Clone Saga) suggestion that a skeleton be found in the smokestack, placing Ben Reilly’s origin in question.  So, just two issues after the launch of Sensational Spider-Man established Ben as the one, true Spider-Man, plans are already being made to ditch the character, and yet another wrinkle in the massive Clone Saga plot is being introduced…even though no one working on the books has the slightest idea what the skeleton is supposed to mean.  Glenn Greenberg does a good job summarizing this idiocy in his segments of the LoR column, so I won’t belabor the point, but this is incredibly stupid.  The creators are now introducing the idea that neither Peter nor Ben is the original Spider-Man, just a few months after another storyline introduced a third Peter Parker who just might be the “real” one.  Not only was this an inane rabbit hole to be racing down in the first place, but they’re doing it again less than a year later!

Uggghhhh…so what else is in this comic?  Jurgens kills some pages with the pro-wrestling inspired Great Game storyline, which he apparently wasn’t enthused with in the first place.  It shows.  And Ben’s new buddies at the Daily Grind get together to throw him a surprise housewarming party, an idea that might’ve been inspired by one of Gerry Conway’s old issues.  The subplot that has Desiree and Jessica competing for Ben’s attention is also a fairly obvious callback to the Gwen/Peter/MJ love triangle from the old days.  The execution isn’t terrible, but there’s really nothing here that makes you care about the characters.  (And have I mentioned before how much I hate Buzz, the elderly beatnik who bums around the Daily Grind all day?)  Trying to build a supporting cast for Ben so quickly just comes across as forced, and it doesn’t help that the creators are making conscious efforts to recreate character dynamics we’ve already seen before.

SENSATIONAL SPIDER-MAN #1 - February 1996

Of Mists and Mirrors:  Media Blizzard Part One
Credits:  Dan Jurgens (story/pencils), Klaus Janson (inks), Gregory Wright w/Malibu’s Hues (colors), Richard Starkings & Comicraft (letters)

The Plot:  Dr. Ramirez tells Spider-Man that his D.I.T.-Chip is being used by the new Mysteryvision TV network to entrance viewers with 3D images taken directly from their minds.  Spider-Man visits the network’s headquarters, where he meets founder Randolph Hines.  Hines tricks Spider-Man into putting on a pair of 3D goggles, which project his darkest fears into reality.  Hines, who reveals himself as Mysterio, then sends his Christmas-themed monsters to terrorize the city.  When Spider-Man tries to stop them, he discovers his webshooters have frozen shut.

The Subplots:  Ben meets photography student Jessica at the Daily Grind.  He later recognizes her as the girl who took photos of him a few nights earlier when he re-emerged as Spider-Man.  

*See __________ For Details:  “Media Blizzard” is continued in Amazing Spider-Man #408.

Forever Young:  Ben tells Jessica he was interested in photography back in his high school and college days…“a looong time ago!”  When Jessica later gives him a tour of Centennial University, he remarks that it’s been years since he felt like a student.

I Love the ‘90s:  Spider-Man wonders if Jonah Jameson will one day target Mother Teresa.

Gimmicks:  This issue features a fifth-ink cover, but keeps the standard cover price.

Review:  “Media Blizzard” was intended to be Mysterio’s grand return to the titles, complete with a revamped costume and new 3D hologram gimmick.  Neither of these stuck, but I honestly like Mysterio’s new look, and think making his illusions holograms isn’t necessarily a bad idea, either.  (I imagine if Mysterio ever makes into one of the films, that’s the angle that will be taken.)  The main failing of “Media Blizzard” is that it comes across as a fairly pedestrian Spider-Man story, yet it was stretched over the entire line for a month, simply because Marvel wanted to keep the books in a permanent crossover.  It’s hard to make illusions seem like a viable threat in the first place, and using them as the basis of a mini-event is an even harder sell.  

The personal life subplots aren’t quite so dull, thankfully.  I think that the eventual revelation that Jessica is the daughter of Uncle Ben’s killer is a stretch even by comic book standards, but Jurgens does an admirable job of fleshing her out as a supporting cast member this issue.  His Ben Reilly is also a likeable enough protagonist, clearly inspired by the classic Lee/Romita stories.  I can see why people have labeled Jurgens one of the best Ben writers, even if he apparently wanted to ditch the character immediately.

SENSATIONAL SPIDER-MAN #0 - January 1996

The Ultimate Commitment
Credits:  Dan Jurgens (story/pencils), Klaus Janson (inks), Gregory Wright (colors), Richard Starkings and Comicraft (letters)

The Plot:  Ben Reilly starts his life over in New York, deciding to reclaim the mantle of Spider-Man.  He uses chemicals from the drug store to create a crude web fluid, then takes leftover fragment scraps from Centennial University’s fashion department to sew a new costume.  Nearby, Armada steals the Digital Imagery Transmission Chip from its creator, Professor Ramirez.  Spider-Man defeats Armada and saves Ramirez’s life, but is unable to stop one of Armada’s orbs from carrying the chip away.  The orb takes the chip to Mysterio.

The Subplots:  Ben runs into Anna Watson at Aunt May and Uncle Ben’s gravesite.  Her reaction to his scruffy appearance inspires him to change his look.  Later, inside CU’s fashion department, he cuts his hair and dyes it blond.  While readjusting to life in New York, Ben meets The Daily Grind's owner and her son, and fashion student Desiree Winthrop.  Ben’s offered a job at The Daily Grind by the owner (whose name we later discover is Shirley Washington).  As he webslings in his new costume, mystery characters Wendall and Jessica notice him.  Jessica has an unspecified grudge against Spider-Man that will be revealed in future issues.

Web of Continuity:  Mysterio’s new, fishbowl-less look debuts this issue.  And, clearly, we’re still knee-deep in the Clone Saga.

*See _________ For Details:  The story of Peter and MJ’s quiet, “retired” life is explored in the Spider-Man: The Final Adventure miniseries.


Forever Young:  Ben reflects on how long it’s been since he designed his original costume in his high school days.

Gimmicks:  This issue is double-sized, on glossy paper, with a cardstock cover and a 3D "holocard".  The cover price is $4.95.  You could also argue that simply being a #0 issue is a gimmick.

Creative Differences:  As Glenn Greenberg reveals in the Life of Reilly, Ben’s blond hair was the brainchild of new group editor Bob Budinasky, and wasn’t particularly popular amongst anyone who actually worked on the books.  The gimmick cover of this issue was also considered something of a dud amongst the spider-office, I believe.

Review:  Sensational Spider-Man was really Web of Spider-Man with a new name and higher production values, so I guess I’ll continue to review it under the same rules I established for Web.  The first year of this book is quite a mess, perhaps even messier than Web’s early issues, with Dan Jurgens leaving by issue number six, and the entire clone storyline being retconned a few issues later.  The marketing hook for this title, aside from a new number zero and number one (and shiny paper), was Dan Jurgens.  Jurgens was considered the main creator on the Superman titles at the time, and his addition to the Spider-Man titles made him one of the few freelancers to have worked on both Superman and Spider-Man, and the only creator to work on both franchises simultaneously.  

I’m not saying this to diminish Dan Jurgens’ work at all, but I’ve never quite understood why Marvel felt this was such a powerful marketing hook.  The Superman titles were decent sellers at the time, but I’m certain that even the controversial Clone Saga Spider-Man books were outselling them.  And if we’re talking Wizard approved hot artists, I’m not sure where Jurgens ranked on that list.  He’s one of the better mainstream superhero artists of this era, yes, but he has a very traditional, restrained style.  His work is barely flashy by early ‘80s standards; by late 1995 this style was practically quaint.  Again, I personally like it, and I’m sure 90% of Marvel’s output at the time would’ve benefited by having Jurgens replace Deodato Studios or Generic Fake Manga Artist, but is he really what Marvel’s target audience wanted?  Is Dan Jurgens that much more of a draw than Ron Frenz…or even Alex Saviuk, who was stuck drawing adaptations of the Spider-Man cartoon at the time?

As for Jurgens’ writing -- I suppose his major claim to fame is killing off Superman, right?  Not exactly the best resumé item when you’re stepping on to a franchise that’s already steeped in controversy.  I remember people speculating that Jurgens was being brought in to place the “hit” on Peter Parker – an inane theory, yes, but the core audience was already infuriated by this storyline.  They didn’t want someone to bring more stunts into the comic.  Personally, I've never had strong feelings toward Jurgens’ writing work.  This issue exhibits his ability to tightly plot a one-issue introductory story, but the dialogue is occasionally corny and I don’t think anyone is going to consider Armada a classic villain.  His gimmick, aside from having little gizmos that fly around him, is that he has an emotional attachment to his doodads, and even gives them female names.  I can easily see a writer today deceiving himself into thinking he’s edgy by making this a sexual fascination, but it’s played here as just a quirk.  And as a defining character trait, that’s barely anything to go on.  He has about as much depth as any of the villains that attempted to steal Hostess Fruit Pies back in the ‘70s.  

So, the story’s on the level of Tom DeFalco’s work from this era.  There are no noticeable holes to pick in the plot, but there's very little to draw the reader in.  The art is helped a bit by Janson’s inks, but like I said before, this is competent but not quite extraordinary work.  This is a five-dollar comic meant to launch a new era of the franchise (the “Spider-Renaissance” as it’s called in the hype page) …I don’t think it did the job.

Lost Liefeld?

Thought this might be of interest to everyone.  Rob Liefeld is posting pages from a Howard Mackie penned inventory issue that was going to run in either X-Factor or New Mutants in 1989, before his regular run on New Mutants began.  He'll post more in the coming days.

http://robliefeldcreations.com/?p=3013

THE BOOK OF FATE #12 - January 1998

One Man’s Fate

Credits: Keith Giffen (plot and pencils), Alan Grant (script), Bill Reinhold (inker), Gaspar (letterer), Mike Danza (colorist)

Summary: While exiled from Earth, Fate and Lobo go barhopping. Meanwhile, Dr. Occult threatens Sentinel not to pursue his lawsuit against Fate, Amethyst cancels her plans for Fate, and Chaos and Order decide Fate has kept the balance between them too well. Lobo takes Fate back to Earth to drink at a bar for forgotten heroes. After Lobo passes out, Fate’s forcibly thrown outside. He wanders the alley, wondering if the universe has turned its back on him.

Irrelevant Continuity: Fate has apparently lost his powers by the end of the story, presumably after Chaos and Order choose to ignore him.

Review: Four issues after the letter column promised that Lobo wouldn’t be appearing in this title, Lobo appears in this title. I don’t think Lobo was considered that much of a sales draw by late 1997, so presumably he’s here because Giffen feels like using him again. This is largely a joke issue, mocking the public’s refusal to accept Fate as a protagonist, so theoretically Lobo wouldn’t be out of place for at least this story. It turns out that neither Giffen nor Grant has too many great jokes in mind for the character, unfortunately, so he spends the issue reciting his old punch lines and making a few references to his powerful farts. Some of the meta-humor does work, though. Amethyst outright declares her plans for Fate “cancelled” due to the universe’s lack of interest in him. Chaos and Order decide that he hasn’t tilted the balance one way or the other, making him such a dull protector of the balance he isn’t worth noticing. And Guy Gardner’s bar for cancelled DC heroes, all of whom can’t stand Fate, is amusing.

So, as it turns out, it’s okay to hate Fate. This version, at least. Good. What a waste of Ron Wagner and Bill Reinhold, though.

THE BOOK OF FATE #11 - December 1997

The Perception of Doors

Credits: Keith Giffen (plot), Alan Grant (script), Matt Smith (penciler), Steve Mitchell (inker), Gaspar (letterer), Mike Danza (colorist)

Summary: To escape his prison cell, Fate concentrates on where he’s “supposed to be.” He suddenly appears in a strange room with Amethyst and two of her followers. She tells him that his “time will come” shortly before he materializes in Arnold’s bathroom. Vera reluctantly volunteers to help him go into hiding, but Fate walks off. He’s soon greeted by Sentinel, who offers to send Fate into Exile until the mystic community clears him. In Exile, Fate meets Lobo.

We Get Letters: The editors admit in the letter column that the “Convergence” crossover was confusing and didn’t have a clear reason to exist. They seem especially proud of a crossover they edited called “Final Night,” though.

I Love the ‘90s: Vera says that Jared’s face is “better known that Princess Di’s.”

Miscellaneous Note: The title of the issue is likely a reference to a novel by Aldous Huxley called The Doors of Perception.

Review: With one issue left to go, an entire issue is squandered on merely getting Fate from Point A to Point B, intercut with a few vague, futile conversations. Knowing that the Jared Stevens Fate is one issue away from disappearing into obscurity, it’s hard for me to care about Dr. Occult lecturing Vera on the importance of Jared learning to teleport on his own, a conversation that lasts several pages. (What was the point of bringing Vera into the book in the first place? I was never entirely certain on what her brother’s role was supposed to be, so seeing him replaced towards the end of the book’s run with his nerdy sister is even more vexing.) And there’s Amethyst’s evil plot, which I doubt is going to be thwarted in the next twenty-two pages. (If anyone did bother to bring Amethyst back into the DC continuity of this era, I suspect it was to undo these changes and make her a heroine again anyway.) Finally, Sentinel appears to set up the inevitable Lobo guest shot. This may tie in with the ongoing subplot that has Sentinel suing Jared for his mystic artifacts, but it’s not as if that storyline brought a lot of excitement to the series in the first place.

One more issue…