SENSATIONAL SPIDER-MAN #14 - March 1997
Deluge Part Two - Higher Ground
Credits: Todd Dezago (writer), Mike Wieringo (penciler), Richard Case (inks), Gregory Wright w/GCW (colors), Comicraft (letters)
The Plot:
A Fall People elder explains the legend of Chtylok to Ka-Zar and
Spider-Man. After the tribe is again moved out of harm’s way, Ka-Zar
shows Spider-Man one of Roxxon’s relay units. Spider-Man realizes that
the unit is actually increasing the temperature, and acting as an oil
rig. Ka-Zar races off to confront the Roxxon employees, but is ambushed
by Roxxon guards in armored suits. Spider-Man tries to help, but their
fight is interrupted by Stegron, who emerges with an army of dinosaurs
under his command.
The Subplot:
The Hulk investigates the exodus of beasts from Monster Island and
discovers Chtylok. Their fight takes them to the tunnels underneath
Monster Island.
*See _________ For Details: Stegron was frozen outside of the Savage Land in Thunderstrike #20.
Review:
Unlike the rest of the internet, I don’t have an ironic appreciation
of Stegron. I’ve never cared for the design, and can’t think of any
stories featuring Stegron as the main villain that were particularly
good. Stegron in small doses is fine, though, and luckily this story
treats him as just another one of the crazy menaces you might run into
in the Savage Land. And while this issue covers much of the same ground
as the previous issue, there is a genuinely touching moment during the
Fall People evacuation scene. It’s easy to dismiss the characters as
generic native warrior clichés and to play the older members of the
tribe as a joke, but Dezago does a great job in merely one page detailing
just how hard it can be for anyone to leave their home behind. As for
the art, it’s another issue of Wieringo drawing dinosaurs and giant
Marvel monsters, so it’s great. I will point out, however, that this
issue is one of the more egregious examples of Wieringo drawing
Spider-Man’s eyes and head inconsistently. It probably shouldn't bother me as much as it does, but I think it's a major reason why it took me a while to appreciate Wieringo's Spider-Man.
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