Comics : Marvel Knights: Spider-Man #11

In Detail...

	Marvel Knights: Spider-Man #11  Arc: Part 3 of "The Last Stand"
	Editor:  Axel Alonso Writer:  Mark Millar Penciler:  Terry Dodson Inker:  Rachel Dodson	Staff Only Images Review Edit
	Apr 2005 : SM Title : Marvel Knights: Spider-Man  Reprinted In: Spider-Man TPB (SM:MK) #3
Characters: Doctor Octopus, Electro, The Sinister Six

Norman starts by telling Gargan that him becoming Venom was not part of the plan and that he'd deal with him later. Meanwhile, Spidey and Black Cat are fighting off the remaining 10 villains. Electro hits Felicia with a blast and Vulture is annoyed at him for not getting in there first.

Meanwhile, Gargan/Venom is taunting Spider-Man about what they're going to do to MJ. Peter thwacks him, before Hydro-Man hits him. Watching from the shadows and about to launch into action, though, are the Fantastic Four, Daredevil, Captain America and Iron Man. They jump in to stop things.

MJ, meanwhile, is in her and Pete's apartment - she has just phoned SHIELD - hence Pete's backup. Norman shows up, though. Peter tells Captain America he has to go rescue her, and swings off while the other heroes keep tabs on the villains.

As he's swinging across the city, Spider-Man is intercepted by Venom. They fight across the tops of the buildings, while the symbiote splits to prevent Pete from getting away. He's there to stop Pete saving MJ.

The split symbiote starts buildings tumbling, and Pete uses his webs to stop anything from hitting the people below. Spidey's mad, batters Venom and ends up pulling a building down on top of him.

At Riker's, the doctors are working on Doctor Octopus, and let slip that Osborn has escaped. He begins to go a little mad, and bursts out of the penitentiary.

Pete is still on his way back home, and comes across a deranged Goblin holding an unconscious MJ atop the Brooklyn/George Washington Bridge that Gwen was dropped from way back in ASM 121.

In General...

That said, the rest of the issue is fairly solid, if a little too action-packed for my liking. Too many similar-looking fight panels with too many thought bubbles - specifically generic thought bubbles carrying Peter's guilt, which has been explored oh-so-many times before.

The book starts quite shakily. The dialogue between Gargan and Osborn doesn't really fit their characters. His telling Norman that he's "overreacting" just doesn't ring true as a super-villain line.

Also, the Dodsons' art really loses it towards the bottom of page five, where Spidey and Felicia start the fight. Lizard looks so generic, while Sandman just comes over as poor.

It also seems quite flat later in the book when Spider-Man's fighting Venom on his way back to Mary Jane. The art on Doc Ock also looks nothing like the Doc Ock we've seen in the past. In some cases, that can be a good thing ... but here I don't think it is. The Goblin looks fantastic, however.

I liked the issue, but I can't help but think that this type of thing has been overdone so often recently that it just lacks ... something. Villain team-ups vs. hero team-ups just don't hit you dramatically the way they might have done in the past. It's the same deal with MJ being dangled over the bridge. If it weren't for the endless number of times Spidey has ended up on top of it, the scene would have been really dramatic. Instead, it just has a "seen that before"-type feel to it.

Overall Rating...

By Kerry Wilkinson (E-Mail)