Comics : Spider-Man: Made Men
Background...
Ben Urich, hardened reporter for the Daily Bugle sups Whisky and assembles some copy for his expose on crime lords, "Made Men".
In Detail...
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Spider-Man: Made Men
Aug 1998 : SM Title |
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Staff Only
Issue Review |
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| Articles: Daredevil, Green Goblin I (Norman Osborn), Hammerhead, Kingpin, The Punisher, Rose III (Jacob Conover), Silvermane | |||||||||
Howard Mackie isn't my favourite writer just at the moment. Given that he presided over the recent 'dumbing-down' (if that was possible) of the Spidey titles at a time when they showed some potential, I am always reluctant to give him any credit at all.
So, it was with some surprise that I found myself enjoying this story. It's a simple enough tale, wrapped around to two kids who have a run-in with The Kingpin back a few years. One of them ends up on the Kingpin's side, and the other winds up working as an undercover cop.
So recently, when the Kingpin makes a play to come out of retirement, these two old friends find themselves going head to head in a game where few can claim to end up winners.
The story is structured around Ben's reminiscences of the key gangland figures who rule Marvel's New York crime scene - Hammerhead, Silvermane, and the more recent appearances such as Fortunato. The story is quite deftly woven into an interesting climax, with a nice blend of twisted fate and tragic inevitability.
In General...
This trade paperback is dated August 1998, which is a few months ago now. Compared to the current pap which passes for Spider-comics, this is a diverting little stand-alone tale which shows perhaps what Mackie would be capable of under different circumstances.
Overall Rating... 
Recommended. Four webs.
