Sensational Spider-Man (Vol. 2) #27

Story 'The Rock of Life'

Doctor Vincent Stegron is in the arctic circle contemplating a defeat at the hands of Spider-Man. He comes across a massive rock in a clearing. He thinks it is an asteroid. He drags part of the rock back across the ice and takes it home to the US. He sends it to a geologist friend with no note to explain who it's from. The geologist calls Curt Connors for an opinion. The rock is left for the rains to come – as Stegron planned – and now it time for him 'to claim my kingdom'.

Spidey begins to fight him and the fight goes outside. Vermin and Lizard are still fighting, then Black Cat and Puma show up. Cat goes for Lizard, Puma for Vermin. They take them both down and subdue them.

Spidey's still fighting Stegron but manages to contact Reed through his suit. He then uses the suit to make himself invisible. Reed tells Spidey to stop fighting and go down three floors. He finds the stone there shortly before Stegron bursts in. Spider-Man batters him and stands over him saying Spiders rule the world before Cat and Puma come in.

It is all over … at least for now. Madame Web foresees that things are about to get a lot more complicated for Peter.

General Comments

Quite a disappointing end really. I did like that Aguirre-Sacasa brought back so many supporting villains / characters not seen in a while but it was all a bit of a mess at the end. Some mysterious stone sends all the transformation-based villains a bit mad … did it really need five issues? The last two, in particular, contained very little in terms of content and the best thing to come from the arc was the art from Clayton Crain in the one issue he drew.

I did like that Felicia is back in Peter's life but the perpetually young Billy is becoming a bit of a joke, as is the sheer number of functions Spidey's new suit has. He can now apparently fly, turn invisible and contact random people like Reed Richards through it, and that's not to mention the extra arms. Didn't he get by just fine for 40 years of issues with just his 'spider powers'?

I have nothing against change or an upgrade of powers or a new suit, or any of that but it's too much too soon. In just 18 months, he's had his powers upgraded after Disassembled, upgraded again in The Other and then a new suit with goodness-only-knows how many more functions.

Ultimately these aren't the faults of the writer here and, if anything, Aguirre- Sacasa does a good job of showcasing just how much Spidey can do now. But the character just seems to me to have spun far and beyond itself leading up to this arc.

Overall Rating

A bit of a disappointing finish. The writer suffers from all the new material he has to fit into the scripts yet still overwrites to make a five-issue arc.