Sensational Spider-Man (Vol. 2) #30

Story Details

At the Whitney museum of art in NYC, Peter is trailing Max Dillon - Electro. Dillon demands Peter show him his 'colors', and Peter reveals his Spidey suit. Electro says he tried a different look once which 'didn't stick' (thank goodness). Electro wonders how Spidey found him and (surprise, surprise) Spider-Man says his new suit has a tracking ability. It's right next to the Waffle Maker.

Spidey asks Dillon what's going on with the other villains. He says Electro's vitals are giving him away. Dillon refuses to say, so Spidey uses his new suit to ground him, which results in Electro electrifying himself. Another new suit ability - this one sits alongside the built-in blender.

Back at the theatre with MJ and she is stung by a bee. She looks up and Swarm is there. A stuntman hurls a sandbag at Swarm, while everyone else runs for it. She grabs a curtain, throws it over the creature and turns the sprinklers on. The water dissipates the bees, and the skeleton underneath collapses once the stuntman bashes it over the head with one of the prop weapons. MJ worries if this is how it's going to be from now on - every freak going after her once they're ticked off at Peter.

Elsewhere, Chameleon is preparing for action himself. He remembers how he went after MJ once before and jumped off the bridge to his apparent death. Meanwhile, Spidey is swinging around town with Black Cat. She is upset Peter didn't let her know about his unmasking. He says he's sorry but feels as if his life has been on fast-forward recently. Peter tells her that someone's playing with him and MJ (who is now in hospital recovering from her stings). Pete says he needs someone to watch his and his friend's backs while he is so high-profile.

Liz Allan calls Pete as he's talking to Cat and says Molten Man has taken Normie and won't give him back until Spdey meets him. He and Cat swing into action.

At Liz's, Will'o, Scarecrow and Raxton are all waiting for Spidey. Meanwhile, on May's trip to the store, her Iron Man-type bodyguards leave her with 'Peter' - who of course is Chameleon...

General Comments

The panel with Electro electrifying himself was pretty cool. It looked great and the idea from Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa was a good one too. What I don't buy was that Spider-Man suddenly put all the pieces together and realised Electro was part of some larger plot. His explanation appeared to be that, because Scarecrow and Will'o were within 10 blocks of Electro - and Electro's 'vitals' were high, there had to be some larger plot. I also don't think Peter would take on Electro in a crowded museum. Peter started the fight, remember, not Dillon.

Additionally, I would think May's bodyguards would have some sort of sensor to know the real Peter - if not that, then surely May would know her own nephew?!

Lastly, I also wish Clayton Crain could be allowed to run with the book. Angel Medina does an OK job but he's not in the same league as Crain. He nails the costumes but his standard Peter and MJ (and other 'normal' people) just don't look quite right.

OK, enough moaning. My favourite line in the whole book is the clarification as to what Swarm is: "these are bees and wasps controlled by a dead nazi scientist's reanimated skeleton." Brilliant. You know this is the Marvel Universe, folks.

I do like the way MJ is resilient enough to deal with Swarm on her own. The scene is very well written actually, with the references to her childhood.

I also like RAS' nod towards continuity. His confrontation with Mary-Jane back in Spectacular Spider-Man #245 and apparent suicide in Webspinners Tales of Spider-Man #11.

RAS does seem to have a good grasp on the character of Spider-Man. The continuity nods, the old-school villains, the pacing of the books - it all makes Sensational the truest Spidey book out there at the moment.

Overall Rating

A good issue - despite my mini gripes. Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa really hit his stride here and it will be good to see how he ties the arc up.