Spider-Man: Doctor Octopus - Out of Reach #2

Background

This is hard. You see, I've just finished my review of Spider-Man / Doctor Octopus: Negative Exposure #3 and now I'm doing Out Of Reach #2. Why is is hard then? Well, save the best for last they say, looks like I did it the other way around. Bummer.

Story Details

Doctor Octopus is standing over Brigham Fontaine. He kidnapped him last issue. Brigham designed the lock on the vault that Doc Ock could not open. After threatening Brigham, he cooperates and is willing to crack his invention. After a bit of thinking, he says, I can do it! Ock replies, we can do it. Of course, they need materials, so they go out and steal them. Spider-Man arrives at the scene. Using a magno-converter, Doc Ock can escape even before Spidey can do one thing about it.

Later, in a tunnel under the city, Brigham and Octavius are talking. Brigham mentions his genius rivals that of Doc Ock. Ock laughs at him, making Brigham mad and then he starts to cry. Kids at school used to laugh at him, he will not be laughed at anymore. Ock says, get to work.

Brigham designs a belt which can be used to open the vault and when he's about to test it, Spider-Man turns up. Doc Ock attacks instantly. After a short fight, an explosion follows. Separating Brigham, Spider-Man and Doc Ock. Brigham tries the belt and is knocked unconsious. Doc Ock is first to arrive. When Spidey gets there, he runs, taking the belt with him.

Spidey then recues Brigham from the collapsing tunnel, jumping through dangerous looking electrical cables and flying pieces of concrete. Brigham is asking what happened, where's his machine? Where's Otto? Leave Otto to me says Spidey and he's off.

We then see Doc Ock, at Pier 75. Somebody is knocking on the door. It's Brigham. He's back. Indeed. Indeed you are, replies Doc Ock.

General Comments

Silly, silly, silly. That's what I would call this issue. A magno-convertor? To stop Spider-Man? That is something that belongs in a 70's Marvel Two-In-One comic (no offense Thing, I mean Mr. Grimm, please, don't clubber me). And how did Spidey get to the secret hide-out? Thinking like a six-armed lunatic? Get real! And when Brigham is rescued by Spidey, we see concrete flying all over the place. Last time I saw concrete, all it did was fall to the ground.....

And when Spidey leaves Brigham, well..... Last time, thinking like a six-armed lunatic got him to that secret tunnel. This time, it get's him home. Guess he was out of places to look. Why didn't he just follow Brigham? He knew where to go....

Then, the thought that Brigham's genius rivals that of Doc Ock. If he really were as smart as Doc Ock, he would (a) already have a solution to opening that vault and would (b) be smart enough to not to return to Octavius and go solo. Of course, last issue we saw part of Otto's childhood and it's similar to the one Brigham tells about. Surely they have things in common, but this is a bit too much to my liking.

Overall Rating

Yep, less than last issue. I (still) find the story to be extremely silly and the artwork is awfull. Oh well, perhaps I am wrong and the artwork was actually good. And it's just me who thinks that concrete can't fly.