Spider-Man Family (Vol. 2) #4 (Story 1)

Background

Phillip Masters was a normal puppeteer until he found a lump of radioactive clay. He used that clay to control the person he would mold it to resemble, causing many problems for the Fantastic Four. Since then, he has been the villain known the world over as...the Puppet Master!

Story 'Tales of the Puppet Master!'

While concocting his latest scheme for world domination in the park, Puppet Master is confronted by a little boy named Louis who notices the Spidey action figure he makes. Louis talks about his own action figures, how his mother gave them to him before he died and how they're his best friends. After a few minutes, Louis heads off to play. Unfortunately, some bullies find him, take his toys, and toss them in a nearby lake.

Seeing this, PM consoles Louis and gives him the Spidey figure, saying it will take care of him. Happy, Louis promises never to let his new friend go and takes him home. The next day, Louis tries to play with Spidey in the park when the bullies return. However, when they take Spidey away they get a surprise as the figure comes to life and clobbers all of them while spouting some Spidey-like phrases.

The bullies have run off, leaving Louis feeling very powerful with his new friend. He contemplates using that power to do some bullying of his own, but his friend reminds him that with great power comes great responsibility. Louis agrees and decides to just play with his new friend and have fun.

General Comments

A cute offbeat tale that offers a contrasting view of PM when compared to his recent appearance in Ms. Marvel. This shows even villains can have a moment of goodness in them, no matter how small. While done by the same person behind the Franklin Richards books, it maintains the look but not the humor of those one-shots, so don't expect too many laughs. Otherwise, it was a decent and heartwarming read, and a pretty good way to start off this issue.

Overall Rating

4 Webs. Always room for a cute and heartwarming story.