Spider-Man: The Manga #14

Background

It's the Japanese Spidey! It's a black-and-white five minute read for $2.99 U.S.! It's the longest storyline yet... showcasing the best and the worst of the series. Here's part five of the six-part "Mysterio/Fake Spider-Man" arc.

Story Details

Yu hauls himself out of the river and the panicked crowd disperses. The army, however, tries to run him down. They shoot at Yu as he flees. In the confusion, Spidey knocks down a child, who is blinded as a result. Even though everyone believes that he is now a kidnapper, Yu cannot leave the child alone. He takes him to a hospital and waits, guilt-ridden, for a diagnosis. The doctor arrives and tells Spider-Man that the child needs an immediate operation which will cost five thousand dollars. The web-slinger vows to get the money.

At home that night, Yu is forced to sit with Rumi and his Aunt and listen to the news reports putting a negative spin on all of his actions. Even Rumi asks, "Why didn't Mysterio do a better job of beating Spider-Man?"

Yu tries to borrow money from the Joho Newspaper but is refused by his boss. Soon, Yu is coming home each day with cuts and bruises on his face, hands, and feet. He refuses to tell his Aunt or Rumi the reasons for his condition and treats both of them abominably. The two women decide to give our suffering little hero time.

General Comments

Rarely has one storyline swung so drastically, issue to issue, like Yu's moods themselves, from worth to worthlessness.

The arc started fine, then headed downhill, only to recover last issue for part four! How unfortunate, then, that this next issue is the worst of the entire story. The melodrama of the blinded child is unconvincing and unnecessary. (And the doctor's subsequent revelation that the child suffered only a cut is really irritating.) The less said about it, the better.

Overall Rating

One lousy web. What a fiasco!