Web of Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #60

Story 'The Harder They Fall'

Spidey is fighting Goliath on top of a NYC bridge. Despite Golith's huge size advantage, Spidey beats him easily thanks to his newly-enhanced powers. After Spidey swings off, one of Kingpin's men takes Goliath off with a fake FBI id.

Pete goes to May's and in a roundabout way, she makes him feel a lot better about the strength of his new powers. At the Bugle, Katzenberg's pictures of Spidey's battle with Goliath don't go down too well with Fireheart, who wants a pro-Spider-Man agenda.

Spidey visits Fireheart at the Bugle as he wants him to sell the Bugle back to Jonah. Freheart takes a phone call from Kingpin wanting him to pass a message on to Spidey. Spider-Man takes the phone himself and Kingpin asks if they can meet in Battery Park.

It's a setup, of course, and Goliath shows up again but Spidey blasts him with rays from his eyes. Goliath lets slip about Dr Doom and Kingpin's arrangement. Doom is watching on and has some sort of setup that allows him to channel Spidey's new powers through Goliath. Goliath should get stronger the more Spidey uses his powers on him.

Eventually Goliath topples back into the river with Spidey victorious. Doom, watching on, says he now has the knowledge to replicate Spidey's new powers for himself.

General Comments

This is another 'villain of the week' story in the ongoing 'Acts Of Vengeance' arc. Already it's getting pretty tiring – especially as Spider-Man never has to use any actual skill to dispatch of each villain. With his new powers he just 'zaps' whoever that week's fall guy is and that's the end.

Things are still building to a showdown with Doom but not even that is too exciting as Doom isn't even a Spidey villain. The books just doesn't have much of a Spidey feel at the moment. His new abilities, no Jonah at the Bugle and not much of Peter really detract from everything else and it just doesn't come across very well.

Overall Rating

This arc is getting boring pretty quickly.