Superior Spider-Man #4 *spoilers* and discussion

[LooneyKoala]

It's also nice it's not super duper serious like J. Michael Straczynski's run.

Yep. It's a fun read.

[HopeLantern]

I was wrong before, but every issue has me loving this series more and more. One of my favorite books on the stands, now.

[eedwards027]

I'm new to comics and Superior Spider-Man is one of the series I have started with. I'm personally loving it and look forward to every issue.

[Ursalink]

I was wrong before, but every issue has me loving this series more and more. One of my favorite books on the stands, now.

You are kidding, right? I can't hold this junk for more time. Octopus keeps ruinning Spiderman and Peter Parker's life with his insanities. And in the last page, with the Green Goblin back, I don't know if I should feel worried or relief. There's no way Osborn knows about the mind switcheroo, so he's wrong thinking he knows all of "Spiderman's tricks". And although I admit that the idea of Spider-Ock vs the Green Goblin would be interesting, I still hate how this mess is getting bigger and bigger. I just hope we will see Carlie Cooper warning some people about this Spider-Fake being actually an octopus in a spider's skin.

[stewart48]

Way to go, another unessesary bring back from the bus, for the sole purpose of fridging, when a replacement successor could have sufficed (since Kafka was supposed to be long fired fifteen years ago anyways). Way to go.

Soooooo still not reading it.

It's modern comics, people die because they exist. Recognizable supporting character means emotional gimmick.

I agree the character could have had a role in future stories, she had a good bit of connective tissue for potential stories, and this just seems like such a cheap death. She served the role of a feature d extra

Slott's running out of room in his refrigerator

[atlasjj]

I was wrong before, but every issue has me loving this series more and more. One of my favorite books on the stands, now.

I agree with you here. So far I've enjoyed the series.

[Doop]

Dan Slott has said he wants to make Doc Ock Spidey's #1 villain and he's planning to do that by trying to get the readers to sympathize, feel sorry for and root for him before he screws it all up.

Where did he say that?

[Erik B]

So if i recall correctly, Marvel did not want Peter to be a teacher because it aged him. After reading this issue, i have to ask...if Otto gets a PhD as Peter...how long before that PhD is null and void?

[Ravin' Ray]

You are kidding, right? I can't hold this junk for more time.

One man's trash is another man's treasure.

So if i recall correctly, Marvel did not want Peter to be a teacher because it aged him. After reading this issue, i have to ask...if Otto gets a PhD as Peter...how long before that PhD is null and void?

Interestingly, Peter is going to benefit from Otto earning a PhD because he can learn alongside him. But with Otto already having stock knowledge, his stint at ESU might not be as long as expected. And Peter should access the knowledge Otto already had to upgrade his ghost self.

[Mister Mets]

I didn't think Kafka died? Just had her eye taken? It was nice to see her again, but it was cruel...

In this case, it does seem that she's dead. It's suggested that she's the only woman who died at Ravencroft.

[DamnYellow]

Yeah, she's totally alive. They just didn't want to touch her. Blood and stuff.

[Tendrin]

That won't happen. Theres only one way this story will end.

Doc Ock is a villain at heart who is stealing a life that will never be his. He would gladly murder Peter all over again to keep this body when he could just as easily transfer himself to a clone bred version of his own body.

There is no redemption for Otto Octavius, he'll be armed with tentacles and terrorizing new york by the time this is all over and he's given up becuase he thinks being a real hero is too hard. He is a vicious sinister human being and a ticking time bomb.

While you're probably right that Ock will be back to 'normal' sooner or later, I'd argue that Slott has explicitly labelled this a redemption story and a hero's journey for Ock. He -is- a bad guy and a villain at heart, but the question for Ock is 'Can he rise above his own nature'? Which is an interesting question. This being comic books, I agree, that the answer is probably 'no'. The much less villainous Sandman was seemingly randomly turned back into a villain, after all, in a pretty awful story that did undid quite a lengthy period of character development in him and Ock is a much higher tier 'baddie' than Sandman ever was.

He'll defeat Peter in the next fight thinking he's won for good but Parker will take the fight in possibly another form (hitching a ride on the living brain before Doctor Octopus can finish him off maybe?)

In any case, I think Superior is meant to be deceptive in nature. Dan Slott has said he wants to make Doc Ock Spidey's #1 villain and he's planning to do that by trying to get the readers to sympathize, feel sorry for and root for him before he screws it all up. That and Dan's run has seemed to focus on people coming into great power and totally abusing it for selfish ends in the end like Alpha and Hobgoblin.

It's why I'm largely going to remain a cranky curmudgeon/JJJ when it comes to Doc Ock showing positive qualities.

I think he'll defeat Peter, yes, but I'd argue that Slott has succeeded in doing this already. The Green Goblin never succeeded in killing Peter, after all. What this means is that, for now, there's really no where left for Ock to go as a villain. Look at what happened with the Red Skull after Bru's cap. There was really nothing left to be done with him and they swept him off the board for now to give him a long resting period up until, well, now... which isn't even really the real Red Skull; just a clone that's probably going to die before the end of that particular story.

I expect that Ock will achieve either some measure of redemption, even if he's never going to be a 'nice' person, or that he'll die. There aren't really many options left for him, thematically. The man who cheats death always has to pay the piper eventually and my feeling has always been that Ock's personal redemption will always come at the cost of losing his shot at it. Certainly, they could just have Ock go 'bad' again at the end of the story and have Parker punch him out and get his body back but that is, thematically and dramatically, the weakest of all possible outcomes, even if it might be the most satisfying emotionally to fans who just want Ock to get his sooner rather than later. Comics can afford to do more than the cheap, pro-wrestling style Face Victory over the Heel, after all.

[Tendrin]

You are kidding, right? I can't hold this junk for more time. Octopus keeps ruinning Spiderman and Peter Parker's life with his insanities. And in the last page, with the Green Goblin back, I don't know if I should feel worried or relief. There's no way Osborn knows about the mind switcheroo, so he's wrong thinking he knows all of "Spiderman's tricks". And although I admit that the idea of Spider-Ock vs the Green Goblin would be interesting, I still hate how this mess is getting bigger and bigger. I just hope we will see Carlie Cooper warning some people about this Spider-Fake being actually an octopus in a spider's skin.

God, I know, right? It's almost like they're getting drama in your comic book.

[saucemaster]

HAHA, I love Ock going to back finish Parker's degree. He's delivering on that promise of being Superior. I'm starting to hope Parker disappears for good.

[saucemaster]

I didn't think Kafka died? Just had her eye taken? It was nice to see her again, but it was cruel...

No one said, 'she's dead', but if she is alive, I find it hard to believe that first responders (and the mayor), just casually stand around her while she lies contorted on the floor, bleeding out of her eye socket.