Superior Spider-Man #18 Review

It says something about the state of Otto Octavius' life that a run-in with Spider-Man 2099 is the least of his concerns right now. But between the imminent shutdown of Horizon Labs, the possible loss of his inventions, the pressures of pursuing a doctoral degree, and the need to placate the various women in his life, Otto is learning first hand why Peter Parker was so constantly frazzled. It's this slow dissolution of Otto's carefully structured little world that provides the deeper source of drama in this arc beyond the temporal crossover.

In the previous review I complained that there was actually too much going on at once with this book. And that's still a concern in some ways. There are too many characters who creep in along the periphery of the story and vanish just as quickly. In particular, Green Goblin buzzes in and out in an awkwardly placed scene that has no real relevance to Otto's immediate struggles. But on the other hand, Slott is beginning to exploit this crowded nature to real effect in how it preys on Otto. This series has been very much geared towards establishing Otto as the initially superior hero and then slowly showing how his arrogance and hubris will become his undoing. All of that is beginning to hit fever pitch now, and the results may be as bad for Peter when he inevitably returns as they are for Otto now.

Miguel O'Hara's presence remains an entertaining addition to the book, though problematic in its own ways. Slott's love of old-school thought balloons becomes tiresome, especially as Miguel repeatedly reminds readers about his familial ties to the Stone family and the stakes of his time travel mission. But it's a lot of fun to see him clash with Otto and deal with the realization that the Spider-Man he thought he knew is no more.

Ryan Stegman is delivering what is easily his strongest work so far on the series. Something about having two Spider-Men on the page together brings out the vibrant detail and energy in his pencils. Livesay's inks aren't always consistent in fleshing out the pencils, as background characters like Liz Allen are noticeably less refined. But the Superior Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2099 have rarely looked more sleek and dynamic.

Jesse is a writer for various IGN channels. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.

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