Post by Ozymandias on Dec 7, 2017 15:45:03 GMT
I never paid much attention to the MC2 Universe, but not unlike the Ultimate Universe, it was always there for a post-mortem approach. I read that one a few years ago, and now I’m going to, at least, read the main title of this one: Spider-Girl.
The idea is to read an issue per week and post impressions on Thursdays, so better not to reference “future” material. Usually, I don’t care that much about spoilers, in the context of the forum posts, because I’ve already read the comics involved, but his one being an old comic, I guess it’s a good thing we have an spoiler button.
Today’s a Thursday, so it’s as good a time as any to start. In fact, it’s probably better than most, because we must be very close, if it’s not today, to the 20th anniversary of the character. What If? Vol 2 #105 has a cover date of February 1998, and yesterday we saw released comics cover dated February 2018. As said, this makes for a very good excuse to revisit the series or get acquainted.
Spider-Girl #0
"Legacy ... In Black and White"
Writer Tom Defalco
Penciler Ron Frenz
Inker Bill Sienkiewicz
Colourist Matt Webb
Letterer Chris Eliopoulos
Editor Kelly Corvese (editor of the original comic, reprinted here)
First of all, let me assuage anyone’s fears regarding Sienkiewicz’s involvement: no, he doesn’t ink again. I have the uppermost respect an admiration for the guy as an artist, but he simply doesn’t look good on Frenz’s pencils. Sal Buscema, who does the task regularly later on, is a better fit, despite being a much more mundane penciller.
As for the script, if you know DeFalco, you can’t act surprised. The only thing that feels novel about his writing, is the second person narrative used whenever the main character is on stage. This makes for some odd moments:
Please note the last phrase, and tell me if it doesn’t take you down a quite different road.
Other than this particular technique, the rest is textbook late-Bronze Age Marvel style. A simple story without any other intention than entertainment. If anything, it’s a little to simple at times, like the coincidence of Norman Osborn’s grandson decision to take on the Green Goblin's legacy, at the very same moment that May Parker’s powers start to manifest. But if you want to indulge in old school super-heroics, things like that have a tendency to happen. On the other hand, we get to see many long lost secondary characters, like Roberta, which pretty much aggregated to what was the background of the 80’s MU.
Looking forward to issue 1.