The Superior Foes Of Spider-Man Volume 1: Getting The Band Back Together (2014) - Plot & Excerpts
Loved this one. It focuses on a bunch of Spider-Man's lesser foes, such as Shocker and Boomerang, as they go about their everyday, humdrum lives, trying to put together the next big score. If that sounds dull, well the whole thing is written with a very sarcastic humor that makes it a lot of fun. I was reminded a lot of Donald E. Westlake's Dortmunder novels, about a hapless gang of criminals, while reading this. Who would have thought that Nick Spencer, writer of the impenetrable Morning Glories, had something like this up his sleeve? And the artwork by Lieber is perfect for this down-to-earth exploration of the non-heroic. There's nothing flashy here and it doesn't need to be--he gets these characters and their interactions just right. I really hope this series can sustain this nearly note-perfect level of humor and whimsy as it continues. When I was a kid I randomly had #1 & #4 of the mini-series Deadly Foes of Spider-Man in my small pile of comics. I didn't even usually buy comics, so I don't even remember where I got these from. Regardless, I re-read those two issues all the time, so I was supremely tickled when I opened up this collection and realized it was post-modern take on the same (more or less) batch of C and D-list villains, who are not really inherently evil but doomed to repeat the same inept mistakes in their chosen life of crime. It's a like a villain version of the recent Hawkeye series: lots of jokes (this incarnation of the Sinister Six only has five members), very meta, and great art. It's also pretty much self-contained so it's perfect for casual comics readers like me who don't give a hoot about the greater Marvel/Spider-Man ongoing storylines.
What do You think about The Superior Foes Of Spider-Man Volume 1: Getting The Band Back Together (2014)?
A bit of kooky, a lot of funny, but most importantly a pretty great villain crime book.
—Katie
Great fun with lots of funny moments! Highly recommended!
—none
