So, that’s weird, right? In this era, Spidey group editor Christopher Priest was trying to justify having so many Spider-titles by giving them all a unique flavor. ASM was the big whiz bang superhero book, TAC was sort of the more street level book, and… well, I guess this is “mystery and suspense!” I’ve not actually read much Web in this period. We may recall that back in #14, David Michelinie began his run on the title, and with this issue, future X-Men/Wolverine/Image Comics superstar Marc Silvestri begins a short run as penciler before moving onto fame and fortune in the X-Office. He’s inked by the great Kyle Baker, and colors are courtesy Bob Sharen, this is quite a line-up.
Opens more like a Hellboy comic than a Spider-Man. Speaking of whom, he’s swinging around in the pouring rain in Manhattan, and realizing he’s sick. The rain’s keeping the city quiet tonight, so he goes home. He laments not having and not making any money, and decides to go by The Bugle.
Weird printing error on his face in panel 1. Robbie doesn’t have work for him, but JJJ shows up to guide him to the long-delayed reveal of…
This art is interesting. I’m quite familiar with Silvestri’s X-Men, among the first I ever saw, but I don’t know how his earlier stuff looked. And while Kyle Baker is an incredible, versatile cartoonist, his inks can be pretty heavy-handed. I’m not sure what to make of this. As odd as it might sound, as Pete & Joy fly to their assignment on the next page, there’s an unmistakably Silvestri profile shot of Peter, at least. When they arrive at the factory, instead of riots, they find… no one at all.
Joy’s decided lack of tact winds Peter up fighting the whole mob. While he ducks some swings and punches one guy, he feels he has to get beat up to hide his secret. One of them get’s Joy’s stiletto heel in the foot, and she yells that she saw Peter fight a gang in TAC Annual 5, why is he holding back? Remembering that, he decides to whup a few more guys. Joy maces a few as Peter makes one punch another with a quick duck, but twice as many angry guys round the corner, and our heroes have to flee. They duck into an alley, where a woman tells them to come hide with her.
The “men without faces” thing was tipping us back into Hellboy territory until they’re revealed to just be your run of the mill supervillain goons. Not excited about this “Rain Man” riff they’re alluding to. The van stops in a clearing and is promptly elevatored underground. As they’re led into some caves, Peter webs a guy’s foot, causing a distraction and making a break for it. He runs down a tunnel pursuers say is a dead end, but when they get to the wall, they’re met with Spider-Man, who quickly knocks them out. As usual, I’m left wondering why he puts the costume on if he doesn’t want people to know Spider-Man is here. Especially after knocking out these goons. Take one of their suits! But he doesn’t, and proceeds to find a whole underground city.
Joy (Looking very much like a Silvestri woman in panel 2) has already been getting wise to Peter’s dual life in the last block of this era. I wonder how that resolves.
Yes, it’s Magma, the ludicrous villain created by Michelinie & Herb Trimpe in MTU 110. He apparently made it into 2 issues of Iron Man since then, but he’s back. And I knew he was coming because next issue begins a stunt I’ve actually read.