This month, ASM is by Tom DeFalco, Rick Leonardi, Vince Colletta and Bob Sharen. Some real highs and lows in that list. And this month, “ASM” means “Amazing Silver Sable, uh, M-something,” because Spider-Man is missing. And Sable and some of her guys have just come upon her primary combat team beaten to pieces.
Leonardi and Colletta is a fascinating pairing. Vinnie is kind of shoring up the looseness of Leonardi’s usual line, and it actually looks quite slick. On her way back to the office, Silver’s assistant presents her with some orchids sent to her, which she immediately grabs and throws out a window, where they explode. The phone rings and a guy asks if she enjoyed the flowers. She says their “old enemy” is behind this. The next day, JJJ is furious because Silver’s got a full-age ad in the paper trying to hire Spider-Man, until he hears that it was submitted with double their usual ad rate. He asks Robbier where Peter is, but Robbie doesn’t know. And neither does Mary Jane, trying to call Peter’s apartment from a soon-to-start Roderick Kingsley fashion show. She’s begun to worry about her missing friend, and also isn’t sure what their relationship even is right now. Me, too, MJ! And finally, we see Jack O’ Lantern’s reaction to the ad, confirming his goons beat up The Wild Pack, and he declares they can’t let Silver hire Spider-Man, and they have to stop her, “permanently.” This all looks amazing and I feel like I should be showing every page.
Silver thinks about the always hilarious plot point that her company is the cornerstone of her country’s economy, and the responsibility that brings as she walks. Can you imagine? How many people live in Symkaria, 22? That Silver and her gang apprehending terrorists could fund an entire country… so silly. Anyway, she happens upon a robbery, and things take a turn when the goons gun down a woman in front of her child. This does not sit well with Silver Sable.
Those 3 middle panels are a little masterpiece. Silver goes home, tells her guys to cancel her appointments, switches into her fightin’ gear, and heads right back out. She thinks there’s no way she can justify taking a personal hand in this robbery, but that’s not stopping her from doing just that. She takes off in a car, and Jack O’ Lantern gets a call from an informant letting him know it’s time to go after her. A quick cut to Flash Thompson in prison reminds us of his current deal, falsely accused of being The Hobgoblin, and wondering where Peter is since he said he would visit today.
Silver begins tearing Jack’s men apart in another crackling bit of action, and as they get spooked, Jack sends those still standing outside so he can deal with her alone. He ties up the hoods she’s after and lets her stumble on them, dropping her guard for a sec, and then attacks. Silver’s not prepared for a guy with a kit full of bombs and gas, and goes running into another room to smash up a chair and use the legs as weapons.
The final page of this issue is the final page of WEB 18, reprinted verbatim, by way of kind of (kind of?) letting you know what’s going on if you didn’t read it. Man, this art team was great together. I wish Loenardi had done more Spider-Man. I love that guy.