In this issue, the art team change dramatically. Pencils are courtesy Keith Pollard and David Boller. Inks come from Ian Akin, Keith Aiken and Jim Amash (confusing!). Color is now by “Sampson & Hodge,” original colorist Dave Sampson and someone else whose full name I don’t know. This could be tricksy. I love Keith Pollard’s Spider-Man, but the version I love is 13 years before this. Does he still have the good in ‘93? I hope I can at least tell the difference between him & David Boller. Well, Doc Ock has finished his new arms, and he orders The Answer to go get them for him, still totally dominating the resurrected villain.
Aaaaand we’re back to tights. Putting Ock in a suit was a brilliant choice by Larsen or Michelinie or editorial or whoever. Not a great development. Meanwhile, the Lethal Foes are rejecting Beetle’s offer to trade Spider-Man for their silly gun. And, I mean, why wouldn’t they?
Beetle is obviously unhappy, Boomerang starts recapping at him about how he betrayed them, Leila decides to shoot Boomer to shut him up, he dodges, she shoots Stegron, and it’s a supervillain battle.
I’m pretty sure this is Pollard. And it’s very different. Still pretty cool, tho.
Oh yeah, wasted no time getting to a Spidey-in-motion panel, and a good one, too. Some shadowy rando with a glowing green eye named Strikeback is watching, wanting revenge on Leila (Get in line, buddy!) as she and Boomerang take off after Beetle. Stegron and Rhino chase on foot. And Spider-Man… passes out from the pain of freeing himself on a nearby roof. Man, these comics. Why involve him at all? Well, we cut away to Doc Ock & The Answer breaking into ESU to get the chip that controls his arms/lets him control The Answer. And I guess Ock is in a black suit now? Make up yer minds, guys. The Answer disables various security measures and even a bunch of Guardsmen with a thought. And then we definitely switch pencilers.
A very dramatic change in look. Spider-Man jobs out yet again. The Answer summoning him is an interesting idea. As Ock & Answer leave, Ock damages a container, and he’s observed doing so by a bee. Are we for real going to bring Swarm into this? Isn’t this book crowded enough? Spider-Man tries to follow and is once again too beat up. Twice per issue! Meanwhile, the other idiots are still fighting, and Vulture steals the gun from Beetle. Leila flies above him, somehow forcing him down to street level, where Stegron, riding on the back of a truck drive by Rhino, which is hilarrrrious, grabs it with his tail. Rhino intends to drive on, beat up Stegron, take the gun and betray the others. Boomerang is following with a similar plan. No honor among thieves and all that.
Answer’s power perhaps makes Liela’s blast somehow shoot Rhino out of his truck and into Ock, then Vulture gets his hands on the thing they call a “Nuclear Blaster” and shoots Stegron with it. He’s been shot by some ill-defined nuclear weapon twice in this series and he’s just hurt a little. Sheesh. Suddenly, Pollard is back as Spider-Man swings off to try to find, I dunno, any of the people he’s been fighting in this book, but then we switch back to the big battle. The baddies all play catch with the gun for a bit, and then someone shoots Stegron. At least it’s not meant to be a nuclear weapon this time. It’s…
Well, I suppose that’s the original Ringer, less dead than advertised. Narration tells us the power of him and Steggy’s battle is so intense everyone else stops to watch. Sure, why not?
Doc Ock being lumped in with all these losers is only getting more insulting. And now he and Spider-Man have both been shot by a NUCLEAR WEAPON and are somehow fine! This is so bad. At least there’s only 1 more.