What are the chances this is even remotely enjoyable? Sometimes I really feel like a dope having bought all these comics I was smart enough to duck back when they came out. Disposable income is crazy. Saviuk inking himself on the covers makes the awful 90s sheen on the first page jarring every single time. Why’s Baskerville even making the eyes on the mask jaggy? What’s the point, man? Todd McFarlane didn’t do that, Jim Lee didn’t do that, Rob Liefeld didn’t even do that. This is not an authentic 90s makeover. Well, Spider-Man comes home after being out all night and finds MJ curled up on the floor, terrified. Sure would be nice if we could see why, but it has to wait.
I’m so annoyed. Quick cut to the evil government stooges kidnapping Billy on a plane, then cut to Lizard wrestling crocodiles in Florida. Why? It doesn’t say. Back to Peter Parker, unable to get a ping off Billy’s hyper-tracer, not yet aware Billy is out of state. Then, as the news gives Peter a tip, Sam De La Rosa takes over inking, and that’s pretty jarring.
Hey, it’s the real Alex Saviuk again. Lizard is still raging in the swamp and suddenly Baskerville’s inking again. Then Spider-Man’s in a plane… Spider-Man, not Peter Parker. He thinks he had to book a charter flight that will cost half the mortgage payment… but he’s in costume. Who booked the flight, Spider-Man? Ugh. Warrant is closing in on Lizard, and then Spider-Man web parachutes out of the plane. I guess he did charter it. Terry Kavanagh sucks. Improbably, someone is building condos right next to the castle or whatever Spider-Man first fought The Lizard in in ASM 6, and all the combatants happen to be converging on that location. Lizard attacks the people working on the condos.
Spidey and Lizard do some fightin’, but then a missile lands near them and the explosion separates them. Warrant waggles Billy at Lizard, expecting that to stop him, but Lizard chucks a bulldozer at both of them. Spidey manages to save them, and then Warrant just drops Billy to his death to focus on Lizard, leaving Spider-Man to dive down and rescue him. He gets Billy to safety so he can re-engage.
That almost splash page is followed by a full splash page of them falling. Then it’s time to wrap this sorry mess up.
Alex Saviuk really deserved better than these crap stories and hideous inking as he winds down his long tenure on Web. Well. Seems like we should be able to catch up with ASM and get this death spiral going, but first… more filler!