Been a long time since Fabian Nicieza was in the Spider-Office. And with him comes Steve Rude, whose clean, “retro,” old school art has been beloved by many for over a decade as this comes out. Me, I kinda think this aggressively retro thing is a waste of energy, but what do I know? He’s certainly more talented than I am, either way. Get ready for the best John Romita, Sr. impression Steve Rude can muster for 3 posts! Bob Wiacek inks and Greg Wright colors. I had convinced myself this took place in the past basically just due to the involvement of Rude, so it was a shock to find out it does not. Why would I have thought this book was a flashback?
Why, indeed? I mean, why wouldn’t it be, looking like this? It being set in present continuity is weirder. Having recapped ASM 68-71 more or less, Peter goes on to recap the events of ASM 72-75, up to Silvermane deaging into oblivion (Did I ever find out how he came back? Did I just forget?), before bringing the story into the present.
Weird take on Marla! Peter tries to slip into the bathroom and become Spider-Man, but it’s locked, so he grabs a big Wakandan headdress off an exhibit and goes into action as the Amazingly Inappropriate Guy In A Tuxedo, who Marko figures out is Spider-Man instantly due to the motormouth.
Peter manages to get the fragments returned and get away without being seen as the cops arrive due to JJJ calling them to get Spider-Man. Wilson announced the fragments were returned and JJJ is humiliated, as usual. Later, Spider-Man’s tailing Wilson around the city, assuming some will make another attempt at the fragments, and he was right to do so.
I mean, this could be ASM 77 but for the occasional reference to the modern era, like the instantly dated pop culture references. Our man makes sure Wilson is ok, then goes after the other guy, who he didn’t think would be much trouble since he ran into a gated alley, but he’s gone. Spidey realizes it was the Eel, and runs back to kidnap Wilson as the cops arrive. On a nearby roof, he notes both Marko and the Eel used to work for Caesar Cicero, just like Wilson, and smells a rat, but Wilson insists he no longer has anything to do with any of them.
Boomerang’s looking weird these days. He takes apart Eel and Marko and runs off, easy. Meanwhile, Spider-Man’s consulting Dr. Stange, who has some knowledge of the tablet, but not enough. So he goes to astral form to go see “a friend,” and Spider-Man decides to come back later.
The book proceeds to waste 3 pages recapping the histories of Gwen and George and whiplashing into MJ’s recent “death” so Spider-Man can talk about how he can see the appeal of the tablet. So much of this book feels like Rude made a list of things he wanted to draw and that’s the comic. Back in the present, Arthur’s copies of George’s journals reveal the original tablet is just sitting in a police lockup somewheres… or was, as he calls and finds out it’s missing. Spidey goes out on the hunt, and tells Arthur to do some more digging on his end.
The gang’s almost all here. One wonders why Silvermane isn’t involved. Maybe he will be. I, of course, don’t remember any of this. Kind of surprised I bought it at all. I’d not read any of the original tablet material at this point (I don’t think? I have some of the black & white “Essential” collections Marvel used to get classic material out cheap in this period, 3 of them, seems like they woulda made it to the 70s… I wonder if I actually read them all, even?), so it’s not like I was attached to this story. Ah, well. Whatever it is, we’re in it now. I looked it up. Silvermane came back in DD 123, so that’d be why I didn’t see it. He claimed the tablet re-aged him back up to 39 after de-aging him to death as he was revealed as the new head of Hydra. You know, that sounds kinda familiar. I think I looked this up back when he first reappeared in Spider-Man… whenever that was. ASM 177. Man, it’s all starting to blur together. I guess that makes sense 5 years of reading and almost 40 years of continuity in…