What a terrible drawing. The perspective, the stumpy fingers, that insane foot. Well, let’s see what this month’s trip to the Buckingham Recycling Center gets us. We find Peter Parker soaking in a bath, which he is canonically known to do, (As I learned very early on in ASM 148), wondering why he does what he does after the horrors of last issue’s cliffhanger. One might wonder why we didn’t start with last issue’s cliffhanger, but I guess we can assume he escaped the blast. He emerged from the bathroom in naught but a towel to check his messages, and Caryn, the woman from across the way, wants to know if he’ll watch her dog while she’s out of town. He says “not if you paid me a million bucks,” so you know what that means.
Man, I don’t remember this at all. I have no idea where the dog thing is going. Caryn is like a one-woman Candi, Randi and Bambi, only not uncomfortably young. Well, anyway, Fusion has sent a video to the news, saying he blew up that building, but it was Spider-Man’s fault. We briefly cut to JJJ asking Robbie if they can use this, but Robbie says the TV seems to have it pretty well covered, so JJJ says run it on page 7. I’m gonna miss those guys. Then the TV news people say a 2nd part of the video is aimed at Spider-Man himself, and we cut to Peter watching.
I read that issue 24 hours ago and I already forgot whatever he’s alluding to, good thing I’m not Spider-Man. Peter goes not to the Bugle morgue, but to the library to look up old news articles about Spider-Man, which is unheard of the comic’s almost 40 year (At this time) history. He sees a lot of good things, and a lot of bad things, and finds the one about Fusion’s son (Ok, I remember now).
Man, the character assassination of Flash Thompson continues! Halfway through the issue, Spider-Man is on the case. I get kind of excited when he’s not in much of the issue, at this point, but as he swings to where Fusion’s son died and finds him waiting there, only 1 figure is recycled.
I would say I’m eager for that Doc Ock suit to go away, but if I remember right, his next one is my all-time least favorite, so I guess I’m not. Is anyone going to explain how Ford Fusion’s powers work? Hey, I think the Fusion was either brand new or just about to come out when this was published. Synergy. Well, anyway, fight fight fight, and a remarkably small amount of recycling, but the new figures are also pretty easily sourced. Especially a Mark Bagley Spidey that looks like he drew it. Buckingham at least usually tries to make the swipes fit his style, that one sticks out like a sore thumb. Fusion says he wants Spider-Man dead more than Spider-Man wants to be alive, which seems prrrretty unlikely. A battered Spider-Man winds up on the ground as Fusion starts showing off all the people he can turn into, like a Ron Garney Hulk or Mysterio or the Invisible Woman, and again… how, exactly?
Things are looking grim, and I don’t just mean the recycled images. I don’t remember how this shakes out, but presumably, it’ll happen next issue.