There are people all over comics who see this and go “This is a great image.” Anyway, Doc Ock! Badly misused under Mackie/Byrne. Who knows what Jenkins has up his sleeve for him. I feel like Doc Ock’s stature was diminished as the 90s gave way to the 2000s. With your Venoms and Carnages running around, with the original Green Goblin back and repositioned as Spider-Man’s arch-foe, Doc Ock’s clout took a hit. I think to a lot of people, creators and readers alike, he became a fat guy in a leotard, a joke. I don’t think I really thought of him as the A#1 villain. But after reading all of Spider-Man 1962-2002, I certainly do now, and it sucks to see him forced out, misused, ignored or belittled. Of course, eventually, the Spider-Man 2 film will force everyone to take him seriously again, but that… is a mixed bag. Anyway, it hasn’t happened yet. In fact, we’re rolling back to the clock quite a bit here. While ASM 42 was cover dated August 2002, PPSM 39 is back in March, so the first Spider-Man movie isn’t even out yet, let alone the 2nd, who knows how this’ll go?
The secret services rushes in to save Congressman Bradley Miles, shooting at the ocean, but they’re not much help. Miles has just had an arm removed by a big octopus with a radio receiver attached to it head, tho I don’t think anyone saw that bit. Sucks for that guy. What’s our man doing?
No way that lady knows the phrase “Twisted Metal: Black.” Maybe “Twisted Metal.” Maybe. “Computer, tell me the name of a popular computer game, and be quick, I have a deadline!” That’s funny.
Oh, hey, Congressman Bradley Miles! I guess that octopus attack wasn’t just a few minutes ago. He says it was last month as he addresses the crowd. He’s here to show off the “T-137 prototype arm” this company made him, and Peter is sure it’s what’s setting off his danger sense. As the Congressman talks about them trying to get more funding to make the arm look less robot-y, Peter can’t figure out what’s got him nervous, unaware of 2 figures watching from the rafters. Later, Peter has a nice phone chat with Robbie because he ran a feature on this Biotechnix company recently and Peter smells a rat. It’s like old times. But Robbie says JJJ wasn’t interested in the story, so they didn’t get to follow it. Meanwhile:
Woof. NOT a hot start for Doc Ock. He looks like a doofus and says “chompy-chomps” and appears scared of FUSION, of all people. And that’s all you get, because next page:
Always nice to see DD. Well, almost always. There was the Mysterio Manifesto. But anyway…
This may actually be worse than jobbing him out to Kaine. Well, Spider-Man goes down to Miles’ office to bully him and tell him he knows he’s dirty, telling him and us some new info, like Miles was in a fraternity with the head of Biotechnix, and he pushed through a bill in Congress “that essentially granted you privileged status for the receipt of a T-137 prosthetic limb,” which… I don’t know what that means. Why would he have to do that if his buddy could just give him one? Anyway, our man says he’s comin’ for Miles and Biotechnix and bounces. Good job showing your hand, pal. Also, I haven’t mentioned it lately, but don’t worry, there’s plenty of recycled images, including my favorite, a close up of Spider-Man where he suddenly has the big thick mask eyes again because that’s the image Buckey is copying. So sad.
Jenkins doesn’t seem to be a fan of a more nuanced JJJ. On the one hand, Stan Lee’s JJJ woulda been all over this. On the other hand, as print media is dying in front of him, it makes sense JJJ would be more sensationalistic than ever. Tough times. While those 2 are going wherever they’re going, Spider-Man is breaking into Biotechnix, and quickly discovers Doc Ock working in the basement.
Doc looks like a muppet. He looks like a low level goon in a Jack Kirby comic.
Spider-Man continues to handily wipe the floor with his most dangerous enemy while making fun of him like that’s cool, until Ock flees, luring Spider-Man into a maze of hallways, and eventually, many recycled images later…
A team-up between Fusion and Doc Ock! It’s like a team-up between… some other character no one will remember in a year and Doc Ock! I hope Doc is allowed to be a least a little scarier before all this is over…