This is a special month, because the digital painting on the covers suddenly gets way better. And for the first time in 54 issues, the painter signs their work, so we know it’s Richard Isanove. I have some issues with his work a lot of the time, but there’s no denying this looks way better.
Wait, how do we not know anything about Peter’s Great Aunt? Extended family is big news!
Man, that look between Gwen and May, and Peter’s reaction to it. Bags is so good with unspoken feelings. Bendis used to say he would routinely strip out dialogue once he saw the art because Bagley did such a great job conveying the emotions. Not the most common skill in a business that’s theoretically about men in tights hitting each other. Once May’s safely off, Gwen tells Peter to give her her half of “the loot” and says “See you in a week,” as she is off to watch TV. The way these two live their own lives was a surprising development to all of us, I think. Maybe even Bendis. You kind of expect a love triangle, but I’m not even sure this Peter & Gwen are friends, strictly speaking. Peter eats a bowl of cereal and internal monologues, his thoughts meandering to wanting to take MJ to dinner & a movie when she’s eventually ungrounded. But, he thinks, no one’s made a good movie in a long time, and as if on cue, the TV news switches to the topic of movies…
Avi Arad, of course, is a real guy, who ran the company Toy Biz, which bought Marvel in its bankruptcy, and who personally oversaw the Marvel movies until they formed their own studio. His name is still on all the crappy Sony movies, like Venom and Morbius, but it used to be on all of them, period. And, of course, Sam Raimi directed the first 3 Spider-Man movies. So, as Spider-Man 2 prepares to come out, Bendis is doing his movie tie-in in a rather more funny way than all the other books doing Doc Ock stories at once.
We haven’t seen Peter accidentally destroy anything in awhile. Hey, speaking of Doc Ock…
So we’re getting REALLY meta here. This is the month after the Spectacular Doc Ock story and Negative Exposure wrap. But Bendis is taking it as far as possible. We go to school, where we see Kong and Flash! Been awhile! Kong and Liz want to go do something, but Flash isn’t sure. Then Peter and MJ walk up and are told Kong and Liz are going to audition to be extras in the Spider-Man movie. MJ thinks this is hilarious.
Meanwhile, at Ryker’s, Doc Ock is laying on his cot, when he begins to smile. And, at the Triskelion, a steady “THUNK!”-ing from a storage area makes some scientists who should REALLY be more careful open a locker and guess what’s in there? Ock’s arms bust loose and start shredding people, intercut with him smiling in his cell. Except for the arms not being attached, it’s not too different from the hospital scene in Spider-Man 2, something I’m sure Bendis was jazzed about when it came out. The arms climb into an air vent and escape.
The Ol’ Parker Luck. Meanwhile, Ock’s arms have reached Ryker’s, and are killing their way to him, until they bust him loose, with the guard who taunted him so much wrapped up by the neck. Ock says he has to thank that guy…
Man, whoever left Ock’s arms in the same tri-state area as Octavius really needs to be fired and/or jailed. In the letter page, which I do not appear in, Bendis replies to someone asking Ultimate Spot that it’ll happen “right after Ultimate Darkhawk.” And somewhere, a monkey’s paw curls a single finger…