We open this month on 2 pages of Kraven & his entourage headed to film the big fight with Spider-Man. They basically just have spotters watching where Hammer’s limo is headed, with no idea what’s going on. A segment for the show is filmed while Kraven meditates. Then it’s off to one of Bendis’ beloved 2-page spreads that is hard to photograph, as Doc Ock hams it up for the media, saying they’re about to hear the confession of the man who turned him into a monster, and implying he’s gonna kill Hammer soon after. In the limo, the driver says he can get them out of here, and then tries. Ock snakes a tentacle through the front of the car, killing the driver. Oh man, is every spread for the rest of this issue gonna be like this? This is one of Bendis’ favorite gimmicks.
The following spread is the 5th in a row like this, and the last. Our man continues to do a good job of dodging around and kraken wise until Ock finally gets his eyes uncovered, then he flips Spider-Man into a news van. The battle really heats up in intensity as a reporter’s voice over takes over, saying the media has never had such a close-up look at this kind of thing, noting Spider-Man is clearly trying to protect both Hammer and the assembled media.
Ock finally gets Spidey wrapped up in his tentacles in yet another 2-page Bendis spread. He gets one of his tentacles into the electrode configuration, and Spidey catches it with his feet, and then manages to web it up.
I mean, you’ve certainly never seen Spider-Man do that to an enemy! Iconic. Ock is so fully distracted by this that Spidey is able to zoom in and really wail on him, then web his whole head to the ground before ripping one of his arms off. A metal one, you know.
Can’t catch a break! The sense-shattering conclusion arrives next post.