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The End of SpOck Starts in Superior Spider-Man #25

The End of SpOck Starts in Superior Spider-Man #25

Superior Spider-Man #25
Writers: Dan Slott and Christos Gagesuperior-spider-man-25cover


Art: Humberto Ramos
Colors: Edgar Delgado
Publisher: Marvel Comics

By now, most comic fans with Internet access have had some Spider-Man related news spoiled this week. Spoilers and “leaks” are just an unfortunate part of comic book marketing these days, and it can be pretty difficult to avoid it all. And while these spoilers may have taken away from the book’s full impact, Superior Spider-Man #25 still manages to provide a great read by offering the details of how things will happen, even if we already know what will happen.

Dan Slott and co-writer Christos Gage conclude “Darkest Hours” with a double-sized issue that takes full advantage of the extra size with balls-to-the-walls action and multiple plot lines competing for attention. Most of the book consists of a battle between The Superior Venom and The Avengers. For the most part, Humberto Ramos’ art is consistent and bursting with energy. His work seems to be at its best during huge fight scenes and creating unique facial expressions for both masked and unmasked characters. However, his Venom does get a little too gooey at times and his Iron Man leaves a lot to be desired in terms of detail.

The multiple plots have been a bit distracting in the past but thanks to the extra pages, all the various developments and revelations get enough time to be fleshed out in this issue. Anticipation for the “Goblin Nation” arc is brought to a full boil, while still leaving enough curiosity as to who’s really behind the Green Goblin’s mask and whether or not Carlie Cooper has gone full goblin herself. It also seems that Spider-Man’s status as a public menace is being rebuilt. With his spy drones running about and his battle with the Avengers being televised, New York seems to be turning against Spider-Man once again.

The issue ends on somewhat of a predictable note with Flash Thompson and the Avengers working together to take down Venom. But even if you saw the end coming or have had future events spoiled by the media, most readers had to have felt a surge of Spidey emotions when Ock got a little mental help expelling the alien symbiote.

So even though we all know Peter Parker will be back in April, Superior Spider-Man #25 reminds us that there are still plenty of unanswered questions and intriguing possibilities to be explored. Whether you’ve loved, hated, or felt indifferent to SpOck’s tenure as Spider-Man, now’s the time to give this book one last try before things get amazing again.