Stillanerd Reviews: Amazing Spider-Man #794 review

A rematch between Spider-Man and Scorpio, and mercenaries hired by Norman Osborn to steal an artifact, make for an easy-to-skip installment.

Amazing Spider-Man #794

“Threat Level: Red, Part One – Last Chance”

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Writers: Dan Slott and Christos Gage

Penciler: Stuart Immonen

Inker: Wade von Grawbadger

Color Artist: Marte Gracia

Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna

Covers: Alex Ross; Todd Nauck and Rachelle Rosenberg (Avengers Variant)

Where’s Wolverine Page: Lenil Francis Yu, Gerry Alanguilan, and Marte Gracia

Let’s not delude ourselves: the “Worldwide” era of The Amazing Spider-Man sucked. One of the many reasons it did (aside from changing Marvel’s signature everyman superhero into a second-rate Iron Man) is that Spidey routinely fought against a new incarnation of the Zodiac headed by a new Scorpio. They were very much your standard “terrorists seeking world domination” bad guys, except Dan Slott thought they were way more compelling than they actually were. Fortunately, they only lasted until Amazing Spider-Man vol. 4 #11.

Credit: Stuart Immonen, Wade von Grawbadger, and Marte Gracia (Marvel Comics); from Amazing Spider-Man #794

Even if the primary job [of a filler issue] is for setting up a major arc and wrapping up some loose ends, it still must have the illusion of necessity. Amazing Spider-Man #794 is definitely not this comic.

Unfortunately, there was still a loose end. Scorpio, thanks to a magic door, learned about everything that was going to happen within the Marvel Universe over the next year. Spider-Man, like Congress balancing the budget, decided to deal with the problem later, in this case by pushing Scorpio into the magic door, sending the villain one year into the future. Clearly, Slott intended to follow-up on this, and since his run on Amazing Spider-Man is ending with issue #801, he might as well do so now.

Thus for Amazing Spider-Man #794, Spider-Man, Mockingbird, Anna Marie Marconi, and Peter’s former Horizon Labs colleagues wait by the magic door for Scorpio’s arrival. Things go wrong when Scorpio’s Zodiac Key appears, accidentally freed when mercenaries hired by Norman Osborn raid a decommissioned underwater S.H.I.E.L.D. storage facility. Oh yes, this comic is also an excuse for setting up Slott’s last arc, “Going Down Swinging,” in which Osborn obtains the Carnage symbiote.

In other words, this issue is pure filler. With a title like “Threat Level Red” and considering what the next story arc is about, how could it be anything else? Yet filler or no, a comic still has to feel like it’s something worth reading. Even if the primary job is for setting up a major arc and wrapping up some loose ends, it still must have the illusion of necessity. Amazing Spider-Man #794 is definitely not this comic.

Credit: Stuart Immonen, Wade von Grawbadger, and Marte Gracia (Marvel Comics); from Amazing Spider-Man #794

This isn’t to say the issue is dull, at least when it comes to its pacing. Since there are two separate, action-heavy scenes which make up the comic, Slott and his co-writer Christos Gage do a very good job at keeping things moving, even if the dialogue isn’t all that great. Adding to this, Stuart Immonen’s penciling, along with Wade von Grawbadger’s inks and Marte Gracia’s colors, make these scenes look as dynamic as possible. There’s also fantastic looking imagery, too, particularly once Spider-Man follows Scorpio to London’s Big Ben and it’s interiors.

What it really comes down to, and what makes this comic easy to skip, is the story itself. That Scorpio is the main villain, which the comic itself acknowledges is a stereotypical super villain bent on world domination, doesn’t help. Even before Spider-Man calls him a “multi-time loser,” Scorpio already feels like one the moment he returns. Adding insult to injury, Spidey twice makes monologue joke from The Incredibles at Scorpio’s expense. Even Scorpio’s plot basically amounts to “plug this doohickey into that big thingamajig,” forcing Spider-Man to somehow unplug the doohickey from the thingamajig before it’s too late.

What’s more, with exception of Mockingbird, the other supporting characters come across as being close to useless. The only reason Max Modell and Anna Maria Marconi are in the issue is so Slott can wrap up some more loose ends. Admittedly, it makes sense for Slott and Gage to write them out; both Modell and Anna Maria belong to a specific status quo which no longer exists. Yet considering these two have also been major players during Slott’s run on Amazing Spider-Man, it’s a sorry state of affairs for the comic giving them only two panels in this issue before giving them a send-off.

Credit: Stuart Immonen, Wade von Grawbadger, and Marte Gracia (Marvel Comics); from Amazing Spider-Man #794

Like “Before Dead No More” was for The Clone Conspiracy, I have hunch the other parts of “Threat Level Red” will prove just as essential for “Going Down Swinging”…or rather not at all.

As for Norman Osborn obtaining the Carnage symbiote, this subplot’s effectiveness depends on how much you’ve avoided Marvel’s own spoilers about “Going Down Swinging.” If you have, then perhaps some readers will be excited over a potential Green Goblin and Carnage “team-up.” Speaking for myself, though, it’s rather disappointing Slott decided on jettisoning Osborn searching for a magic-based solution for regaining his Goblin powers in favor of this. It’s also far too soon after “Venom Inc.” for yet another symbiote-based Spider-Man story.

Other than these points, there’s not much else to say about Amazing Spider-Man #794. It’s maybe recommendable for completionists, or for those wishing to know how “Threat Level Red” connects with “Going Down Swinging.” Otherwise, you can do without it. Like “Before Dead No More” was for The Clone Conspiracy, I have a hunch the other parts of “Threat Level Red” will prove just as essential for “Going Down Swinging”…or rather not at all.

Stillanerd’s Score: 2.5 out of 5

Next: Stillanerd Reviews: Amazing Spider-Man: Venom Inc. Omega #1 review

Stillanerd’s Nerdy Nitpicks (possible spoilers)

Credit: Stuart Immonen, Wade von Grawbadger, and Marte Gracia (Marvel Comics); from Amazing Spider-Man #794

Gee, when even the solicit states the most Peter Parker gets out of his relationship with Bobbi Morse is crashing on her couch, that doesn’t exactly sound like a romance for the ages, does it?

Looks like the Infinity Gems are officially renamed as Infinity Stones. Thanks, Marvel Cinematic Universe!

Wait, so this “Commander Hicks” states S.H.I.E.L.D. dissolved because they “couldn’t resist playing” with the dangerous cargo housed in the Lock Box? I thought they dissolved because Hydra infiltrated their ranks as seen in Secret Empire.

Okay, Spidey knows that Scorpio will come out one year from the day he went into the Zodiac Vault. Why then does he then does he start complaining about how waiting for him is “a waste of time and money,” and thinking Scorpio won’t reappear?

Someone entering the Zodiac Vault emerges precisely one year from the time they entered, correct? How then did Scorpio emerge an hour early, i.e. not precisely one year from the time he entered? Come to think of it, how does Scorpio even know he’s an hour early? Shouldn’t his journey to the future feel instantaneous to him?

“Scorpio has until midnight…” Until what exactly, Bobbi? If it’s just foreknowledge about the future, Scorpio, as he later states, already knows everything which happened around the world over the last year.

Really? Scoprio uses his knowledge of the future to insert the Zodiac Key into a device that will let him access satellites? Why would this require knowledge about the future? If Scorpio had this device installed in Big Ben all along, why didn’t ever use it before?

You know, Scorpio, if you really wanted to foil Spider-Man, you didn’t have grab the Cosmic Key as you were falling. Also, if the Zodiac Key can slow Scorpio’s fall, does that mean he can also fly with it? If so, why did he steal a police cruiser earlier?

So Spider-Man, despite his enhances strength, can’t knockout Scorpio, an otherwise normal human, with one punch. Yet Mockingbird, who has doesn’t have super strength, can? Why am I not surprised someone other than Spider-Man takes down the bad guy in his own comic?

Next: 50 greatest super villains in comic book history

What are you’re thoughts about Amazing Spider-Man #794? Do you think it was nothing but filler, or was it essentially reading in preparation for “Going Down Swinging”? Do you also think this is the last we’ll see Max Modell, Anna Maria Marconi, and Horizon Labs/University in Amazing Spider-Man?

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