Stillanerd Reviews: Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 5 No. 18 review

Things start looking bleak for Spider-Man, and not just because he’s trapped in Central Park with a bunch of villains attacked by Kraven’s robots.

Amazing Spider-Man No. 18 (LGY No. 819)

“Hunted, Part 2”

Writer: Nick Spencer

Penciler: Humberto Ramos

Inker: Victor Olazaba

Color Artists: Edgar Delgado and Erick Arciniega

Covers: Humberto Ramos and Edgar Delgado; Leinil Francis Yu and Sunny Gho (Variant); Ivan Shavrin

Amazing Spider-Man No. 18 opens with a mysterious narrator paraphrasing philosopher Thomas Hobbes‘ famous quote from Leviathan, in which he describes the natural state of man as “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.” Because of this, Hobbes argues for the necessity of strict laws and government, the more dictatorial, the better. Otherwise, the human race would succumb to their baser instincts and descend into a life of anarchy, barbarism, and war. Hobbes definitely had a cynical outlook, as does the story in this comic.

Credit: Humberto Ramos, Victor Olazaba, Edgar Delgado, and Erick Arciniega (Marvel Comics); from Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 5 No. 18

Spider-Man is…depicted as being too hapless to prevent [Kraven’s] onslaught, with the villains, naturally, distrusting his sincere offers to help save them. And the while, the comic’s mysterious narrator wonders why Spider-Man should even bother. After all, all of us, no matter how civilized we are, “nature always finds a way to reassert itself.” Cheerful, isn’t it?

Certainly, the second chapter of Nick Spencer and Humberto Ramos’ “Hunted” isn’t a rousing romp of high adventure. Not when it consists of Kraven the Hunter and Arcade’s group of corporate fat cats piloting killer androids to mow down animal-themed super villains in Central Park, with Spider-Man caught in the crossfire. Most of these villains flee, others fight back, and at least one uses another as a decoy–all in a vain attempt to survive. Several of them, mostly c and d-listers, do seemingly die on panel.

This also means you have what are otherwise law-abiding citizens turned into murderers. Then again, as the scene involving Arcade offering a potential customer a test drive of one of the Kraven robots, it seems these folks are already predisposed to wanton bloodshed. Seems with enough money and license, they can take out life’s frustrations and disappointments by beating a person to death via remote control. Instead of an aversion towards murder, we humans, this comic postulates, have a natural inclination towards murder. Metaphors for drone warfare and online gaming aren’t exactly hidden under layers of obfuscation, either.

Credit: Humberto Ramos, Victor Olazaba, Edgar Delgado, and Erick Arciniega (Marvel Comics); from Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 5 No. 18

We’re not meant to sympathize with either these villains or these rich fat-cats, of course. The comic, after all, implies there’s no real difference between them other than their bank accounts and attire. Spider-Man is also depicted as being too hapless to prevent this onslaught, with the villains, naturally, distrusting his sincere offers to help save them. All the while, the comic’s mysterious narrator wonders why Spider-Man should even bother. After all, all of us, no matter how civilized we are, “nature always finds a way to reassert itself.” Cheerful, isn’t it?

Superhero comics don’t need be all sunshine and rainbows, though (hello, Batman, Daredevil, and Punisher). Even fictional stories with the most pessimistic outlook on humanity can be well written, and Spencer’s script is certainly well written. Even as he juggles multiple characters in this one issue, their actions, and especially reactions, are consistent. As outlandish as the premise is, you believe in it because of how well Spencer also ties these characters and their behaviors into larger themes of how easily we can succumb to savagery.

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Slightly less compelling, though, is when Spencer checks in on Mary Jane Watson, as she waits for Peter Parker to come home. While it’s nice that the comic provides insights into MJ using dancing as her coping mechanism, these scenes, just like Amazing Spider-Man No. 17, also lean too much on “Kraven’s Last Hunt.” MJ may not be throwing her shoes at rats this time around, but seeing her pass the time in a darkened apartment looking at the rain outside her window smacks of deliberate author-induced deja vu. Again, invoking nostalgia for the great works from comics past doesn’t automatically make a comic great.

Credit: Humberto Ramos, Victor Olazaba, Edgar Delgado, and Erick Arciniega (Marvel Comics); from Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 5 No. 18

Amazing Spider-Man No. 18 can be described as a very good comic, but not a comic you could love. For how can one “love” something that wraps itself in doom and gloom regardless the level of it’s craft?

The story overall does move at a fast clip, not just because of Spencer’s knack for pacing, but due to the energetic style of Ramos. Ramos was never one for realism, but so long as there was action on the page, one could forgive this. Unfortunately, his seemingly blatant defiance in depicting basic human anatomy screams across the panels. No one character has the same consistent body type, size, or shape, but they all, at one time or another, have scrawny, boneless arms and legs. Yet somehow, Ramos can make them look distinct, and (rubberized figures notwithstanding) what’s depicted in his panels are clear regardless of how much happens in them.

Amazing Spider-Man No. 18 can be described as a very good comic, but not a comic you could love. For how can one “love” something that wraps itself in doom and gloom regardless of the level of its craft? Granted, this is only the second chapter, and its basic drama 101 that things must look as bleak as humanly possible to make the hero’s triumph that much sweeter. Still, if we’re going to continue down this Hobbesian path for another issue, would it be too much to ask if Spencer inject a little John Locke?

Stillanerd’s Score: 3.5 out of 5

Next. Stillanerd Reviews: Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 5 No. 17 review. dark

Stillanerd’s Nerdy Nitpicks (with joyful spoilers)

Credit: Humberto Ramos, Victor Olazaba, Edgar Delgado, and Erick Arciniega (Marvel Comics); from Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 5 No. 18

Considering who we later learn narrates the issue, you would think the comic would show the centipede devouring the spider, not the other way around.
And if you’re wondering just how far down the supervillain barrel “Hunted” scrapes, we’ve got Armadillo, Killer Shrike, Coachwhip, Frog-Man, and…wait, Gazelle? She has magic powers? How the heck did she get captured?
Oh boy, I know one huge fan of Stegron the Dinosaur Man who will be really happy his favorite character is the first to stand his ground and fight back. And that Beetle got what she deserved for daring to call him “Jurassic Park.”
Hmm…a VR device which, according to Arcade, “connects directly to your cerebral cortex.” Seems like a guaranteed way of frying a person’s brain with the flip of switch. I mean, have any of Arcade’s clients seen what happens to Switch in The Matrix?
Rest in peace, Iguana. If only you knew that not every reptile man can lead the charge of defiance like Stegron.
Come to think of it, Mary Jane does resemble Maggie Rogers, so her dancing and singing to “Burning” is just another layer of meta.
Wait a second, Carol Danvers? I thought Black Panther was now the leader of the Avengers. Why are you out front and center speaking to the press? Oh, that’s right, you still have a movie to promote. Nevermind.
Okay, it’s easy to see how some folks like Squid or Gibbon might have trouble with the Kraven robots, but Rhino?! Did everybody forget he’s gone toe-to-toe with the Hulk?
And only now does it occur to Black Ant that he, too, is an animal-themed villain. Too bad it took Taskmaster betraying him to finally figure that one out.
Vulture, are you sure your story about the two men running from the tiger is the right analogy? Especially since you’re actually flying and not running?
And apparently, MJ doesn’t wash her hair after immediately finding a bug crawling around in it. The least she could do is stick her head out the window to give a good soak while letting the bug go.
Hmm…the fact the Centipede guy knows about Peter’s relationship with MJ, and lets her sleep instead of immediately kill her…it’s Carlie Cooper, isn’t it?

Next. Top 50 super villains in comic book history. dark

“Hunted” moves into another “point one” issue with Amazing Spider-Man No. 18.HU. But before it jumps back to Amazing Spider-Man No. 19, what did those who read this current issue think? Which villains will survive next issue? Did Taskmaster betrayal of Black Ant upset you? Did you want more Spider-Man in a comic that bears his name? And just who is this Centipede guy, anyway?

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