Among his fellow superheroes, Spider-Man is considered one of the funniest. Okay, maybe not the funniest as, by his own admission, his jokes are deliberately bad. It’s also a great tactic for distracting bad guys. Unfortunately, it also means Spider-Man has a reputation of being a clown, who doesn’t take things seriously. So it’s great when he has to occasionally play the straight man against someone who actually is a clown. Like Fred Meyers, a.k.a. Boomerang.
If you’ve followed Nick Spencer’s Amazing Spider-Man, then you know that the (not so) former supervillain has made himself quite a few enemies. There’s his ex-Sinister Six teammate, the Beetle, who’s formed her own all-female group just to destroy him. There’s Francine Frye, the new Electro, who’s also joined Beetle’s Sinister Syndicate in revenge after he betraying her to the Kingpin. The Kingpin also wants Boomerang dead for stealing something very precious to him that he desperately wants back. And that’s just the shortlist.
Thus all of Boomerang’s chickens are coming home to roost in Amazing Spider-Man #27 (LGY #828), and, of course, Peter Parker and his Aunt May are caught in the middle. This, in turn, results in Spider-Man and Boomerang having to work together against Beetle’s Syndicate. Problem is, despite Boomerang’s enthusiasm over them finally teaming up, these two are no dynamic duo. One might even call this comic an “Anti-Marvel Team-Up.”
Apart from this, Amazing Spider-Man #27 doesn’t offer much in terms of plot. Not that every single Spider-Man story has to be an epic tale on par with Gilgamesh, of course. It’s just that it’s mostly fighting with various forms of witty banter. The last page, on the other hand, not only advances the story forward, it potentially further complicates Peter’s already complicated life for several issues to come.
Where the comic’s true strength lies, however, is in its sharp sense of humor. Spencer doesn’t rely on cheap one-liners or easy gags; his comedy is more subtle and sophisticated. It builds on the situations the characters finds themselves in and how they respond towards it. Spencer also expects his readers are intelligent enough to get the joke at the outset. Even the one low brow joke regarding Shocker and a pool relies on one’s knowledge of Marvel characters.
The comedy also wouldn’t work half as well without Spencer’s spot-on characterization. Each of them have simple but distinctive personalities defining everything they say and do. Sometimes, all it takes is a single word balloon. Thus, we know that Boomerang is a con-artist, Electro is impulsive, Trapstr (still no “e”) is too-cool-for-school, and Beetle, for all her feminism, is a backstabbing hypocrite just like Boomerang. It’s a shining example that characters don’t always need complex motivations to be great.
Unfortunately, Kev Walker’s penciling does hold Amazing Spider-Man #27 back. Not that Walker has a terrible style. His depictions of Boomerang’s reactions are highly expressive, for example. His figures, too, embody weight, such as when Spider-Man throws his opening punch to Lady Octopus. At the same, though, it doesn’t really grab one’s attention. His faces, particularly females faces, also tend to look too much alike. Compared to Ryan Ottley or even Humberto Ramos’ work, Walker’s looks too ordinary, especially for a comic with the word “Amazing” in the title.
Even so, the art becomes a minor issue when compared to the overall story. Amazing Spider-Man #27 is a lighthearted romp which ends on a terrific, emotional cliffhanger that still maintains the humorous tone. It’s also a good reminder that, sometimes, Spider-Man should react towards the absurdity around him instead of being absurd. Besides, when you’re hanging around someone like Boomerang, somebody has to maintain some common sense.
Stillanerd’s Nerdy Nitpicks (with possible spoilers)
- Don’t forget about Electro (Shelectro?), Peter. After all, she’s in the panel alongside Beetle, Lady Octopus, White Rabbit, and Scorpia, while Trapstr isn’t. Speaking of which, if Trapstr is there, why didn’t the last page of Amazing Spider-Man #26 show her there? Or the cover this issue?
- “What kind of professionals don’t like alliteration?!” Yeah, I’m with Fred on that one. Also, for super criminals, they’re really protective about their intellectual property, aren’t they?
- Given how Peter both as himself and Spider-Man leave Aunt May behind, you have to wonder why he still doesn’t reveal his secret identity to her again? Or, if she really does know, why she keeps putting up this pretense?
- It’s well-established that Peter’s spider-sense doesn’t specifically tell him what kind of danger he’s in. Even so, Spidey should’ve had enough foresight to drop the “gaserang” after catching it, especially with his “spider-sense” still tingling.
- Okay, I know there needs to be a justification for the whole trope of the bad guys not killing the hero when they completely have them at their mercy. But “no bonus kills” as part of a contractual agreement? I got agree with Scorpia on just how ridiculous that is.
- Should’ve realized Kingpin’s anger towards Boomerang had something do with his late wife, Vanessa.
- Looks like we’ve got ourselves a Romeo and Juliet scenario brewing. Only here, it’s families Robertson and Lincoln in place of Capulet and Montague. And considering the history between the lovers’ fathers, I love it!