THE ULTIMATE SUPER-VILLAINS Part Three - August 1996

Private Exhibition
Written by Pierce Askegren

Summary:  After being released on parole, the Painter lives a seemingly quiet life in his art studio.  He’s ambushed one day by his former partner, “Scar” Tobin, and Tobin’s new henchman, Eric.  Tobin demands the Painter’s magic paints.  After futilely claiming that they no longer exist, the Painter finally reveals himself as a “self-portrait” created by the real Painter.  After tormenting the intruders with his magic paintings, the Painter eventually forces Tobin and Eric to disappear.

Continuity Notes:  The Painter, or more specifically “the Painter of a Thousand Perils,” was a Human Torch villain during the Strange Tales days.  He was also used in the “Art Attack” storyline in Web of Spider-Man, which ended with the revelation that the Painter is some form of sentient alien cockroach creature. 

Review:  It’s not terrible, but I would have to label this one the weakest story in the anthology so far.  The novelty of pulling the Painter out of obscurity has already been eaten up by that Web of Spider-Man arc, and the nature of his powers doesn’t exactly lend itself to prose anyway.  Askegren has clearly given the character some thought, coming up with the rationalization that he hasn’t ruled the world yet because he’s adamant that his paintings be perfect first, but there’s really nothing here to make me care that much about the Painter.  I liked him better as the exploding cockroach colony, to be honest.



All Creatures Great and Skrull
Written by Greg Cox

Summary:  The Super-Skrull arrives on Earth to apprehend Kree rebel Persa.  After stalking her throughout New York City, he eventually chases her to the Avengers Mansion.  Persa reveals Super-Skrull’s true identity to Vision, then runs inside during their fight.  Eventually, Super-Skrull and Vision learn that Persa’s mission was to kill the new Shi’ar Avenger Deathcry, who was able to easily defeat Persa on her own.  Vision refuses to turn Persa over to the Shi’ar, forcing Super-Skrull to retreat in shame.

Continuity Notes:  This story occurs following the Shi’ar’s victory over the Kree in “Operation: Galactic Storm.”  Deathcry was a short-lived Avenger during the final days before “Heroes Reborn.” 

Not Approved By The Comics Code Authority:  One of the street thugs that accosts Super-Skrull in his human form shouts out “you sonofabitch!” during their fight.

Review:  When Avengers Mansion entered the story, my first thought was:  “Are they going to use the actual Avengers from 1996?  Even Deathcry?”  The answer is yes, surprisingly.  And the basic idea of a Shi’ar member of the Avengers attracting Kree rebels, and by extension, Skrulls, actually isn’t a bad one.  Unfortunately, this Shi’ar member is the infamous Deathcry.  The only thing I really know about Deathcry is that you’re supposed to hate her, and her brief appearance in the story doesn’t dissuade that notion.  Aside from that, using her as the crux of the plot after several pages building up the mystery of Persa’s mission on Earth, is just a letdown. 

As a story of the Super-Skrull making his way through New York as discreetly as possible, the opening is pretty enjoyable (and Cox deserves some credit for coming up with numerous reasons why he isn’t just staying invisible the entire time.)  But once the Avengers enter, the reader has to wade through a lengthy, dull fight scene with Vision, and then we’re supposed to believe that Deathcry is somehow important to anybody.  Nope.  On to the next one…


The Deviant Ones
Written by Glenn Greenberg

Summary:  Inside the Vault, Venom and the Absorbing Man are fitted with experimental manacles that suppress their powers.  Venom’s alien symbiote reacts violently to the handcuffs and sends out a psychic shriek that disrupts the prison’s electricity.  In the confusion, Venom and the Absorbing Man escape, still chained together.  They hide out in the home of an elderly widower named Wally, and soon discover a shocking secret in Wally’s basement.  Venom is eventually able to free himself from the manacles, leaving Absorbing Man unconscious for the authorities to find. 

Continuity Notes:  This story has a character named Marvin Walsh, a balding heavy-set man in this mid-40s, as the warden of the Vault.  Looking online, I see another character named Truman Marsh was once warden in the comics, someone named Howard G. Hardman was apparently the original warden, and even Henry Gyrich was warden of the Vault at one point.

Review:  The title of this story is a direct nod to The Defiant Ones, a 1958 black and white film about two bickering convicts that are shackled together while on the run.  I’m not sure why Greenberg selected Venom and the Absorbing Man to star in an homage to the film, but they’re a fairly entertaining pairing.  In the early pages of the story, I wondered for a while if the Vault officials were going to use Absorbing Man’s powers to somehow remove the symbiote from Eddie Brock, but Greenberg doesn’t get to that bit until the very end.  In the meantime, we have deluded do-gooder Venom paired with relentless thug Absorbing Man, and eventually they run into sad old widower Wally.  That’s when the story almost veers into Pulp Fiction territory, but I won’t spoil the surprise.  There are no great revelations about the main characters, outside of establishing Eddie Brock as a twenty-four hour news junkie, but Greenberg gets a decent amount of material out of the pairing, and the twist at the end is fun.

UNTOLD TALES OF SPIDER-MAN - Part Two

Celebrity

Written by Christopher Golden & José R. Nieto

The Plot: Peter Parker is assigned to take photos of the Human Torch’s date with actress Heather Fox. Sandman is also on a date in the restaurant with Candace, a jewelry store clerk he has a crush on. When Candace expresses her attraction to the Human Torch, Sandman snaps into a rage and attacks the hero. Spider-Man and Torch battle Sandman until he is scared away by the Fantastic Four. Heather, bored by the Torch, approaches Spider-Man after the fight and asks if he knows Sandman’s phone number.

Web of Continuity: This story takes place shortly before Amazing Spider-Man annual #1. Sandman is also referred to by the narrator as William Baker throughout the story, further complicating the later retcon that claimed his true name really is Flint Marko.

Review: This is yet another Silver Age-era Spider-Man/Human Torch team-up. I can’t say it really adds anything to the genre. Selecting Sandman as the villain does work to the story’s advantage, though, since at this point the audience knows he’s destined to reform (and doesn’t know yet about John Byrne’s ridiculous retcon), but also knows how nasty he was during this era. Golden and Nieto reconcile the two portrayals by presenting Sandman as a hard luck loser with a bad temper. He wants to do right, but once his ego is bruised, he irrationally acts out and turns on the society he feels has rejected him. This gives Sandman a more nuanced portrayal than he received in the Silver Age, but also avoids any direct contradictions. I also enjoyed the twist that Heather and Candace are on dates with the wrong guys; it’s probably the best moment of the story. But as a Spider-Man/Human Torch story…they’re the dullest elements of the story, which is a problem.

Better Looting Through Modern Chemistry

Written by John Garcia & Pierce Askegren

The Plot: Out on bail, the Looter immediately begins a new crime spree. Spider-Man follows him to a science exhibit where he hopes to rejuvenate his powers with a recently discovered meteor. When the Looter runs out of helium, Spider-Man recognizes him from hours earlier -- he couldn’t afford two helium cartridges at the Chemco supply store. Spider-Man races to the closed store and ambushes the Looter there.

The Subplots: Peter is buying supplies for his webbing at Chemco but doesn’t have enough cash. He gets an advance from Jonah Jameson, but can’t make it to the store before it closes. On his way there, he accidentally offends Gwen Stacy. Later, he’s invited to lunch with another classmate, Sally Green. He annoys her by leaving early when he sees a report on the Looter’s crime spree.

Web of Continuity: This story is set a few days after Amazing Spider-Man #36.

Review: The major flaw in this story is the assumption that page after page of the Looter rigging up his devices and causing chaos is inherently entertaining. The Looter’s gimmicks are a visual gag, and with no one to bounce off of for much of the story (and very little internal narration), his trademark nuttiness isn’t exploited very well, either. Garcia and Askegren do have a decent handle on Spider-Man and his supporting cast, though, and his run of misfortune throughout the story doesn’t feel tired or hackneyed, which is often the case when writers feel as if they have to go out of their way to insert problems for the hero.

The hook of the story is that Spider-Man’s forced to go without his webbing for the entire adventure, as opposed to the standard last-panel cliffhanger. His solution for moving across town is to hitch a ride on a television news helicopter, which has of course abandoned him by the end of the story. Without the webbing, he also needs something to keep his automatic camera in place. The best solution he can come up with is a roll of duct tape. The deceivingly simple journey of purchasing the chemicals he needs for the webbing is also a series of archetypal bad luck moments that allow the writers to use the supporting cast in a way we haven’t seen in the novel so far. This feels the most like a Spider-Man comic so far, assuming someone would’ve commissioned an extra-length Looter issue.