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| THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN No. 6, November 2014 |
Despite being the conclusion to Dan Slott’s “Lucky To Be
Alive” six-issue story arc, it is rather hard to imagine why such an
unremarkable, though competently written, twenty-one page book managed to so
dominate the sales figures for September 2014; finishing fifth, at least
according to Diamond Comic Distributors, with an estimated 93,564 copies being
sold. True the final confrontation between the Black Cat, Electro, Spider-Man and Silk must have been a highly anticipated affair, as both super-villains had
been depicted as itching to secure their revenge against the Wall-Crawler since his series' re-launch. But once Cindy Moon rescues the titular character from his televised
unmasking at the (clawed) hands of Felicia Hardy there really isn’t that much
to get excited about until the final third of the narrative... Except perhaps the sheer volume of electrical lightning effects Humberto Ramos has to pencil and Edgar Delgado
colour whilst illustrating Max Dillon overpowering the Parker Industries
containment pod?
Possibly a more pertinent question in relation to Issue Six of "The Amazing Spider-Man" however is what exactly has the Berkeley-born author done to the personality of the Black Cat? The "expert burglar" has often walked a fine line between criminality, compassion and justice. Yet in this storyline there isn’t a trace of the feline fighter who was once offered the chance to join the Avengers by the Vision. Instead Marv Wolfman and Keith Pollard’s co-creation is disconcertingly portrayed as a potential ‘queen of crime’ and the leader of a new underworld organisation.
The Diamond Gem Award-winner also never makes it terribly clear what exactly the black-suited probability manipulator is actually planning? It's evident that Hardy has descended into a malicious homicidal villain of the highest order as a result of her intent to kill a befuddled Electro by ‘over-amping’ a device designed to cure him and have the entire murderous incident captured on live television. But how precisely does such an act grant the Black Cat her highly sought revenge upon Spider-Man?
Possibly a more pertinent question in relation to Issue Six of "The Amazing Spider-Man" however is what exactly has the Berkeley-born author done to the personality of the Black Cat? The "expert burglar" has often walked a fine line between criminality, compassion and justice. Yet in this storyline there isn’t a trace of the feline fighter who was once offered the chance to join the Avengers by the Vision. Instead Marv Wolfman and Keith Pollard’s co-creation is disconcertingly portrayed as a potential ‘queen of crime’ and the leader of a new underworld organisation.
The Diamond Gem Award-winner also never makes it terribly clear what exactly the black-suited probability manipulator is actually planning? It's evident that Hardy has descended into a malicious homicidal villain of the highest order as a result of her intent to kill a befuddled Electro by ‘over-amping’ a device designed to cure him and have the entire murderous incident captured on live television. But how precisely does such an act grant the Black Cat her highly sought revenge upon Spider-Man?
Sadly any bemused readers of this magazine couldn't even take some solace in Peter Parker’s alter-ego saving the day, as its Slott’s newly-created superstar Silk who ultimately thwarts Felicia's plans. Indeed, once again Web-head, absurdly illustrated to the point of resembling N’Kantu the Living Mummy due to his many web-wrappings, is essentially ‘benched’ upon the side-lines comforting an agonised Dillon. Whilst Moon not only rescues a helicopter full of reporters, but ultimately both an incapacitated Spider-Man and Electro too. Not bad for someone who has only been a super-heroine for just a couple of days...
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| Writer: Dan Slott, Artist: Humberto Ramos, and Inker: Victor Olazaba |
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