Random Floppy Review: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #589

Marvel has done it again. Yet another silly villain from the past has been given the MATURE AUDIENCE makeover. This time they've taken the obscure Spider-Man foe- The Spot, a scientist with a suit covered in those portable holes from the Looney Tunes cartoons- and made him a bloodthirsty bad-ass.

I found this preview at Newsarama.com and quickly began formulating my indignant reaction. Some random thoughts I jotted down included -

Created by Al Milgrom in the 80's The Spot was one of the last of the seriously silly villains. His full bodysuit of teleportation holes was so ridiculous he couldn't be seriously enjoyed by anyone over the age of ten. Now he uses his Acme Brand portable holes to shove a knife into a guy's throat. I feel personally insulted! In their endless search of obscure nostalgia to exploit, Marvel has plundered my childhood bedroom, found this issue and smeared poop all over it.

But then a funny thing happened a few days later. I bought and read the entire issue and - you know what? I kind of liked it. It's tightly written by Fred Van Lente who remembers to pepper Spidey's dialogue with plenty of his traditional witticisms. Paulo Siqueira's art is clean and dynamic.

And I was particularly struck by this brilliant sight gag -


Oh sure, The Spot is still a psycho-killer and there's bloody stabbings and neck snappings, but it's not delivered with the kind of heavy melodrama found in most of Marvel's flagship titles. The story acknowledges how silly the Spot is, how bizarre it is to find him working as a hired killer and finally manages to end on a bittersweet note.

This still isn't for kids you wouldn't take to a PG-13 movie, but it's a fun read for yourself.

More info about The Spot courtesy of Marvel.com