The Influence of Tangled Web: Severance Package

[Mister Mets]

Brian Cronin wrote a review of Tangled Web #4: Severance Package by Greg Rucka and Eduardo Risso, arguing that it has become a bit less distinctive have followed its lead.

https://www.cbr.com/spider-man-tangl...-package-mold/

It's hard to read a comic like "Severance Package" now and appreciate just how distinct it was at the time of its release in 2001. Nowadays, Marvel is releasing one-shots that are similar to Severance Package pretty much every other week, but at the time of its release as the fourth issue of Marvel's brand-new Tangled Web series (after an initial story arc by Garth Ennis and John McRea - Garth Ennis doing Spider-Man? Yeah, it was about as weird as you would think it would be), "Severance Package" by Greg Rucka and Eduardo Risso stood out in a big way. SUCH a big way that Marvel reprinted the story like, right after it came out, in one of those Must Haves reprint collections that they used to do a lot.

Essentially, Rucka and Risso established a mold for great one-off stories set in the Marvel Universe and because so many other writers have followed their lead in the years since, it now makes their original story seem less distinctive when you read it and, as a result, the comic has lost a little bit of its luster, which is a shame, since it's a fine comic book.

The idea of the issue is seeing the OTHER side of what happens when Spider-Man foils a plot of a supervillain. What are the aftershocks?

Have any of you read it? What did you think of it? Is he write in noting its influence?

[DanMad1977]

Its still in my top 20 of the best Spider-Man stories. I regret selling the tangled web collection...

[twenty2]

It's a really great story with amazing art. I never thought of it being influencial for stories' formats that followed tough.

[eratas123]

The entire Tangled Web line is great because it shows the indirect effects Spidey has on the world, for good or ill. The Frog-Man chapter is definitely my favorite since it showed what happened to the son of a D-lister Spider-Man stopped.

[Spidey_62]

Love Tangled Web. Love the concept of one-offs dealing with characters that have come into contact with Spider-Man and how that factors into their lives. There were some really great stories in that series. Some of my personal favs ever are the Darwyn Cooke holiday issues. I always read the Valentines Day story around Valentines Day, alas most of my collection is in storage right now.

[Sparko]

Great story telling. Recently picked up the omnibus and this was one of my favorite stories about 1/4 or so done with the book.

[comicscollector]

I read it way back.
If memory serves me well i enjoyed the story when i read it all though i don´t remember much of the story now.Maybe because Spider-Man was barely in the story i forgot about it.