In a run of nonsense, utterly devoid of anything resembling compelling storytelling issues that sink so low you think surely, they've finally reached bottom - ASM 41 manages to hit a new nadir. An issue consisting of cliched, unimaginative, juvenile fights the Three Stooges would be ashamed of: *yawn*. Once again, Peter is a cameo guest appearance - and an ineffectual one who can barely take down Hellfire goons - in his own book. And it's just so simply awesome they decided to repeat the image of a woman being stabbed through the back - and in under a year! Truly, there are no permissible words.
“I always figured if I were a superhero, there’s no way on God's earth that I'm gonna pal around with some teenager."
— Stan Lee
Talking very briefly with someone who's also familiar with the run, I said I was going to expect Peter's inner monologue to be something like "What else can I do besides let the grown-ups talk when there's a Gang War?" with how much leeway he was giving Tombstone.
I'm a little surprised the term ended up in the comic itself.
Discovering/CONFESSING! the nature of evil... one retcon at a time.
Tombestone has never shown strength at a level above 616 Cap. Yet he recently broke Spider-man's rib and squeezed him into unconsciousness.
The last time Peter personally fought Fisk, he mercilessly beat the cholesterol out of his arteries and held him on his feet by his man boobs. Yet now Fisk is kicking Pete across a room and drawing blood from a bulletproof man.
I'm not pedantic, I just like consistency.
I don't know how old Peter is due to the sliding time scale, but I do know that whe has a lot of fighting experience under his belt and that he also solo'd the Avengers two times in the last year, so this fight should be cake for him. It's like the narrative is deliberately making him take a backseat.
Last edited by Handsome men don't lose fights; 01-03-2024 at 02:12 PM.
Agreed.
It's not really about power levels and the likes, it's about consistency. For decades, we've seen how tough Lonnie's body is, to the point that Daredevil couldn't hurt him without targeting his weak points. Heck, even Peter had to web up his hands when he fought Lonnie in the past. Fisk's head should be in severe pain after head butting him that many times.
spoilers:end of spoilers
Unless Peter was holding back (and I wonder why he should) a kick from him should do significant damage to Kingpin. Even if it didn't, he shouldn't be able to shrug it off and casually throw Peter away. At this stage of Peter's existence, he should be depicted as far more competent. Even with the sliding timescale, he must have been Spider-man for at least 15 years now which is a pretty long time.
I've seen teenage Spider-Man's accomplish more in their Gang War stories.
Or Kamen Rider 1 (Spider-Man/Peter) and Kamen Rider 2 (Spider-Man/Miles). Hell, Insomniac Games did a better job of balancing them than the comics at present seem to be, though as someone put it, the difference may well just be that one is being written by someone who thinks there are other ways to character growth and development besides dragging the character through an endless mire of misery.
The spider is always on the hunt.
Is Typhoid Mary set up to be Harley Quinn, now? I don't remember her talking/acting like that when Ann Nocenti was writing her.
The bizarre new Beetle armor is, well, rather ugly and generic. Who fixes it up now? Is it the Tinkerer or someone else? Abner Jenkins wouldn't be helping her.
Uh.. When did Richard Fisk come back from the dead? Wasn't it his mom who killed him, or had him killed? Does she know?
what's the end game supposed to be for the gang war? People going to jail? "one, true" Boss of Bosses in NYC organized crime? Or just a bunch of dead people, including innocent civilians?
Last edited by Hypestyle; 01-03-2024 at 08:14 PM.
"He's pure power and doesn't even know it. He's the best of us."-Matt Murdock
"I need a reason to take the mask off."-Peter Parker
"My heart half-breaks at how easy it is to lie to him. It breaks all the way when he believes me without question." Felicia Hardy
Miles definitely has the better Spider-Man book right now. He even comes off better in Peter's book than Peter does.
But I was also thinking of Ultimate Peter in his Gang War or Spec Spidey.
Depending on who you ask .
Though it helps that they deliberately make you play as both in their own separate things and let them both win individual fights.
The Rose is a fascinating example of editorial pushing a character that no one has ever been interested in. 30+ years of this guy and now he's down to getting stomped so that the less interesting Beetle can have a girl boss moment. It's a win that does nothing for her either. Even the Hood has more credibility than Richard. Dude's triple L. Life-long loser.
"He's pure power and doesn't even know it. He's the best of us."-Matt Murdock
"I need a reason to take the mask off."-Peter Parker
"My heart half-breaks at how easy it is to lie to him. It breaks all the way when he believes me without question." Felicia Hardy
This Gang War needed Delilah