Spider #8

If you haven't read the previous issue of The Spider, stop reading this review right now. Go get it, read it, then come back if you want.

Ok, now that everyone is up to date I'm gonna feel free to discuss recent developments. First off, by now it's quite clear that Richard Wentworth is not exactly what you'd call mentally stable. He's beaten up his dad, thrown him threw a window, threatened to kill him, and sent him to jail. In the last issue, he banged his best friend's wife while that friend was thought to be dead. Turns out he wasn't dead after all. "Awkward" doesnt begin to do that justice. This added stress is bound to be trouble as we see Richard begin to take over the task of running the family business. As we know, Wentworth Sr. had been allowing some unknown bad guys to get their hands on some serious weapons. While Richard attempts to get to the bottom of this, a new villian emerges with a beef against the recently un-deceased Stanley Kirkpatrick.

This first half of a two part arc introduces the Hater. Having just broken out of jail - where he had been sent thanks to Stanley - he is now looking for revenge and will use his hypnotist powers to exact it. The Hater is not as intriguingly perverted as Lazarus was in the last issue, but he is definitely an obnoxious villian you will love to hate. Cpl. Reginald Jackson, first back in issue 6, is given more of a spotlight finally. Richard has taken him on as an assistant in both his public and secret affairs. Jackson is a fun, interesting character that I won't mind seeing more of in the future.

Theres no doubt that The Spider is a personal favorite hero of mine, in no small part due to this series, but this also means that when things are less absolutely perfect, I'm bound to nitpick. My problem with this issue is that The Spider is not dark enough. He's a vigilante operating with frayed sanity already, but if you add in all the recent things he's been through, I feel like we should be seeing more of this damaged psyche bubbling to the surface. This does happen a bit at the end of the issue, but I thought there should be something more - like the way Richard accidentally nearly outed his secret identity in issue 6. Ivan Rodriguez, while he is doing a great job taking over the reins from Colton Worley - seems to be making things seem just a bit too clear and bright. Colton's Spider lived in a world where it always seemed to be dark, raining, or overcast, which reflected the mind of Wentworth.

Minor nitpicks aside, The Spider #8 is another solid story from Liss and Rodriguez. It's a fun read that builds a head of steam, racing towards a cliffhanger that isn't necessarily too surprising, yet left me wishing next month could come faster. Fans of the series will not be dissappointed. For those new to The Spider, I HIGHLY recommend picking up the trade of Vol. 1 which is also out this week.