Superior Spider-Man #21

Writer - Dan Slott

Art - Giuseppe Camnuncoli

 

Sometimes fill-in stories can be fun.  They can examine an often overlooked aspect of a character, shedding more light onto their motivations.  Other times they can just leave the reader bored and frustrated.  The conclusion of this mini-story leaves a lot to be desired.  

At its core, this isn't a bad story.  This is just a story that feels severely out of place in the pages of the core Superior Spider-Man title.  Much less as a bridge between the Spider-Man 2099 story and the upcoming Venom story.  The big revelations here regarding Carlie and her personal quest are lost in the miring story of Otto Octavius' old fling, a holdover from the 90's era best left forgotten.  I think this would have worked much better as an oversized annual issue.  Drop the side stories, focus on Peter Parker's doctorate and Stunner's appearance.  

The art team gives us a solid presentation despite the lackluster story.  The inks and pencils blend together well and neither overpower the other.  The team here is very capable and presented us with some dynamic action panels.  I may have blocked it out , but did Bagley's Stunner always cut such an imposing figure?   Other than her character's immensity, the designs were pretty solid.

The Verdict...

It wasn't terrible, but I'm glad it's over.  I've gotten too used to Slott's fairly fast-paced story presentation, so this step back threw me for a loop.  Regardless, I'm ready for things to pick back up with a Venom story that should be interesting.