Superior Spider-Man #4

So, for those of you unfamiliar with the new status quo in The Superior Spider-Man, here's a little refresher course for you: Doc Ock decided to get all Freaky Friday with Peter Parker, and now Doc Ock is Spider-Man, while Pete is (presumably) dead, except Pete's ghost or something hangs out, futilely yelling things at Doc Ock and being creeped out that his nemesis is hitting on his lady. That's about all we need, right?

I'm not really sure if the writing in this issue that faltered or if the gimmick itself is just losing steam. After just four issues I'm already pretty tired of Peter doing his best Obi-Wan impression that nobody can hear. In fact, his presence (if you can even call it that) really just drives home the fact that eventually it's all going back to normal eventually.

Sure, the cynical part of me knew that they wouldn't keep this concept going forever, but I would have appreciated them at least pretending that Peter might not be Spider-Man, or even alive, for a while. Unfortunately, that is not the case and the book has a constant reminder of how it used to be, and will be again.

Almost nothing of consequence happens in this issue. Doc Ock claims to be a better Peter Parker, while somehow being pettier, creepier and just generally a worse person. Somehow, even though it's been a month since the switch, and “Peter” is acting very different, people are just now starting to get suspicious. Oh, and a villain escapes, and some plot lines from last issue gets resolved, but some don't. Really. That's the spoiler-free summary of this book. It's an incredibly slow issue.

I find it incredibly hard to believe that Peter's ex-girlfriends, family, and co-workers that include some of the smartest people in New York aren't incredibly suspicious. How can they not think that there are some seriously sinister shenanigans in play here? His co-workers are the people that saved New York from turning into spider-people, but they don't think a sudden and drastic shift to someone's personality is worth investigating?

Nah, let's let him keep his lab and weird creepy robot butler, that is a former super-villain. That sounds reasonable.

If Dan Slott didn't try to jam the idea that Doc Ock is a better Spider-Man down our throats, this book might be better. Sure, he has some better tech ideas and he is certainly more efficient, but I have no idea how Doc Ock is more likable as Spider-Man. Somehow the public adores him?

It's Doc Ock somehow believes that “cold, efficient and calculating Spider-Man” is better than “friendly neighborhood Spider-Man,” but there is no way the people of New York should. Especially considering how much of a jerk he is.

I really wanted to support this idea when it started, because I'm all for changing things up, but this reads like bad fan-fiction. I'm not interested in the Spider-Man as a jerk, especially when the real one is taunting me with his ghostly presence.

I never thought I would say this so soon, but just hurry up and bring Peter back. Your experiment is failing.