Superior Spider-Man, Vol. 1: My Own Worst Enemy

This volume collects issues 1-5 of the Marvel Now! relaunch series.Peter Parker is dead. No he is not. His body is alive, but his mind is missing, stolen, and it is inhibited by none other than one of his most relentless foes, Otto Octavius, Dr. Octopus. The dying Otto managed to pull a mind switch with everybody's favorite wall crawler and left poor Parker to perish in the mad scientist's body. This happened in the previous series Amazing Spider-Man which ran an amazing 700 issues. Not only does Otto get Peter's body but he also gets his memories and great desire to do good. With great power and responsibility...er...something....something. This series shows Otto not intent on following his old life of crime and supervillainy but to strive to be a better superior Spider-man! (hence the title of the series). He also plans to be a superior Peter Parker! Look out!As mainly a DC reader, I found this a perfect opportunity to try out a run of Spider-Man, as I have always loved the character despite my lifelong arachnophobia. And wow, what a great jumping on point! I love what Dan Slott is doing here. I am sure that there is plenty of build up and nice plot points that are brought up again by going back and reading up on Slott's run on Amazing Spider-Man, but I feel comfortable starting here and taking the ride and figuring it all out as I go along. J. Jonah Jameson is the Mayor!!! What!!?? HahaAs for this actual collection, the first issue starts a tad slow and dull as the new hero shows off to the reader why he is better suited for this than Peter every was. Otto is out to stop a an up and coming Sinister Six that pays no tribute to Otto's days of running with his version of the infamous Spidey gang. He proves to be a great tactician with a very analytical mind. He is also a very vicious Spider-Man in that he is willing to cross the line leading to a very shocking conclusion.The rest of the collection shows Spider-Man/Peter's interactions with his co-workers, girlfriend Mary Jane Watson, her roommate Carla, a really good detective that detects something off about this webslinger, Mayor J.J.J., and other foes and friends. The final two issues deal with this new Spider-Man chasing a serial killing madman called Massacre. This puts all of Otto and Peter's strengths and weakness to the test.The artists of this series are great. Issues 1-3 are done by Ryan Stegman, who has a very spunky expressive style that really gives the book some pop. Issues 4 and 5 are done by Giuseppe Camuncoli who has a similar flare but with a more lean refined style.Great story complemented by great art. This is a wild good time for Spider-Man. I admire the big risk Dan Slott and Marvel are taking here in continuing on with someone as Spider-Man who not only is not Peter Parker, but one of his top villains!!! Yes, it can always be switched but this seems to be a little long term for now and will be explored in interesting ways. Cannot wait for more.

This is a must read for anyone who has always liked Spiderman, but never loved him.I appreciate the original Spiderman, and this concept wouldn't work unless the original character was good.However, this takes everything to the next level.Keep in mind, it isn't particularly "realistic" or anything, it has an 'Elseworlds' feel to it for sure.Which is fun in my opinion.In this volume you are introduced to the new Spiderman, with very little explanation...But it doesn't really matter, you just have to accept the concept and roll with it.If you do...you will be rewarded with great story, great characterization, and great art all in one.The story has multiple layers because the character is kind of two-in-one.You'll find yourself rooting for the villain and the hero at the same time...because Superior Spiderman is a bit of both.If you always liked Spiderman, but love Batman...then this is a character you need to meet.Superior Spiderman has several similarities to Batman...in a good way.I have only read this volume and the next one is very high on my priorities list...right along with Batman, Saga, etc.

It's been a very long time since I've picked up and invested my time into anything Spider-Man ever since the "Brand New Day" reboot of the entire Spider-Man series at marvel about 5-6 yrs ago. I tried getting into the new reboot of that series by reading a few books but I didn't care for it. Then again I mostly stopped reading Marvel (actually comics altogether because it's expensive) altogether because I got tired of the cashing in on big events like Siege which was good & Secret Invasion which I found to be lackluster after 4 issues.I don't know how I found out or who told me that they were writing off Peter Parker as Spider-Man (which is more then likely temporary as with most things in comics) and having him swap bodies with Doc Ock I thought Marvel was crazy. After reading the first 2 issues of Superior Spider-Man I am completely in awe of the direction of the storytelling of this series at some point we know Parker will return as Spider-Man but I found it interesting and hilarious how serious & non-nonchalant he is at being Spider-Man. I just wonder what the fall out will be like once Peter returns as Spider-Man.

I was extremely turned off by this initial concept. I mean...a mind-swap? Really? But over the last few months, as I looked at previews on all the dork sites, I began to really like what I saw. I've always wanted a more brutal & calculating Spider-Man, and here he is. Sure, it's not *really* Peter Parker, but it's extremely cool to see what Spider-Man might have been with a heavier hand.For my money, Octavius really does have what it takes to be a "Superior" Spider-Man. His use of technology and ability to delegate and prioritize is fun to watch and left me thinking "why didn't Peter think of this?" And the evolution of the costume is awesome...the changes are subtle in this volume, but I know where it's going, and it's killer. Clearly influenced by the Alex Ross design sketches for the 2002 movie, but with more sinister lines...Don't want to spoil too much; I love where the story is going, and have pre-ordered all the future volumes so I get 'em as soon as they're released.

It's several years on from the first release of Superior Spider-Man, and the strength of the concept is proved by its longevity - and by the fact that revisiting this volume always pays dividends.The story is most likely familiar to most by now: Doctor Octopus, who was terminally ill, succeeded in one last battle against Peter Parker. Carrying out a mind-swap, he trapped Peter in his own failing body and switched himself into Peter's. Peter died - but not before swamping Octavius' mind with Peter's own memories ... every trauma, defeat, victory and emotion. Changed by the revelation of Peter's heroic life, Octavius resolved to be a hero - albeit one motivated by ego to be the "Superior" Spider-Man.Of course, it will all unravel, from battles with the Avengers and the Venom symbiote to Otto's inevitable overestimation of his own capacities. The hints start landing almost immediately in this first volume, with the capacity for overreach clear to see. But before we get there, there's plenty to enjoy. The new wallcrawler dismantles the Sinister Six (eventually - but only after Otto gets an early taste of just how much punishment Peter had to endure), smacks the Vulture into next week, and gives Mayor J. Jonah Jameson several stinging asides. (The scene where Jonah tries to create a Batman-esque Spidey signal is absolute gold.)This being Otto Octavius, though, there is plenty of behaviour that's unacceptable and downright creepy. He tries repeatedly to entice MJ, only to be repeatedly rebuffed. Sickeningly, he realises that he can be "with her any time I want" by "accessing Parker's memories", violating both her and Peter in one of the most intimate ways. Bearing witness to all this is a 'ghost' of Peter himself - a remnant of his consciousness floating alongside and watching helplessly as Otto takes over his life.The series doesn't just succeed by virtue of placing Octavius in a hero's body, though. It also starts to explore where Peter could and should have done better (as Peter's ghost itself wonders, why did he never think to call for police back-up?) and, more challengingly, his responsibility for further murders when the people who he has incarcerated inevitably break free and cause more horror. After all, with great power ...Dan Slott crafted something with Superior Spider-Man that has stood the test of time, and which remains a stand-out run in Spidey history. The writing, art, pacing, and concept are top-notch.

Prior to this series, a dying Doc Ock managed to switch bodies with Peter Parker so that his mind was transferred to Peter's body and Peter's mind was in Ock's body. Doc Ock's mind coupled with Peter Parker's body makes him, in his words, the Superior Spider-man while Peter in Doc Ock's body is "dead" though his spirit is still hanging around, stupefied at the way events have turned out. Crucially though, Peter was able to give Ock his memories and a measure of his personality so it's not totally Doc Ock in control of Spider-man - he isn't 100% supervillain, and he does save lives, think of others, and generally behave in a more or less civilised way than he normally would, much to his chagrin.So how does Doc Ock do as Spider-man? Actually really well, both as a character and as a concept for this series. He's still selfish, arrogant and ruthless but his Spider-man is incredibly effective. He creates hundreds of mini-spiders with cameras inside and sets them loose on New York providing him with a spy network that eliminates the need for Spidey to go out on patrol - if a spider-camera picks up a crime, the app on his phone beeps and he can get to the scene exactly. Pretty smart, if somewhat Big-Brother-ish, and an idea that's a great blend of Spidey and Ock.There are lots of little things like that that separate this Spider-man from the real Spidey, like the brilliant way he deals with the new Sinister Six in the opening issue, setting the tone for the series that this is a very different Spider-man than the one we've all read before. The focus is on Ock's more cerebral approach to crime-fighting, incorporating traps and gadgets to accomplish his goals more effectively. This Spider-man is definitely a new and interesting version of Spidey that we've never seen before and makes for a more exciting story as we can't predict what he's going to do next.It is strange that no-one picks up on Spidey being different - his voice is definitely Doc Ock's, using phrases like "everything's proceeding according to plan" in everyday vernacular - especially MJ. Issue #2 deals with the disturbing consequence of Doc Ock in Peter's body - that he might end up trying to rape MJ, or she would sleep with him not knowing he's not Peter. Thankfully, Dan Slott deals with it tastefully and in a way that it doesn't need to be addressed again in other issues.There's a brilliant scene that parodies Batman where Mayor J. Jonah Jameson sets up a Spider-man spotlight that shines into the sky whenever he needs him - a light that Spidey quickly destroys, telling him it's like a beacon for every bad guy in the city to target. Which raised the interesting question of why more Batman villains haven't tried sabotaging the light atop the GCPD more often? Batman shows up on the building whenever the light is shone after all. I thought it was a great observation from Slott anyway.Despite the jokey nature of the first couple of issues, things get very dark in the latter half of the book with Peter's grip of Ock's mind slipping (he follows Ock everywhere as a kind of one-man disembodied Greek chorus) and sees the Superior Spider-man becoming much more harsh in his approach to Spidey's rogues gallery, specifically in his treatment of the Vulture and Massacre. In fact, the way Spidey deals with Massacre might be a dealbreaker for many long-time Spider-man readers - but just remember it's not Peter.There really isn't a single thing about the book I can fault. I even liked the sub-plot where Ock discovers Peter doesn't have a doctorate and, his ego enraged, re-enrols in university to get his PhD. and gets tutored by a little person with excellent Italian cooking skills. Amid everything that's happening, it should be a sidetrack that feels unnecessary but instead adds to the overall richness of the storyline.Dan Slott, Ryan Stegman and Guiseppe Camuncoli have re-invigorated Spider-man with this storyline, giving the character a fresh perspective and creating new avenues of storytelling with all sorts of possibilities. Superior Spider-man is a fantastic series and a must-read for both old and new fans of the character.

I'm finding Superior Spiderman a refreshing, well paced, fun and super enjoyable read. I was looking for something to help me have a break from the likes of Batman New 52, Grayson and other DC comics that I love. Never been a massive fan of Marvel but I trusted that a Spiderman story might be fun. Superior Spiderman does not disappoint. So basically Otto Octavious has taken control of Spiderman / Peter Parkers body. Literally taken over control and he's now the mind of Peters body. But instead of using his body to continue to be a villain Otto wants to show the world how much better Spiderman can be with his mastermind controlling it. It's a really well paced storyline with lots of comedy including Otto realising he can now advance on MJ while an almost ghostlike Peter Parker follows the events in both disgust with what Otto is doing with his body and love life as well as in shock at how good Otto actually becomes at being a Superior Spiderman. I had an idea that this storyline would annoy me or just seem stupid but it's actually really fun and I'm going to buy all the TPB Volumes. Try it..... You might just like it too.

If you think you've read every possible "deconstruction" of a super hero, if you think Watchmen is the be all and end all on the topic, then think again.Superior Spider-Man pulls a hero apart, pulls a super villain apart, and makes something new and special from both. See Spider-Man through the eyes of Doc Ock and you may just find your Superior Spider-Man.I loved this collection from top to bottom and will definitely pick up the others. The writing is great, full of brilliant ideas and clever character moments, and the artwork is great too.

This is such a good idea. Calculating, elitist misanthrope Otto Octavius takes over the body of Peter Parker, and sets out to prove he would be a better Spider-Man and a better Peter Parker to boot. He uses cold super villain logic to plan out how to solve his romantic life, arrive on time for dinner with aunt May, finish his doctorate and patrol the city. Refreshing, original, ridiculously funny and yet completely true to the Spidey we know and love. The best Spider-Man Story since the Bendis/Bagley run of Ultimate Spider-Man.