The complicated world of this beleaguered pulp hero continues to spin its rather complicated web, but is there enough here to justify a purchase?  Read on to find out.

The official description from Dynamite:

The Fly has beaten and humiliated the Spider! While the victorious villain recedes into the shadows, a new threat known as The Lawgiver targets every cop in the city. The Spider’s enemies are closing in… but it’s Commissioner Kirkpatrick and the entire police force that may suffer in the most shocking ending of any comic this year!

The saga of this particular icon has had its share of ups and downs, from the melodrama of a love triangle to the inclusion of a villain worth fearing this series has finally found its stride as this latest release absolutely proves. The creative team offers a mammoth twist that fans just won’t see coming all wrapped up in an exceptionally tight affair.

David Liss pens the script and at this point the work of the series scribe is fine tuned.  He knows exactly what dialogue to use and when in order to push a scene forward while selling the greater context of the narrative.   The author understands when he needs to dial back the text and let the art do the work, but more than that he allows the twist to happen cosmetically while completing a concerted effort to keep the pace of the arc flowing splendidly.  In short this is his best work to date and I was thoroughly impressed.

Ivan Rodriguez steps up to the plate this outing as his illustrations absolutely match the tempo called forth by the tale.  He expertly crafts the players and the backgrounds involved, creating a lavishly detailed world that’s chock-full of visual splendor.  There were a few instances where the style being displayed lacked some details here and there causing a few panels to appear not nearly as fine tuned as the rest of the work.

The Spider #11 is the best this creative duo has delivered, and I am absolutely thrilled to see where this is all going.  Highly recommended.

4.5/5