The Spider #14 Review


Is this the stuff that true heroes and villains are made of, or is it a back and forth battle that’s little more than a series of cheap gimmicks?  Read on to find out.

The official description from Dynamite:

When The Fly raises the technological stakes, The Spider is bested at his own game. With his network crumbling, his company failing, and his friends helpless, Richard Wentworth faces enemies on all fronts. With fierce battles on New York streets and in skyscraper boardrooms, has The Spider finally met his match?

There’s been some bumps along the way but the creative team delivers an interesting dynamic that’s sure to excite devoted followers.  Since the introduction of the Fly it was hard to tell whether or not he’d be a throw away antagonist.  Thankfully he’s got some staying power, since he’s proven to be a worthy adversary for our vigilante.

David Liss pens the script and the series scribe plays all the cards he has while a methodical executing a chain of events that reveal some dastardly twists and turns.  He makes the audience aware of the threat of the villain through some very cut throat actions.  To describe them I can simply say that they carried a strange mix of Lex Luthor and the Joker.  There were times where the dialogue felt a bit flat, as corny lines slightly cheapened situations, though truth be told for the most part these were few and far between.

From my perspective Ivan Rodriguez has improved with each outing.  He delivers a detailed effort that builds on this hard hitting reality without robbing it of its fantastical foundations.  I’m not going to lie the transition to this talent from the original illustrator, Colton Worley, was more than a bit jarring but by this outing his renditions have become so professional that it’s hard to imagine anyone else in this role.

The Spider #14 is most assuredly a great comic book that has enough meat to its mysterious play to sate the appetite of any reader that’s looking for a pulp icon beyond the usual suspects.  Recommended.

4/5

S#!T Talking Central

  • Ivan Rodriguez

    Thank you Harrison.
    The Spider #15 will be amazing. Wait for the Big Surprise…

    • Harrison Rawdin

      Can’t wait to read / review what you guys got in store. The books becomes such a well-oiled thrill ride already 🙂