It’s the fight of the century, folks!  Spider-Man versus his greatest foe!  Of course we speak of none other than…  Chance!  So will he or won’t he be able to steal the web shooter right off of the webhead’s wrist (like a certain ninja thief community)?  Find out with Dark Mark in this review of issue of ASM!

Credit Where Credit Is Due

Story Title:  Breaking News part 3

Writer: Nick Spencer

Artist: Iban Coello and Ze Carlos

Colorist: Brian Reber and Pete Pantazis

Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramanga

Cover Artist:  Patrick Gleason and Marte Gracia

Asst. Editor: Kathleen Wisneki

Editor: Nick Lowe

Published: February 26, 2020

Remedial ASM 101

Foreigner lost a lot of money in a bet with Chance at the supervillain casino called The Palace.  To get him back, he tricked Chance into stealing Spider-Man’s web shooters.  JJJ, trying to help Spider-Man, got him on the bad side of Spidey’s super-secret-top-rogue-S.H.I.E.L.D.-agent sister.     Of course, Spidey thinks this is pretty much his fault, so he decided to go on Jameson’s new Podcast, just to get interrupted by Chance, who doesn’t believe in using stealth to go steal from a superhero.

The Story – Pay Attention, This Will Be on the Test

Chance and Spider-Man square off, ready to fight and in a slugfest worthy of John Romita Sr, only to get stopped by JJJ in one of JJJ’s best lines ever!

Chance takes some hits, but does manage to land a few blows of his own. All the while Foreigner is watching and revealing that he knows how Chance cheats. Chance whispers for Spidey to punch him, thus ending the fight making Chance lose, though he overplays the turmoil this causes.  Spidey is still scratching his head when a leer of Jack O’Lanterns* sent by the Foreigner shows up and helps Chance win the bet, much against his will.  Spidey is about to go after them when JJJ reminds him he needs to finish the podcast, which he does.  It is a success, and Spidey’s PR goes through the roof (and to my fellow UNC fans out there, we all know the ceiling is the roof!).  Meanwhile, Chance reveals that this winning of his bet will ruin him and that’s when Foreigner moves to “save” Chance by placing Chance in his debt. Meanwhile, back at the Palace, Jamie is using Clairvoyant to score big at the casino games.  Nora pays Peter a visit, much to Randy’s nightmarish fears, and has snooped through his stuff enough to find a spare Spider-Man mask, which she writes off as just Peter and MJ doing something kinky.  She offers Peter a job at Threats and Menace, but not get pictures.

But rather to bring Spider-Man’s story to the masses.  Peter is lured in by the money offered, but hasn’t committed to the job yet.  In a bit of both situational, dramatic, and verbal irony**, we learn that Nora is being bankrolled by Chameleon.

What Passed and Failed

PASS – The whole podcast with Jonah is well done.  I want to hear the whole thing!

FAIL – I can’t follow why Chance is ruined.  I am considering that this may be my fault, but I asked Chi-Town and he didn’t know either and I figured since he is from Chicago, he knows all about crime and cheating and corruption.  I saw The Untouchables. I know all about the “Chicago way”.

PASS – So many Jack O’Lanterns!

PASS – Chance – I’ve never been too keen one way or the other for this guy, but man!  You take a C lister and put him in the hands of Spencer and you can take my money all day long Marvel!

PASS – The art has been consistently good on the books.  I’m sure Neil can tell you which artist did which panel and which colorist did which, but to my unartistic eye, I’m enjoying recognizing characters and having the ability to follow action.  This is not being sarcastic.  With needing a rotating art team, we have been very lucky to have so many come through that match up well with Spencer and Spider-Man.

OOTI (Onomatopoeia of the Issue)

This is quite a noisy issue!  I had a few to pull from (assuming I have Coello or Carlos to thank for that) and because I cannot imagine at all how this sound goes with a punch to the face, I’m going with this one:

On a scale of 1 (POW) to 10 (BLRKBQRKPQRBLNB), BRAM rates a 7.5 – it’s simple, yet intriguing.   

Analysis

Chance – I’ll start by being a bit persnickety here.  I have two problems that distract me from the story.  One is Chance’s predicament.  I am perfectly fine with the Foreigner getting one over on Chance.  I love watching villain interaction.  I am just an idiot, apparently.

I know Chance is cheating somehow with the time, but how he is ruined because he won and how Foreigner understands that if he wins all is over is just something that boggles me.  I have no doubt, however, that Crawlspace readers will come and enlighten this ignoramus and set the record straight.  You guys are pretty smart like that.

Jamie – The other minor issue deals with Jamie.  One, how is he at the Palace?  Was I wrongly under the impression that this casino was for villains and rich people with little to no morals only?  If I was not misinformed, then how the heck does a college kid (even one going his doctorate) even know about it, much less gain access to it?  The other problem I had was this image:

OK, I know that this is for us, the reader, to make sure we understand what exactly he is doing, but come on!  He’s got this bright glowy thing that is the size of his hand and people are wondering how he is winning?  I watched Oceans 11 and Oceans 13, so I am a bit of an expert on casino security.  This kid shouldn’t have even gotten through the door.  I know, I know.  It is not too big of an issue for me and I am willing to forgive all as long as this gets Spider-Man to the Palace.

Now, when Spider-Man does get himself up to the Palace to rescue Jamie (or the Palace comes to Jamie, either way), we will have to put up with a certain amount of Peter blaming himself for Jamie’s predicament since he is the one who powered it up.  Also, this device will have to be destroyed, which means that Peter’s doctorate pursuit will have to take a hit.

Nora – I am much intrigued by this storyline.  I thought Threats and Menaces was just going to be a side plot that would run as long as Peter needed the job, but with Chameleon pulling the strings?  And, fess up here readers, who else thought the reveal was going to be Kindred?

Two things to think about with Nora.  One is that she is willingly working with the Chameleon, which means she is knowingly pulling JJJ and Peter into this mess.  I’m sure Chameleon won’t betray them all, aren’t you?

The other thing is that I wonder if Nora knows Peter’s identity. She completely dismisses the mask, but she does make sure she is openingly showing Peter that she found it.  It could be that he just haphazardly left it laying on his bed, but his roommate is Boomerang, a guy who undoubtedly would go into a roommates room when they aren’t around just to get something he wants or needs, so I doubt Peter is that reckless.  But then again…  What do you think?  Does Nora know Peter is Spidey or at least suspect?

Extra Credit

Notice the new addition to the feature image?  Bonus points to the first person to tell me WHO is man behind the mask!

Final Grade

I like the feel of the story and would like to go in the A range, but there are just too many little things that feel off for me.

B+

Still a good issue and I love the fact that we are consistently staying in the A/B range here with an occasional drop to C.  And judging from the pools you guys are participating in, this is right in line with how we all feel.

Speaking of polls –

Your Turn

What grade do YOU give it?

What’s Next?

• Spider-Man needs to know WHAT BOOMERANG IS UP TO and he (and you) will finally get their answers this issue!
• What does it have to do with Mayor Kingpin?
• And who are all those eyes looking at our hero and his lousy roommate?

OK, so finally we get to find out what we were teased about in the FCBD issue 40 issues ago with Boomerang.  I don’t like how long it drug out, but hey!  I’m not complaining if we get Spencer writing Boomerang again!  Not excited about the mischief of Vermin*** on the cover, but I’m betting Boomerang can pull it off for us.

Nick Lowe has asked people to let the Spider office know how they are doing by sending an email to spideyoffice@marvel.com and to make sure you mark it “OK to print”.  If you get published, make sure to draw our attention to it!

* ‘leer’ is the collective noun for jack o’lanterns

** Wow!  All three irony types at the same time!  Situational irony – a surprise twist (which we get with the Chameleon reveal)  Dramatic irony – we know something the characters do not (and we know Chameleon is setting Spider-Man up)  Verbal irony – what is said is not what is meant (sarcasm is a form of this and Nora’s sarcastic response about knee capping barely qualifies, but I’m making a ruling that it does)

*** ‘mischief’ is the collective noun for rats, but then you already knew that if you read my reviews

Sorry, but I am an English teacher…

‘Nuff Said!

An unenviable situation to be in.

Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #66

Published: c. September, 1968?
Cover Date: November, 1968

“The Madness of Mysterio!”
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: John Romita and Don Heck
Inker: Mike Esposito
Letterer: Artie Simek

There are neither enough Black superheroes or Black creators in comics. That’s mindboggling considering the popularity of characters like Black Panther, Storm, Luke Cage, Cyborg, Jon Stewart, and Black Lightning. And we have creators like Christopher Priest, Kevin Grievoux, Karl Bollers, Amanda Stenberg, Reginald Hudlin, Mildred Louis, and Bryan Hill. But two of the best Black creators in comics or any medium is Ta-Nehisi Coates and Roxane Gay, and in 2016, they worked together on the great but short-lived World of Wakanda.

Coates has been writing Black Panther since 2016, and is now also writing Captain America. He also penned brilliant social commentary books such as Between the World and Me. Gay is pretty new to comics, but has some fantastic works like Hunger and Bad Feminist. Shortly after Coates started his Black Panther run, he and Gay teamed up with poet Yona Harvey, and artists Alitha E. Martinez and Afua Richardson for Black Panther: World of Wakanda.

Gay and Harvey Made History at Marvel Comics with World of Wakanda

(Image: World of Wakanda #2, by Roxane Gay, et. al., Marvel Comics)

 Before Roxane Gay and Yona Harvey started writing World of Wakanda with Ta-Nehisi Coates, there were precisely zero Marvel comics written by a Black woman. After 70+ years, they were the first. Marvel Comics has a complicated history with diversity and representation. In their comics, writers and editors always promoted equality and diversity. In fact, Marvel has recently been reprinting Stan’s Soap Boxes from his days as editor-in-chief, some of which are shockingly political, considering comics really were for children at the time. But as liberal as Stan and the many writers, artists, and editors that came after him were and are, the Marvel bullpen was very…white. Not just white, but white men. The first Black creator at Marvel was inker Billy Graham, who worked on Hero for Hire in the 1970s, Luke Cage’s original title.

There is some debate, however, if Gay and Harvey were the first Black women to write for Marvel, or if Nilah Magruder, who wrote a digital one-shot about Rocket Raccoon counts first. The answer—who cares? Depending on the announcements, when they were contracted, how long it took to create the comic, and a dozen other factors, the fact remains that before 2016, not a single Black woman had ever written a Marvel Comic. And there still aren’t enough. Sure, Nnedi Okorafor is writing Shuri, but it would be great to see writers like Tomi Adeyemi, Temi Oh, and Nalo Hopkinson write for Marvel too. Or hire other Black women in comics, like Concrete Park’s Erika Alexander, or (H) afrocentric’s Juliana Smith.

Roxane Gay Tells a Classic American Story—Wakanda Style

(Image: World of Wakanda #4, by Roxane Gay, et al., Marvel Comics)

At the heart of World of Wakanda, Roxane Gay tells a story of love vs. duty. But since this is a superhero comic set in Wakanda by a brilliant LGBTQ writer, it’s a little more than that. Two of the most interesting characters that came out of Coates’ Black Panther run are the Midnight Angels. Here, we see them before they leave the Dora Milaje. Ayo and Aneka love their country, but they also love each other dearly.

However, the rules of the Dora Milaje makes this a problem. Every woman who serves in this elite force not only protects the King, but they have to be available to him as potential wives. If that feels a little skeevy, that’s because it is. Ayo has no problem breaking tradition, but for Aneka, it’s harder to go back on her pledge, even if she doesn’t want to be with any man.

World of Wakanda is also about questioning our leaders, and what isn’t more American than that? The series takes place through a span of events that profoundly impacted Wakanda. Most notably, Avengers Vs. X-Men, when Namor, an X-Man at the time, flooded the Golden City. Many of the Dora Milaje held King T’Challa responsible since Namor attacked the city because the Avengers were using Wakanda as a base.

Then the events of Infinity nearly destroyed them again, and T’Challa was nowhere to be found—but he was working with Namor, which did not sit well with his personal guard. As the country spins further into chaos and Queen Shuri dies at the hand of Thanos’ Black Order, the Dora Milaje are forced to question if they serve a King who lost his way, or the country itself.

Yona Harvey Brings Her Poetry to a Superhero Short Story

(Image: World of Wakanda #1, by Roxane Gay, et al., Marvel Comics)

Just as Gay and Coates introduce us to the Midnight Angels, Yona Harvey’s story in World of Wakanda introduces us to Zenzi. Zenzi is the survivor of experimental treatments, and can amplify the emotions of people around her. She’d later become the leader of “The People,” but here, she’s just a lost woman looking for direction. She finds this by helping the people of Wakanda after Namor’s attack, learning that instead of relying on King T’Challa, they need to rely on themselves. This short story drives the point that Gay makes in World of Wakanda—community above a figurehead. I wish we had several issues in this volume focusing on Zenzi. She’s an incredible character, and Harvey writes her wonderfully.

Rembert Browne Brings Back a Classic Black Panther Character

(Image: World of Wakanda #6, by Rembert Browne, et al., Marvel Comics)

Though Kevin “Kasper” Cole might not be the most recognizable superhero in comics, he played a vital role in Black Panther lore, using the Black Panther mantle to take down organized crime in New York City. This was after he lost his job as an NYPD officer. When Black Panther returned, Kasper became the White Tiger, using an alternate Black Panther suit. But he has a lot going on in his life. He’s back on the force, but behind a desk and not making enough money to support his family…and then T’Challa asks him for a favor. The mutant villain Vanisher is smuggling raw Vibranium into New York.

While Roxane Gay and Yona Harvey’s stories in World of Wakanda are in Wakanda, Browne’s takes place in NYC. This gives a much broader definition of World. It’s a reminder that Black Panther has an impact all over the world. The character spent a lot of time in New York City, after all, so a piece of Wakanda will always be in NYC. Browne widened the scope to show Wakanda’s influence beyond its borders.

However, we still get a character-driven story. Kasper doesn’t want to be the White Tiger anymore. He literally can’t afford it. But even though Wakanda isn’t his home, Kasper still wants to help. He might not be the most famous superhero, but White Tiger exemplifies what makes the best kind of superhero—the ones who are there, in the background, or as a side character, and yet still as heroic as the “A-Listers.”

Marvel Needs Roxane Gay To Write More After World of Wakanda

(Image: World of Wakanda #5, by Roxane Gay, et al., Marvel Comics)

Though Roxane Gay is featured in the recent Marvel Voices, World of Wakanda is her only series at Marvel. Marvel canceled this series far too quickly. They needed the movie to create buzz, giving Black Panther series get momentum. Another victim to lousy planning on Marvel’s end was Coates’s Black Panther and the Crew. But beyond the World of Wakanda characters, there are dozens of characters Roxane Gay could write wonderfully. Her take on Kamal Khan would be fascinating. And any mutant living on Krakoa—they’re bringing back some obscure favorites, but Storm and Rogue? Definitely. Or Gamora and the Guardians of the Galaxy. Seriously, she has the wit and character depth to take these characters to places we haven’t seen before. For now, we’ll just have to enjoy her new graphic novel from TKO, The Banks.

(Featured Image: World of Wakanda #1, by Roxane Gay et al., Marvel Comics)

Black History Month Graphic Novel Spotlight: World of Wakanda by Roxane Gay, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Yona Harvey, and More
Roman Colombo