Retro Review 8: The Amazing Spider-Man #338 (1990)
“Death from Above”
Published by Marvel Comics
Written by David Michelinie
Art by Eric Larsen
Coloured by Bob Sharen
Picking this book was a complete coincidence considering that there is quite a bit going on with Spider-Man right now. I was still a kid when I bought this comic back when there was Web of Spider-Man and Peter Parker the Spectacular Spider-Man also available (I usually picked up all three of them fairly regularly). This book was Part Five of Six in the “Return of the Sinister Six” storyline.
The Plot
Doctor Octopus and the rest of the Sinister Six are watching a private launch by Cordco Inc. From the bottom of Long Island Sound. Sandman is the lone voice of dissent as he does not want to kill scores of innocent people. Electro is concerned about his morality, but Doc Ock maintains that he is prepared for any contingency. Meanwhile Spider-Man is also scoping out Cordco because he is convinced that something big is going on. However, he decides to leave as he has to return as Peter Parker to take part in the satellite launch from the same site the next day. He goes to see Aunt May who is still mourning the death of her fiancé, Nathan. She discusses why she wanted him to die (he was confined to a wheelchair) and how it was making her feel guilty. Fortunately, Peter is able to help her put it all into perspective. On the walk home, Peter is almost hit by a slab of masonry, which he discovers to be chiselled off (which means it was deliberate). He makes it home as Mary Jane tells him that the project he’s working on is going to be discussed on “Donahue.” They go over a bunch of recent accidents with people associated with Mary Jane. Mary Jane (speaking with her locks flowing very freely) wants to call Hal Goldman from the precinct. In the meantime over in New Jersey, Doc Ock is working on a formula while Sandman, Hobgoblin, Electro, Mysterio, and Vulture appear to be training. Unbeknownst to Doc Ock, Hobgoblin slips a vial of the dangerous formula into his satchel. The next day, Mary Jane is on her way to work, but stops in to look at a gun. Over at Midtown Hospital, Harold McGee (Mary Jane’s director) is coerced into signing a letter for Mary Jane by Jon Caesar who poisons him afterwards. At the launch, Peter is happy about the launch until Vulture and Hobgoblin attack. Then the rest of the members attack, which finally helps Spider-Man figure out that he’s up against the Sinister Six. They battle while Doc Ock is trying to get the poison cylinders in place. Spider-Man rushes over, but is stopped by Mysterio (whose mists dissolve webbing) while Sandman and Doc Ock look to finish him off. However, Sandman has a change of heart and attacks Doc Ock while revealing that he was blackmailed into helping. Doc Ock turns him into glass and proceeds to force the workers into providing the code to initiate the launch. Spider-Man urges his enemies to get away or they’ll get fried by the rocket launching. He has little to time to worry about the launch as Hobgoblin poisons him with the stolen vial.
The Breakdown
There was a lot of build-up to Spider-Man finally facing off against the Sinister Six. Up until this point, he didn’t confront the members as a group yet. Also, it should be noted that the Sinister Six was still a relatively unused concept as he hadn’t faced them since the Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1. The action was fast and coherent to the reader, which was more typical back in the day. I liked the payoff as the cover did not disappoint or mislead anyone (it says, “At Last! Battle Royal!”) and we were treated to a full-out brawl. During this time, I also liked the face-turn made by Sandman as he was coerced into helping. It was a good scene when he allowed his morality to win out over his fear. At the same time, Doc Ock’s unforgiving and cold response was great as he was ordered the others to kill him after turning him into glass. Speaking of Doc Ock, this reminded me of how bad he was when he had no problem killing in order to meet his goals. He just had such a “meh” expression to doing so. I liked the small interlude with Aunt May as I enjoyed the fact that Peter never lost sight of what was important to him even though he knew something serious was happening with Cordco. It was also a good part because it provided Aunt May with a bit more depth as she was really struggling with guilt. I didn’t really care for the Jon Caesar character, but what I did like about it was that Mary Jane was in danger and Spider-Man had nothing to do with it. The cliffhanger was a good one with Spider-Man helplessly lying there after being poisoned by Hobgoblin. The art had some really strong parts and there were some layouts that were unique for its time. I remember at the time when this comic came out, I really enjoyed the acrobatic nature of Spider-Man’s webslinging. It’s common today, but back then this was still relatively new and exciting. The visual storytelling in this issue was very good. There were so many games that were pictured in the ads: Super Mario 3, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!, Double Dragon 2: The Revenge, The Wrath of Black Manta, Super C, etc. etc. It made me immediately want to play these games as I’ll always have a love for 8-bit. I really wanted to get the X-Men subscription for twelve bucks, but I didn’t have a state or zip code so I was thwarted from doing so. I love reading these old comics.
BUT…
Wow I remember really being worried that Aunt May was going to die soon back then because Eric Larsen made her look like she was well over a hundred. Her eyes are gigantic, wrinkles everywhere, and her lack of teeth is just not a good look. So the pants Peter is wearing…I don’t know what to say about them. They kind of looked like tights and maybe I was too young, but I don’t remember these being cool to wear. The yellow shirt with all of the shapes on it is different because I remember seeing those around. There must’ve been a pretty big draft in their apartment because Mary Jane’s hair is really flowing to the side quite a bit on page 10.
Rating: 7.5/10 (when originally read 9/10)
This comic managed to stand the test of time and remain an enjoyable read. There are some very dated aspects of the book (clothes, hair, but not language surprisingly); however, this stands for any comic from any decade. I do enjoy the simpler times when stories weren’t created to suit trades and comics didn’t have to cater to movie schedules. However, there have been some good and compelling Spider-Man stories this year as well. This has been a character I’ve been able to come back to over the years.
