Reviewer: Tim Sheridan
Story Title: The Last Stand Part 4
Written by: Mark Millar
Art by: Terry & Rachel Dodson
Colored by: Avalons’s Ian Hannin
Lettered by: VC’s Cory Petit
Associate Editor: Warren Simons
Editor: Axel Alonso
Publisher: Marvel Comics
I was very much looking forward to this comic. I’ve been a fan of Millar’s run on the book from the beginning, and I really enjoyed his conspiracy take on the Spidey villains. Whether he wanted to or not, Millar made this Spidey’s “Hush” story, but made it more satisfying than that. This has also become the only main Spider-Man book I get, with Amazing’s stories boring me, and Jenkins off (save for one more issue) of Spectacular. So this had to give me my Spidey fix.
Alright, so onto the issue. What you need to know is that the Green Goblin has Mary Jane in a similar situation as he had Gwen Stacy years ago; on top of a bridge, ready to drop her. So Spidey has to save her. And of course he does, but not before Doc Ock shows up and creates more chaos.
Throughout the issue, we get to see a great fight between Spider-Man and the Green Goblin, and it’s probably one of the most enjoyable. The name of this story is “The Last Stand”, and it really does have a sense of finality. I’m not saying this is the last we will hear from the Goblin, but if it is, it’s a good finish. I don’t know how much more can be taken from these two characters together.
Another story that has been going on throughout the year here also is Aunt May’s. She was kidnapped back in the first issue, so that gets resolved here too. It’s a chilling scene, and done very well. The Dodsons are often criticized for their style being too cartoony, but they manage to create a perfect balance here, just realistic enough for the tone Millar is trying to convey.
There is a very creepy epilogue here in the form of a letter that Norman Osborn writes to Peter Parker, and it really captures the nature of their relationship.
I don’t think I’ll be sticking around on this title now that Millar is gone. It was a great story, one that any Spider-man fan should be able to enjoy.
