Reviewer: Iain Burnside
Story Title: “Part Six – One in Four”
Written by: Kevin Smith
Penciled by: Terry & Rachel Dodson
Inked by: Terry & Rachel Dodson
Colored by: Lee Loughridge
Lettered by: Richard Starkings & Comicraft
Editor: Axel Alonso
Publisher: Marvel
Yes, this is a comic book review based on a sitcom gimmick. Why, yes, I have had a very long day, thank you for asking. On we go…
Six Simple Rules for Buying (or not) This Comic Book:
1. The Lateness
As you must all surely be aware, this book is hideously late and should have originally arrived back in 2002. Actually, this book was never originally supposed to exist since the mini-series was originally solicited as four issues. The tolerable delay in releasing issue #3 saw it extended to five parts, while the inexcusable delay in getting around to making issue #4 saw it dragged out to six. Kevin Smith has been quoted as saying “it’s a much better story now than it would’ve been had I completed it back in ’02” but if this is true then the ’02 version presumably went through bad and to the other side. As it stands, the ’06 version is simply bad.
2. The Consequences
You see, the Marvel Universe of 2002 is markedly different than that of 2006. The Avengers were discombobulated (or something), reality itself was altered so that several mutants became humans, Nick Fury has buggered off from S.H.I.E.L.D., Peter Parker lost his high school teaching job, while Spider-Man himself moved into Tony Stark’s pad and began to take his name far too literally. Bypassing all these changes is not as simple as it seems when there are references to things as they were rather than as they are, such as several near-reveals of Daredevil’s secret identity. In fact, the number of rather substantial changes in the tone of the Marvel Universe between now and then is rather surprising and is another unwanted yet necessary reminder of the unprofessional manner in which this book has been created.
3. The Script
Oh dear. Smith used to be quite good at writing comics too. His runs on DAREDEVIL and GREEN ARROW were effective and generally well-received, albeit too controversial for some, and there is no doubt that his DAREDEVIL played a major part in the success of Marvel Knights (in turn leading to the resurgence of Marvel Comics itself). What he’s conjured up here is just… messy. Plot points in the early issues, such as Black Cat’s friend and one of Peter’s students having overdoses, are completely ignored in the later issues. The villain of the piece, Garrison Klum, a.k.a. Mister Brownstone, is disposed of too early and his Hollywood connections glossed over. Spider-Man and Black Cat wind up spending very little time together for a team-up book, largely due to superfluous appearances from Daredevil and Nightcrawler, which renders the intended emotional pay-off between Felicia Hardy and Peter in this issue hollow. It is in everybody’s interest to forget the random musings about Nazi experiments in the fifth issue, which had absolutely no rational need to be included. If Smith is going to resume his film career under the safety net of Clerks then perhaps he should do the same with his comic book writing ‘career’ too.
4. The Dodsons
There are probably a number of people out there who are great fans of the Dodsons and will be tempted to purchase this or perhaps the eventual TPB for their artwork, regardless of extenuating circumstances. That’s fair enough, but even the biggest admirer of cheesecake art should remember that in this case it is drenched in a sour story.
5. The Fanboys
We all know there are some people out there who will buy the book because they either can’t bear to have a gap in their comic collection or they are quite content to suckle at the teat of Kevin Smith, sucking up any old thing that is released with his name on it. The collector’s mentality is a tough one to break. Perhaps the disdain shown to his fanbase on this title will help them out. And really, who needs a 10th Anniversary Edition DVD of Mallrats?
6. The Reality
Of course, if you do buy this book then you are essentially condoning the inexcusable way it has been handled. Smith has stated on his website that he has not yet been paid for writing this mini but, hey, he will be soon and DAREDEVIL/BULLSEYE: TARGET still has not made it past issue #1 in some four years. Perhaps Marvel would not have been so lenient to someone who had not been so beneficial to the company in the past. More cynically/accurately, they probably would not have been so lenient to someone who was not so friendly with Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada and did not happen to be a famous filmmaker. Fittingly, their only other writer to have displayed such ineptitude when it came to finishing their comic projects lately was none other than Quesada himself (NYX, DAREDEVIL: FATHER). Smith admitted recently it was probably a rather good idea if he did not write anymore comics for a while (after finishing TARGET, which may or may not surface this year), but would Marvel learn their lesson if he did approach them with a new pitch? The ludicrous ending certainly teases a sequel involving Mysterio. Would they demand more discipline if, say, Joss Whedon or Orson Scott Card acted this way? Do you really not know the answers to these questions?
