THE SPIDER # 1Moonstone Books
The Spider
Written by Martin Powell
Art by Pablo Marcos
Operator Backup
Written by Gary Phillips
Art by Roberto Castro
The Spider was never one of my favorite pulp heroes -- he was simply a little too "nuts" for my taste. I preferred The Shadow, The Avenger or The Man of Bronze. But I've read quite a few Spider tales over the years and I have to say that this story is one of the best. A mad scientist duo are creating lobotomized zombies and plan to do the same to The Spider's love interest. This leads to an exciting battle between The Spider and the lumbering hordes of zombies. The art is moody and evocative, perfectly capturing the mood of the story. If I had any complaint, it would be that I wished it had been longer. Great pulpy fun and one of the best Return of the Originals products so far.
There is a backup in this issue -- an Operator 5 story that continues into the next issue. The art on this one is solid and the story is interesting though the character is hardly one of my favorites. Nonetheless, it's a solid complement to the excellent Spider tale that leads off the issue. Highly recommended for pulp fans.
I give it 4 out of 5 stars!
