Review: Superior Spider-Man #1 by Dan Slott and Ryan Stegman

There has been a lot of talk about the new status quo facing the Spider-Man titles, and not all of it has been positive. The body-swap of Peter Parker and Otto Octavius was met by a chorus of harsh criticism even before it’s ‘permanent’ status went into effect, but now the moment has arrived: it’s time for Doc Ock to step up and fill the shoes of everyone’s friendly neighborhood wall-crawler. So how does he do?

Pretty well, actually.

Writer Dan Slott wisely focuses the whole issue on Ock-as-Parker’s inner monologue, which works wonders towards establishing just how the good doctor is adjusting to his new home. There are obvious benefits and unexpected drawbacks, and Slott begins to scratch the surface of how those things are going to affect Octavius over the course of the series.

The humor that one expects from a Spider-Man comic is also present, though it comes across differently here. This Spider-Man doesn’t so much crack wise as he snarks at his enemies, berating them for their incompetence and boasting about his higher intelligence. It’s amusing, but at the same time it’s hard not to ignore that Spider-Man is being kind of a jerk, which is, of course, the intended result.

The art by Ryan Stegman is well-suited to the story. His Peter Parker is a bit over-the-top, which feels perfect for an Octavius who is poorly acting like someone he is not. There is a heavy Greg Capullo influence in Stegman’s pencils, with hints of Mike Wieringo added for good measure. The storytelling is solid, the characters well-defined, and the action appropriately energetic.

In the capable hands of Slott and Stegman, Superior Spider-Man is off to a solid start. As a jumping-on point, this first issue is easily accessible to readers who haven’t been following Spider-Man previously. While the twist at the end of the issue was not entirely unexpected, it sets up a necessary ongoing conflict for the series. Doc Ock has his work cut out for him if he wants to truly replace Spider-Man, and watching him try looks like it’s going to be a fun ride.