SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #27 REVIEW

[Kerry Birmingham]

Reviewer: Kerry Birmingham, birmy@juno.com
Story Title: "The Final Curtain"

Conversations with Dead People (Talking with Ben ‘05)

Writer: Paul Jenkins
Artist: Mark Buckingham
Color Art: D’Israeli
Letterer: Virtual Calligraphy’s Cory Petit
Assistant Editors: Schmidt, Moore, & Lazer
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Editor-in-Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley

Paul Jenkins is my favorite Spider-Man writer.

I knew he had the right stuff for this when I read his first Spidey story in the late, not particularly lamented anthology title Webspinners, a three-part odyssey in which a suicidal Chameleon confronts Peter and sparks, in its final chapter, an issue-long dream sequence. Culminating in one of the few Gwen Stacy appearances worth mentioning since her death, it set the tone for what would be five years of Spidey stories to follow: the Spider was never as important as the man behind it, a notion often given lip service but not often evident, buried behind the quips and villains and the general trappings of life in a superhero serial. It may not be certain with other heroes—is Batman or Bruce Wayne the real disguise?—but Peter Parker IS Spider-Man, and no amount of clones, in or out of the actual comic, can disguise that.

Presumably off the strength of Webspinners, Jenkins took over the regular writing chores of Peter Parker, Spider-Man shortly thereafter. Most commonly paired with artist Mark Buckingham, Jenkins created short, character-driven pieces with more hits than misses (such as the fairly infamous Typeface, in itself a better story than the presence of that ridiculous character might imply). When Peter Parker morphed into Spectacular, something was lost: paired with Humberto Ramos and a series of artists not very suitable to that kind of low key storytelling, the stories as a whole suffered as both writer and artist tried and often failed to adapt.

After a year’s worth of declining quality, including way too long in the Avengers Diassembled stable and an unfortunate arc by Samm Barnes and Scot Eaton, this issue, the last for both Jenkins and the series, represents a return to form and a fitting end for Jenkins’s involvement with the character. Like a bookend of their first issue of Peter Parker, Jenkins and Buckingham, back for a brief return engagement, put Peter at the grave of Uncle Ben, chatting with a ghost in his own head and answering the same question that always needs answering: why Spider-Man? More importantly, why “Peter Parker, Spider-Man”?

Peter appears in costume only briefly in this issue. It’s only appropriate: this is a story about taking off masks, of revealing to the audience every last trick of the character and the creative team. “The Final Curtain,” after all, is when the actors reveal themselves to the audience. This is full circle, and virtually everything in this issue is in service to that: Peter’s graveside reminiscences hearken back to that very first Jenkins/Buckingham issue of Peter Parker; the dream sequence echoes all of Peter’s fears from the aforementioned Chameleon arc. The plot, what there is of it beyond its basic setup, is almost beside the point. Jenkins borrows a bit of whimsy from Calvin and Hobbes—snow men arranged in horrific poses—and uses to bond Peter to Uncle Ben, and to Aunt May by proxy. Drawn a bit more impressionistically than his normal art style, Buckingham (with excellent colors by D’Israeli) covers the proceedings with all suitable gravitas, surreality, nostalgia, and remorse–and the story really does demand all of these disparate emotions be covered. It skirts treacle, sure, as it tries to tie up all the loose thematic ends, but the raw intent of the creative team shines through even the most emotionally manipulative moments.

This is what stories about our favorite characters should be. Stories like this one prove one thing: that comics mean something. Stories like this one are the reason to read comics as a sane, thinking adult. Even for a medium predicated on the illusion of change, a medium met with scorn by most people outside its insular fanbase, the stories can mean something. The strength of these characters, of these icons, isn’t in their sense of comfort, their oft-cannibalized history, or their impact on the publisher’s quarterly profits. A guy who dresses like a spider and beats people up can make me misty. Any concept strong enough to do that has to be worth reading more about.

Paul Jenkins is my favorite Spider-Man writer. It’s been hard to see why lately, but this issue is a good reminder, and probably one of the best Spider-Man stories you will ever read without Spider-Man actually in it.

ART:


STORY:


OVERALL:


No, seriously, it’s good! Buy it at X-World!

[Qubic]

I loved this issue, I was smiling threw the entire snowman scenes and started to tear up at some moments as well. Just a well done issue.

[Plasma Charge]

You know what's funny, Kerry?

Paul Jenkins is my favorite Spider-Man writer, too (at least, apart from Stan Lee).

Great review.

[Alan Lynch]

This was my first Spider-Man book in months, and it'll be my last until Waid's book kicks off. God bless Paul Jenkins, even if he has told this story about 24 times. He does this sort of stuff so damn well, and I'll miss his Spider-Man.

[Iron Man]

Loved it great finish for Jenkins.

[D4773T]

To me Jenkins entire run was bland and so was the art. I wont miss this book one bit. The man behind the mask is important but if the book was just called Peter Parker with him just being Peter it would not sell many copies.

[James Groves]

Fives across the board! My shop sold out of a few books this week ( ), so i never picked this up. Now i wish i did. Maybe i can get them to reorder it?

[Zacek]

This was a very touching issue, like most of this creative team's Peter Parker: Spider-Man run. Thanks to both creators for the best Spider-Man in many years!

If you people liked Buckingham's art, I strongly encourage you to try Fables, a consistently excellent title, and probably my favorite one currently.

[Anand Khatri]

Jenkins has a knack for writing these type of stories. Great stuff definetly.

btw...Great Review!

[Jason Grasso]

Great review, Kerry. I've always felt Jenkins was such a great departure in the Spiderverse to what were typically big, overreaching arcs in Amazing (and the previous adjectived Spidey comics).

But you know what really elevated this too? That awful arc leading up to this. Sins Remembered. You want to talk about the full spectrum of comic book writing. Bad plot, bad twists and bad execution. Then you get Jenkins...superb in every area. No convoluted twists. Sweet execution. It's sad he's leaving. I think Paul Jenkins deserved to be on stage with Peter taking a bow.

[Prof_VonDiabolica]

This was quite possibly the best comic by Paul Jenkins ever. I especially liked the fact that they included the fact that it was the death of Peter's parents that affected him the most. Something us long-time Spider-Man fans can remember from the Child Within.

[D4773T]

Originally Posted by Jason Grasso

Great review, Kerry. I've always felt Jenkins was such a great departure in the Spiderverse to what were typically big, overreaching arcs in Amazing (and the previous adjectived Spidey comics).

But you know what really elevated this too? That awful arc leading up to this. Sins Remembered. You want to talk about the full spectrum of comic book writing. Bad plot, bad twists and bad execution. Then you get Jenkins...superb in every area. No convoluted twists. Sweet execution. It's sad he's leaving. I think Paul Jenkins deserved to be on stage with Peter taking a bow.

Say what you will about Sins Remembered but it was well written. Jenkins has written some stinkers as well and this book was one of the lowest spiderman sellers out of the group of amazing and mk spiderman.

[Prof_VonDiabolica]

When I read it, I thought Sins Remembered was well-written. Of course, after seeing the cover of the third part, I repeatedly bludgeoned myself in the head with a tire iron. So everything seemed interesting.