Spider-Man #7, Vintage Comic Review

Spider-Man #6 and #7

     Today I will follow up yesterday's Spider-Man #6 with a review of the final part of the story, Spider-Man #7.

In Issue #6, we saw that the hobgoblin has done something to the kid, and caused his face to change halfway into a similar face to his own.  Also, Hobgoblin has called Spider-Man "The Devil," and the Ghost Rider is on his way.....

     In Issue #7, we begin with a scene where Spider-Man seems awestruck that the Hobgoblin is as evil and psycho as he is.  Spidey immediately puts the kid in the front of his mind.  The kid, says, "He sent my Mommy to Heaven."  Obviously this kid is being brainwashed.

We get a splash page on pages 2 and 3, Ghost Rider busts in, screaming "EVIL!"   Spider-Man just says, "Is the whole world going nuts?"  Of course, Hobgoblin calls Ghost Rider, "Lucifer."  He sees Spider-Man as the Devil, and Ghost Rider as Satan.  See the connection?  Then we get some narrator blurb, sort of odd for a Spider-Man comic.

Page 4, The Goblin and Ghost Rider are having it out.  Spider-Man is caring for the kid.  he says, "Does it hurt?"

Page 5, the Goblin aims to crash into Ghost rider head on with his sled.  So you turn the page past the advertisement for NBA Hoops cards.....

Page 6, a sort of half splash page.  Ghost Rider is a ghost, remember, the sled goes through him, but he is still able to grab it and damage it.  So what does Hobgoblin do?  He summons a demonic dragon to ride!  Spider-Man, not so quick to the draw, decides to attack, just as the Goblin makes this happen!

Page 7, Spiderman knocks the goblin's block off.  Ghost Rider more or less talks down to Spidey.  He starts swinging his flaming chain, etc.

Page 8 and 9, we get some banter between Ghost Rider and Spider-Man.  Spider-Man blatantly calls the Ghost Rider a rookie, (in this continuity he is.)  Then Spider-Man heroically calls him on the carpet and reminds him that there is a victim present.  When he mentions the kid, Hobgoblin goes berserk!  He gets on his demon dragon thing and rams at Spider-Man and Ghost Rider.  Spider-Man tells him to cool it, the building is not sound enough to take the abuse they are doling out.

Page 10 and 11, Hobgoblin, having ghost rider on the end of his new ride like a cow catcher might have a cow, rams him through the roof and over the city, where they struggle.  Eventually, the Hobgoblin throws the Ghost Rider back down, sort of like the Ghost Rider did to that criminal in the last issue.  When he hits the ground, it is like an explosion!  Spider-Man says he is getting out with the kid, as Ghost Rider crawls out of the crater.

On Page 12, we get to see the Goblin flying over head, yelling "Repent, Repent."  Ghost Rider and Spider-Man briefly discuss the Goblin, about how crazy he is.  Spider-Man goes on to give the detail that he has transformed into a REAL goblin.  That kid is still talking nice to the Goblin, etc.

On Page 13, Spider-Man drops the hammer on the kid.  He tells him to cool it.  We find out here that the boys name is "Adam," an imprortant detail!  Spider-Man decides to dish out some expert hero stuff on the maniac.

On page 14 and 15, the Goblin does what he did in the last issue, sending rays of power in every direction as Spider-Man tries to make some progress.  The Goblin creates some distance between Spidey and himself, and grabs the boy.  We get a panel where we see the ghost rider revving his bike.....  The Goblin hugs the kid, as the Ghost Rider attempts to ram the Goblin from behind, notwithstanding that he is holding the victim!  Spider-Man stands nearly helpless, seeing the catastrophe ahead.

On page 16, we get action.  No dialogue, but some Narrator boxes.  "God Save Him."  No."  "Not God."  Essentially, Spider-Man rescues the boy as he flies from the resulting imact.

On page 17 and 18 we see more hits on the Goblin, while Spider-Man secures the kid.  The boy says "mommy."  Maybe some sense has been knocked into him now.  Ghost Rider keeps on dishing out the justice, but the Goblin is out cold.  I love the bottom of 18.  Spider-Man is in his most threatening pose, posturing towards the Ghost Rider.  He is pissed!  And he begins a tyrade about how the heroes are supposed to protect the victims.  Not hurt them more.  And the Ghost RIder's priorities are out of line.

Page 19, the Ghost Rider leaves Spider-Man, not really swayed.  He is apparently angry that he couldn't hurt the Goblin even more.

Page 20.  The final page of this story.  Spidey always seemed really big to me on this page.  And Adam seems so small in his arms.  We never find out what happens to this kid, as far as I know.  I wonder if McFarlane has anything to say about it in hindsight?

The Letters column is titled "Crawl-Space."  Basically, readers are writing in commenting on Issues #1-#4.  The writers mostly speak positively of the new title.  One reader talks about the "scripting," which I think means dialogue.  I love the dialogue in those first issues.  And think it is even better here in issues #6-#7. But this guy thinks McFarlane's writing "sucks."  Otherwise, another writer writes in to defend McFarlane.  Apparently some people had been critisising him from the outset.  But the reader says that people should give him a chance.....Mcfarlane only did about 15 of these issues.  (14?)  Then he left Marvel to form Image and Spawn.  I heard Mad Max say, "Todd McFarlane took Spider-Man, Ghost Rider, and Hobgoblin, combined all three to create Spawn."  This is very true.  A few cues in the costume department from Spidey.  The cape and powers from hobgoblin, the story from Ghost Rider.  There you go!

Over the years, my books have faded a little.  I re-purchased these books, having sold them off several years back.  (This was my Father's Day present about eight years ago.)  McFarlane's use of shadows and lighting is for the most part very masterful.  And you can see many details on the page that comics artists don't always go the extra mile for.  Little jokes, like the Batman Pumpkin Bombs in Issue #6, and Spider's all over Issue #1, etc, shows that he also had a good sense of humor in his work.  (I wonder if there was a bet about the Pumpkin Bombs?)  Some people think McFarlane has an anime style.  I disagree with this.  His art is his own style.  It doesn't remind me of anime at all.  Doe anyone look line a Gundam pilot?  Or Yu-Gi-Oh?  Nope.  There are some ray blasts and things that might remind you of Dragon Ball Z, but aren't these kinds of things in virtually all comics.

I think these books are like a good movie.  They seem to be a screenplay, the way scenes fade in and out, etc.  In later Spider-Man books, in the "Stan's Soapbox" segments and all, we hear the first rumors of a Spider-Man movie.  We would later see this fall apart a few times, until the Tobey Maguire movies finally took off with sony in the early 2000's.  (Wow, these were good!)  Another digression!  sorry!

The nerd just flows out of me sometimes!

I measure all comics by these two books.  So in the future if I am referenceing these books when I do a comics review, don't be surprised!

"Fishy, Fishy!"