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This collection focuses on one of the deadliest threats that Spider-Man ever faced: The Sinister Six. The Sinister Six first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1 (which is presented here) and it consisted of Kraven, Doctor Octopus, Vulture, Sandman, Mysterio and Electro. Their union was single-minded: destroy Spider-Man. Their first appearances was epic. The art by Steve Ditko was some of the best art seen in the pages of Spider-Man with splash pages that would make the early 1990’s proud. Their appearance was so memorable that I didn’t realize until reading this collection that this was their only appearance until the rejoined in the early 90’s.
Their reunion in the early 90’s, as written by David Michelinie and drawn by Erik Larsen. The premise is simple: Doc Ock brings together the original six (with Hobgoblin in the place of the deceased Kraven) with a plane to rule the world. Ock has created a compound that will kill the people of Earth unless they succumb to the will of the Six and make them the leaders of the world. Spider-Man catches wind of something going on when he sees his Rogues Gallery mysteriously meeting together. There’s a lot of different storylines going on here, from Aunt May and he love interest Nathan, Mary-Jane being followed by crazed fans, and Doctor Octopus forcing the then heroic Sandman into working for him. Every plotline is resolved here in what I think is great fashion. There’s also some cool appearances by Shocker here, as well as Chance, and they all tie together into the ongoing plot of Ock.
-The Bottom Line- Frankly, Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1 makes this just about worth the $25, as Ditko just destroys the title with amazing splash pages and his usual spectacular art. Following that, the work of Michelinie really shines here. I never realized how good his run on the title was. There were a lot plotlines he had set up that were all paid off, showing that he wasn’t just going from issue to issue but that he had a grand scheme in mind. I really enjoyed reading the story and all the intricate threads that were lain throughout. The art of Erik Larsen was certainly serviceable and what you’d expect from the early 90’s. I’m not too familiar with his work (I’ve never read Savage Dragon) but what I saw here was a guy doing a really good McFarlane impression. This is a very lithe Spider-Man with some proportions that were just ridiculous. That’s what was cool about some of these early 90’s artists (like Liefeld, McFarlane, and others) so I actually enjoy art like this. I wasn’t expecting much from this but I got a lot in return. This is definitely worth the money and highly recommended.
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Questions? Comments? Shoot me an email.
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