Fighting off an illness, Spider-Man has to fight the all-new Vulture, Blackie Drago!
POINTLESS TRIVIA
BEN: Villain appearance count:
- Green Goblin: 7
- Doctor Octopus: 5
- Sandman: 4
- Kraven the Hunter: 4
- The Vulture: 4
- Mysterio: 3
- The Enforcers: 3
- The Rhino: 3
- The Lizard: 3
- The Chameleon: 2
- Electro: 2
- The Ringmaster: 2
- Scorpion: 2
- Molten Man: 2
BEN: This is the first appearance of Blackie Drago, becoming the first legacy Spider-Man villain after he takes over as the Vulture following the death of Adrian Toomes.
DUY: Well, "death." I don't know why they keep trying to replace the Vulture. He looks like a vulture. He's old like a vulture? What more do you want. Any update just makes him a bird.
BEN: It’s one of those cases where logic creeps too far into the character.
DUY: There's a scene on top of a bridge, which as we all know after 1971 would never happen again unless it was an extra special story referencing the landmark story in 1971.
BEN: Peter trying to do his job while sick is such a normal problem, any reader can instantly visualize themselves in that situation.
DUY: There's also J. Jonah Jameson's "hot take" appearance on a TV news show that's widely done today.
WHAT'S AGED THE WORST?
BEN: I think they overthought the weaknesses of the Vulture because Drago has none of the charm that Toomes did.
DUY: Drago is just so generic. Ivan Drago is better.
BEN: I think Romita probably designed Drago before putting him in the costume because the Vulture looks ridiculous with hair. That’s why he made up the helmet thing, which is worse.
DUY: It's like if you decided to update the Rhino by turning him into literally any animal with a horn.
BEN: What, no. That’s a terrible analogy.
DUY: He's the Unicorn now.
BEN: Don’t try to salvage it.
NITPICKS
DUY: I want to ask why Gwen would wear her hair the way Mary Jane would, but I'm not going to pretend I understand women.
FAVORITE PANEL
DUY: If I had to pick, the last panel. Something about Spider-Man laid out against the complete whiteness of the snow.
BEN: I’m always a fan of extreme elements depicted in comics. Rain, snow. I guess it’s just those two. Whatever. This is pretty.
WHO WON THE COMIC?
DUY: A generic issue with a sick Spider-Man fighting means I will have to give it to Spider-Man.
BEN: We’ve seen much less of Jameson since Romita took over right? Which makes sense with the focus on romance.
DUY: Unfortunately.
BEN: Let's compromise and say Gwen Stacy.
BEN: Thank you, Stan Lee and Steve Ditko—
DUY: —for telling us we aren't the only ones.
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