Superior Spider-Man Team-Up, Vol. 2: Superior Six

Superior Spider-Man Team-Up (2013)

by Christopher Yost, Kevin Shinick, Paolo Rivera (Cover Art)

Collects Superior Spider-Man Team-Up #5-12.

The Superior Six are here! Spider-Man has forced the Sinister Six to become his own Superior super-hero team! But can Spider-Man trust his greatest enemies when a reformed Masters of Evil come calling? As everything goes wrong, Spider-Man learns that with great arrogance must come great consequences. Now, every single person in New York City might die at the Superior Six's hands -- and it's all Spider-Man's fault! Then: The Goblin Nation is on the rise! The Green Goblin has launched an all-out gang war in the New York underworld -- and Spider-Man, Daredevil and the Punisher are caught in the middle! Spider-Man thinks back to a never-before revealed team-up between Dr. Octopus and the Goblin, but what consequences do this flashback adventure have for the present day? Guest-starring Cloak and Dagger, and the Sub-Mariner!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Spider Man, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book, Superheroes

177 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 24, 2014

Reviews

[Gavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Continuing EVIL week buddy reads with the Shallow Readers, here we've got Superior Spider-Man (Evil Otto in Good Peter's body) alongside the Sinister Superior Six (Vulture, Electro, Sandman, Mysterio, Chameleon (and usually Doc Ock!).

Here's an interesting twist on things: Otto has the other members of the Six under control via his Spider-bots, so he has control of all their actions, and is using them for various evil shenanigans good!

Of course, since this is Spider-Man, everything goes tits up...Otto is finding out the hard way, he's got his AND Peter's bad luck multiplied! The Wrecking Crew shows up to steal some Quantum Physics thing, and he gets help from some Sun Girl character.

Also, the Six talk about how something is off, because Spider-Man was never this mean and also not this long without a joke...talking about how it's juxtaposed between their evil torture and his, and his taking control of them and imprisoning them to do his bidding is far worse than anything they ever did to him...and they're kinda right.

Spidey Otto learns from Sun Girl, the minor nobody who wanted to be just like Spidey, what it really means to be a hero, and Otto chastises himself for being too cocky and losing sight of the real reason...there's also some sad stuff about Sandman, and how he used to think Spider-Man wasn't all bad, but now, it's different, and Otto realizes that he's done far worse than keep them prisoner, he's united them in the bond of hatred they feel for Spider-Man. Irony of ironies, Otto as Doc Ock could NEVER get them all that together.

The next story Anne will love! It's all about Otto Spidey being all woebegone after his failures with the Six, and deciding to turn himself into the Avengers and admit everything...but he runs into NAMOR!

Namor is being pursued by Wakandan assassins, and Spidey helps him out even though the Sub-Mariner wants nothing to do with him. Then Spidey tells his tale and Namor laughs in his face and tells him thanks, that's the best laugh he's had in years. Then Namor sees Spidey disarm the robot assassins (because they're not actually Wakandan) and he says, forget this shit Insect Man, you're superior, you're better than the sheep you protect, never forget that. Namor is about to tell him he's earned his respect when Otto straight up BITCH-SLAPS Namor.



Yeah BOI!

Then he tells him that his bullshit better not endanger the people of his city anymore...and this convinces Otto not to be so emo, that in fact, he's the greatest super hero EVER! So score one for Namor's attitude making Otto Spidey stronger...and he gets bitchslapped. Awesome.

Next story is a switch from Chris Yost to Kevin Shinick, and while I enjoyed both, I think Shinick did a good job inserting a bit more humour into the rest of the volume.

This one features our favourite NYC Street Trifecta: Spidey, Daredevil, and Big Pun!
Spidey is internal monologuing about how the city sits on the brink of tension, like before WWI, the American Revolution, and:

"Or the bullet that killed someone named "TWO PACKS" that apparently kicked off some Bi-Coastal WRAPPING War..."

BWAHAHAHA! I laughed so hard at that one I woke my wife up. Two Packs...hahaha. OTTO I love you so hard.

He's interrupted by Frank and Matt, Frank shoots him to get his attention, and Frank asks when the webbing became bulletproof...then Otto asks how he knew that, only for it to click that he didn't know and he just shot at him! LOLZ! Oh you guys!
Anyhow, Daredevil says relax, the Devil made him do it...HAHA! (See? a Pun? Weak but funny. Even little ones like this would help DC) it was rubber bullets...at least Frank said they would be...and we need to talk.
Otto freaks out, to which Matt replies "We're going on five seconds and you've already said "Egads" and "Confound it". You're NOT yourself...and I'm a tad concerned..."

When Spidey checks to see if Punisher followed DD's instructions to use rubber bullets, his reply?
"Let's just say I hear as well as he sees"

This is comedy gold. I mean a Punisher who cracks jokes? OK sure. This I love, and Spider-Man is the ruthless angry one...bingo. LOVE IT.

Down to business, someone stole some of Frank's weaponry, and he and DD want Spidey's help, plus they're not sure if maybe he didn't take it...so we go back to his secret lair Spider Island. There we discover that someone has stolen all of Otto-Man's stuff, and that his whole team of minions has been infiltrated...a large battle ensues, and we see the trifecta working together, but Otto refuses to trust the other 2...Daredevil is all "bitch please, Punisher is blind from a flash bang, I'm blind, and we are running around, and Spider-Man doesn't make ONE 'blind leading the blind' joke? who is the sketchy one here?' (I paraphrase)

Then we have a revelation as to who could have engineered such a job, and gotten into everyone's heads, once the 3 are on the trust game again (Punisher even makes a trust exercise joke, about falling backwards onto his knife. - I LOVE the Punisher being a smartass....here's a free idea for Marvel...Peter Parker's mind in Frank Castle's body!) Otto Spidey gets SUPER MAD when he discovers that everything is Green Goblin!

The last 2 issues are a very cool retro-drawn look back at how Gobby and Doc Ock started to work together, and how Gobby fucked Otto over super hardcore. Otto's realization that Goblin did the same thing to him a second time while he's been Spider-Man is very cleverly illustrated over a 2 page spread, where we see the parallel situations...except this time, Otto thinks with his heart instead of his brain, and that's what allows Peter's soul to re-emerge in Spider-Man, and defeat Osborn where Otto never could.

Otto even refers to Peter as the better man, and says he saved both Otto and Anna Maria (Otto's love while living as Peter). The last page belongs to Pete, telling us in a recap what happened, and how he's learned about Otto by reliving all his memories and entire life...he won't condone his actions, but he can empathize with him and relate far better. He also says that Otto deserves the credit for the goblin serum that removes it from those who were infected, so his brain actually was scientifically superior to any other. Then Pete's final observation is the irony behind Otto's victory over Norman is that he didn't think with his mind for once...

I gave this book 4 stars but I think I enjoyed it more than that. I will say so because I just finished Superior Spider-Man's whole run, and Otto went out in such a way...This feels like returning to a long lost friend...which means that Otto's Superior Spider-Man was a success, because reading him again made me smile. I have to think that the Superior Spider-Man may be one of the best story arcs of the last decade plus. It took away someone we took for granted (Peter Parker) and it turned our perceptions of his longest running enemy (Otto) and flipped them. Otto as Spider-Man was a great idea, and executed so very well too, which is half the battle with good ideas, letting them come to fruition properly.

I will be seeking out the first volume of this Team-Up series (I did read another one, but it was actually Avenging Spider-Man issues with this title on them instead...).

Strongly recommended for anyone who liked Superior S-M. Very enjoyable, and I do hope Otto rises again somewhere, and is forever changed by his experiences.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was pretty fun. Yost brings his threads of building a Sinister Six to a head and it goes horribly wrong for Otto, meaning he has to take on all his old villain buddies at the same time. There's also a cool team up with Namor, which ties into Hickmans Avengers a little. Namor and Otto are both arrogant assholes, so this team up is pretty much what you expect and want. Punisher and Daredevil are also back to and help Otto try to defend Spider-Island. The volume wraps up with a flashback to an exchange between Otto and Norman from the 90s, when Norman still hadn't returned to the public eye. This part of the book was pretty cool because it has some nice looking 90s art and also referenced one of the first comic books I ever read (spider-man unlimited #3!).

Much better than Superior Team Up volume 1 and the strongest out of the Superior Team up books. They're worth checking out if you were or are a fan of the Superior Spider-man concept.

[Tony · Rating 2 out of 5]

This wasn't a bad series by any means but wasn't that good either. A quick, and ultimately forgettable, read.

[Aldo Haegemans · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5/5

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Collects Superior Spider-Man Team-Up issues #5-12

I've said this before, but I'll say it again: For some reason, Dan Slott is the only one that can get the voice of the Superior Spider-Man correct. The other writers tend to make Otto too much of a jerk that doesn't really come off as the hero that Otto is attempting to be. Case in point, in this volume the writer, Chris Yost, makes me forget that I'm reading a Spider-Man book because of the way he writes Otto's dialogue. In a sad twist, reading this final volume of "Superior Spider-Man Team-Up" actually made me glad that the Superior storyline is over. All of the other writers getting Otto's voice wrong makes me not want to read him as Spider-Man anymore.

This volume was an improvement over some of the other recent "Superior Spider-Man Team-Up" volumes, but it still wasn't great. It was just OK.

The idea of using the Sinister Six to fight crime was good, but wasn't executed perfectly.

Namor appears in a forgettable issue, followed by Daredevil and Punisher appearing in more forgettable issues.

The best part of the collection (and I use the word "best" loosely) were the final two issues in which we learn the secret history of the friendship between Otto and Norman Osbourne. Although I'm not sure this history will ever be brought up again in the future, these issues were good supplements to the final story arc in "Superior Spider-Man" called "Goblin Nation."

[Daniel Butcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story ties into the final Superior story and to me really shows how Otto realized there was a better Spidey and why he made his choice over in Superior.

So in many ways, I felt this explained what happened better than we saw in the Slott title.

[Lionel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the stories were good, others without interest. And I just love the art of Marco Checchetto, my favorite artist

[Shevek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Estos números recogen lo sembrado en una de las series secundarias del Spiderman Superior, donde el arácnido se encarga de ir capturando a los miembros restantes de Los Seis Siniestros uno a uno. Una vez reunidos, Spiderman se las ingenia para ponerlos a su servicio y formar una suerte de grupo de superhéroes heterodoxo. El planteamiento es interesante y resulta curioso, pero el desarrollo se queda en cosas bastante inocentes como un encuentro con La Brigada de Demolición. Al final, esta subtrama no tiene mayor trascendencia para la evolución del personaje o la colección en general. Como es habitual, el apartado gráfico raya a un nivel superior (je) que el de la serie principal.

[Villain E · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a while now Spider-Man/Doc Ock has been capturing his old teammates, the Sinister Six. Now he tries to control them with his mind (the same way he does his extra arms) as the Superior Six!

And fails miserably. It was very anticlimactic.

Then a one-off where Namor reassures Dock Ock that he is entitled to his arrogance. Then two issues which take place during the Goblin Nation arc in the main book. Then a capstone reinforcing the end of the Superior Spider-Man.

It was okay. You could tell this was a supporting book.

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Otto's history with so many other villains plays so well in his incarnation of the Superior Spider-Man. The "Superior" Six was fun but could have been a much bigger storyline. The best part of the book was by far the untold tale of Otto and Norman's past. I loved it and it all made sense going forward. The art was pretty spectacular. Overall, a fine read that would have been played out better in the main book.

[Timothy Pitkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again it is nice to see Otto try to "improve" on hero tactics with his own methods but then have them backfire in his face. Like with the Superior Six by him mind controlling the members of his group. Honestly this should have happened more often in Superior Spider Man run seeing Otto try to use villainous tactics but have them almost immediately back fire instead of just saving it for the final storyline.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

The superior six stuff was a bit lame and didn't really do it for me but the rest adds some context to the character and the end two issues about Ock/Norman were brilliant and almost tempted me toward 4 or even 5 stars. It adds a lot to both characters, especially Ock and makes his decision in the main Superior Run more believable, compelling and heartfelt that he would give up what he has for the benefit of others.

Mixed bag but ends on a real high.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Superior Spiderman decides that mind control is the way to go to get allies. Things go wrong. Then he teams up with Daredevil and Punisher against an unknown threat.

The second story is a lot better, and is full of flashbacks. You understand why Doc Ock is the way he is, and why he hates Osborn so much. Quite moving really. A good read.

[Paxton Holley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yost isn’t as good with the Superior Spider-man as was Dan Slott, or even Christos Gage.

This was okay. It had more Otto, but the series sort of went on too long. There was a good team up with Daredevil and Punisher, but not much else.

I still love Superior Spider-man, he just wasn’t utilized very well in this series.

[Alex Sarll]

Assorted auxillary material of varying quality; some of it is just filling issues, but the climactic restatement of Dr Octopus' tangled, tormented history with the Green Goblin means the collection ends on a high note.

[Austin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review of Superior Spider-Man Team Up 2

This book was not just a good read, it was a great read. I loved the concept of the Superior Six and I loved the tragic story of Mary Alice. I strongly recommend this book to any Spider-Man or Doctor Octopus fans!

[Kurt Vosper · Rating 4 out of 5]

What happens when Doc Oc takes over the body and mind of Spider-Man. An I interesting concept and read for sure. A bit of what makes a man a hero but more about what makes a villain a bad guy I found. Overall a good Marvel read.

[Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

The main stories in this collection are fine, with great art and covers. But, the final two parter with Ron Frenz and Sal Buscema art is a great throwback. My favorite part of the collection that really stands out in every way.

[Jason Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

mostly good

the last two volumes showing doc ock vs the green goblin was kind of cheesy, especially reading it after the end of goblin nation

[Mario V · Rating 5 out of 5]

The highlight was definitely having Daredevil, Punisher, and Spider-Man all together. They were very fun to have together. The other storylines were also pretty good.

[Brandt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved Dan Slott's The Superior Spider-Man and the closing story arc "Goblin Nation" and of course, since the series generated a ton of buzz, Marvel felt the need to capitalize on the buzz with The Superior Spider-Man Team-Up. When not in Slott's deft hands, some of the stories in collection fall flat. Doc-Ock-as-Peter employing the Sinister Six as enslaved helpers in his quest to be a "Superior" Spider-Man to Peter is an interesting take, but the story feels a bit rushed, even though it is three issues long. The standout here is the final story arc, in which the relationship between Norman Osborne and Otto Octavius is explored and motivations given for Otto's actions at the end of "Goblin Nation." It didn't feel fake in "Goblin Nation" but things make a lot more sense after that final two parter.

This is probably required reading for those who want the whole The Superior Spider-Man story, but most of it is superfluous and doesn't have bearing on Slott's run as a whole. But to fair, I felt the same way about "The Superior Venom" as well.

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this at the same time as the final SSM volume as they complement and feed off each other.

The initial Superior Six storyline is interesting but I found Marc Checchetto's pencils became a little muddy and confusing as the story moved on. Saying that, maybe it's the colour work as that double page Sandman/Empire State building spread looks great in the inks (at the back) but the colouring is so dark you lose the detail.

The Namor story is kind of pointless at this point but we swiftly move into the DD, Punisher, team up that leads into the downfall of Otto. While I've not found Gage's writing to be as on the money as Slott's I have to say his two part ending (while suffering from an unappealing art style) actually goes a long way to explain the relatively sudden change of heart Otto experiences at the finale of SSM. It also feels like an Untold Tale which is cool.

Generally, I'm a fan of the Spidey team up books so I hope they figure out some why of keeping them going. Maybe some out of continuity stories would be refreshing.

[B · Rating 4 out of 5]

there are really two stories in this book: one where superior Spider-Man's overweening arrogance causes him to publicly fail only to be saved by a relative nobody. people seemed to tell this story a lot. and it misses the potentially rich interaction between Octopus and his former cohort.

the second story is an unbelievably interesting story about norman Osborn and Octavius. that could have been drawn out longer.

[David Sanz · Rating 4 out of 5]

No es tan bueno como la serie principal pero tiene sus buenos momentos. El enfrentamiento Duende vs Otto está muy bien llevado, con un ritmo que avanza expresamente a trompicones y que sirve para expresar el punto de vista de Otto.

[Ondra Král · Rating 4 out of 5]

Po mizerné jedničce obrovský skok v kvalitě. První velký příběh se Sinister Six má naprosto geniální nápad, bohužel ne moc dobře zpracovaný. Ale pak se to rozjede...

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Big thumbs up for first half of book. Need to read Superior Spider-man vol. 4, 5 and 6 before I finish this collection.

[Sharon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Individual issues on marvel unlimited

[Cagne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must companion to the Superior spider-man series, so much left out from the main series.

[Tim Rohr · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked that it had several short story arcs. The last one with the Green Goblin I found to be the most interesting. Solid read - nothing too splashy or boring.

[Jeremiah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spider-Meh.