Superior Spider-Man #3: Past, Present, and Future

Superior Spider-Man #3 picks up with the last issue revealing that Doc Ock fully remembers his time as the Superior Spider-Man and, by extension, Spider-Man’s secret identity. Diving right into the story, the issue transitions over to a popular fan theory as to how this series will bring back the titular character: having Doc Ock act as “the man in the chair” for Peter, who is wearing the suit. This creates a really fun dynamic between the two characters that leads to some great callbacks to the early days of the Spider-Man character. By the end of the issue the creators flip the script, setting up for more unexpected twists and turns.

Dan Slott is the king of callbacks, with Superior Spider-Man #3 highlighting all of the ways that Slott harkens back to not only his prior work but also some of the more famous Spider-Man comics. This creates a fun ride of an issue that almost will make you forget that Spider-Boy doesn’t appear at all, despite being a huge part of the first two. Slott also goes out of his way to practically break the fourth wall with a conversation between Spider-Man and Doc Ock that highlights the complexities surrounding what happened to Doc Ock after the end of the original Superior Spider-Man run. This tongue-in-cheek conversation shows that even Slott sees all of the retcons and plot contrivances as ridiculous and drawn out, yet he is not afraid to exploit them. Normally this self-deprecating humor would be a little much, but Slott weaves it in the issue seamlessly.

It’s hard to read a Spider-Man issue drawn by Mark Bagley and not think back to the original Ultimate Spider-Man series, which is never a bad thing. Bagley’s work is absolutely fantastic here, working as a great mix of his various time drawing the character. Bagley definitely does a great job in capturing the essence of a mature Peter while still embracing the more jovial nature of the title. Bagley’s work, in combination with John Dell’s inks, paint a very definitive version of the Superior Spider-Man costume, while also making it obvious that it’s Peter in the suit and not Otto. It’s crazy that this is able to be conveyed by the art alone, and that is just a testament to the skill behind these creators. 

Sometimes colorist’s work gets overlooked but it’s hard to overlook the efficient way Edgar Delgado uses the colors to embrace the shading and expression of various panels. This is the most dynamic within close up shots featuring Spider-Man’s mask, where the coloring alone helps define the facial expressions hidden behind the red and black costume. Delgado makes this comic feel quintessentially Spider-Man, giving the book an almost ’90s flare (and not the bad kind). 

Rounding out the creative team is Joe Caramagna on letters whose excellent work makes the readability of the issue as dynamic as the art and writing. Even tiny details such as the original Superior Spider-Man logo design being used when Doc Ock says it really makes the issue read in such a fun manner. Caramagna’s letters also help the voices of these characters read like the classic iteration of these characters, even when Peter is doing an impression of Otto.