Written by Nick Spencer.
Lettering by VC’s Joe Caramagna.
Art by Patrick Gleason & Edgar Delgado (Issues # 61-62]); Federico Vicentini, Federico Sabbatini, & Alex Sinclair (Issues # 63-65); Rogê Antônio, Carlos Gómez, Zé Carlos, & Alex Sinclair (Giant-Size – King’s Ransom); Mark Bagley, Andrew Hennessy, & Brian Reber (Sinister War: Prelude).
Collection Cover Art by Dustin Weaver.
SUMMARY:
Released by Marvel Comics in 2021, this 168-page trade paperback compiles from that same year: Amazing Spider-Man # 61-65 and the Giant-Size Amazing Spider-Man: King’s Ransom.
Per a brief scroll preceding the title page, a down-on-his-luck and unemployed Peter Parker is now roommates with Randy Robertson, a dim-witted yet reformed Fred “Boomerang” Myers, and a pet alien named Gog (think Gremlins). Competing against Mayor Wilson “Kingpin” Fisk, Peter and Fred are seeking to recover missing pieces of the mystical Lifeline Tablet. Specifically, Fisk intends to resurrect his late wife by any means necessary. To access the Lifeline piece(s) Fred has stashed, the Kingpin orders an underworld hit available to New York’s rival mob factions and freelance assassins (i.e. Bullseye).
Aside from containing Gog’s overgrowth problem, Spider-Man reluctantly accepts Norah Winters’ virtual reality gig where his new, high-tech Spider-suit’s optical lenses provide livestreaming to the public. The ironic catch is that his new employer is J. Jonah Jameson, who gleefully enjoys one-upping Robbie Robertson’s old school Daily Bugle. Speaking of Robbie, he isn’t speechless upon finding out that his son Randy’s new girlfriend, Janice Lincoln, is the criminal Beetle II. Not to mention, Janice is mobster Tombstone’s rebellious daughter.
Meanwhile, Fisk has recruited Baron Mordo to help access the demonic Kindred (aka Harry Osborn), now safely imprisoned at The Ravencroft Institute. Standing in their way is one man: The Institute’s director and Harry’s defensive father – Norman Osborn. There’s also the matter of Fred’s old buddies – the Boomerang Revenge Squad (Shocker, Hydro-Man, and Speed Demon) still to be reckoned with. Spidey & Boomerang’s showdown against them pivots on: who double-crosses whom first?
Worst come to worst, as Robbie and Tombstone must cooperate if they are going to save their captive offspring from Fisk’s mercenaries, including Madame Masque, Mirage, and Crime Master V. To save Randy, Janice, Robbie, and even Tombstone, Spidey’s makeshift cavalry includes some unexpected allies that aren’t the Avengers. Come the epilogue, repercussions begin setting in, as Fisk utilizes the Lifeline Tablet. Unexpectedly, a familiar Spider-foe is restored to life.
Guest stars include a New Avengers reunion (Luke Cage; Jessica Jones-Cage; Hawkeye; Iron Fist; Wolverine; & Jessica Drew’s Spider-Woman) and Black Cat.
Notes: This title is available digitally. While Mary Jane Watson makes a brief cameo, Peter’s Aunt May doesn’t appear in this volume.
REVIEW:
Given the comedic plot machinations in Volume 13: King’s Ransom, one might construe writer Nick Spencer as Marvel’s Neil Simon. As contrived as some of his plot details are (i.e. the implausibility of Peter hiding his secret identity from roommates Randy and Fred), Spencer still concocts a dynamite read.
This particular Spider-caper glows with a consistent blend of action, young romance, and wacky sitcom humor/satire that doesn’t resort to cheap bait-and-switches. Instead of exploiting Peter’s perpetual angst, Spencer plays up an Odd Couple cliché where Peter and Fred (and, by extension, Spider-Man and Boomerang) are foes-turned-unlikely friends. The same applies to Robbie and Tombstone’s mutual hatred amusingly evolving into a variation of The In-Laws. Balancing character depth and carefully playing various sub-plots, Spencer’s fun plotting mirrors what Simon once made look easy in stage plays and comedy films.
Spencer’s surprisingly complex storytelling is enhanced by the rotating art squad’s appealing visuals. Their combined effort makes the artwork in Volume 13: King’s Ransom another welcome asset. In the best creative sense, all-age Spider-fans get this money’s worth in King’s Ransom without actually having to pay one. Definitely recommended!
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
Each full-page cover precedes its story. The cover artists are Patrick Gleason & Edgar Delgado (Issues # 61-62); Mark Bagley, John Dell, & Delgado (Issues # 63-65); and Bagley, Dell, & Brian Reber (Giant-Size Amazing Spider-Man: Kin’s Ransom). Interspersed are these full-page cover variants: Issue # 61 (artist: Julian Totino Tedesco); and Giant-Size Amazing Spider-Man: King’s Ransom (artists: David Baldéon & Israel Silva).
In a cover gallery, also included are these full-page variants: Issue # 61 (artist: Michael Cho); Issue # 62 (artist: Dustin Weaver – the collection cover); Issue # 62’s 50th Anniversary Man-Thing homage (artists: Greg Land & Frank D’Armata); and Issue # 63’s costume design profile (artist: Weaver). Splitting the last page are an Issue # 63 Heroes Reborn – Hyperion vs. Hulk variant (artists: Carlos Pacheco, Mariano Taibo; & Matt Milla); and Issue # 64’s Heroes Reborn – Peter Parker @ The Daily Bugle homage variant (artists: Pacheco, Rafael Fonteriz, & Rachelle Rosenberg).
A four-page preview of the Sinister War: Prelude depicts Doctor Octopus as the victim of a nocturnal ambush by a near-microscopic adversary in a cemetery.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 8½ Stars
