Written by James Owsley
Art by Steve Geiber; Rick Parker; Keith Williams; & Gregory Wright
Cover Art by Al Milgrom
SUMMARY:
Entitled “When Strikes the Slasher!,” Marvel Comics released this issue for April 1988. Preying upon fashion models with a razor blade, an unknown serial killer dubbed ‘The Slasher’ is leaving a grisly trail of mutilated corpses. Glamorous private detective Dakota North is hired by a group of panicked modeling firms to track down the culprit. Meanwhile, Peter Parker’s ego is bruised finding out his wife Mary Jane had already paid his quarterly taxes with her earnings as a model.
Secretly skipping an out-of-town Daily Bugle assignment, Peter opts to shadow Mary Jane and her colleague, Elyse, at Five Flags Grand Adventure theme park during a fashion expo. Elyse’s obsessive fan resorts to an increasingly desperate ploy to win her romantic attentions. Due to a prior scare, Peter and Dakota North now suspect that Mary Jane and Elyse are the killer’s next targets. With Mary Jane’s life at stake, it’s up to Spider-Man and Dakota North to thwart the Slasher’s rampage.
REVIEW:
There’s a gag where Peter and two suspects (all sporting black sunglasses) exit a bus musing the same two thoughts: “I’m not going to blow it this time,” and “(Hah), she’ll never recognize me with these shades!” Beyond that one chuckle, writer James Owsley’s unimpressive script lacks substance; instead, it merely reeks of cheapo ‘80s slasher film schlock. Resembling an amalgam of Mary Jane and TV private eye Honey West, the less said about Dakota North’s implausibility the better. Even reliable Spider-action in the vintage black-and-costume only mitigates this derivative plot’s reliance on sleaze so much.
To Marvel’s credit, the implied gore at least appears off-screen. The artwork, otherwise, delivers only a few good panels. Far too often the visuals are underwhelming: i.e. Mary Jane’s ridiculous, Peg Bundy-style hair. Worse yet, the curse of mediocre inking reduces Web of Spider-Man # 37 to looking as cheap as the plot it’s oozing. Even for faithful Spider-fans, unfortunately, this disappointing issue is worthy of the trash bin.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
The back inside cover is the “Bullpen Bulletins” column, including a profile on Marvel editor Bob Harras.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 3 Stars
