Superior Spider-Man Annual # 1

Cover Artist: J.G. Jones

Published: Jan. 2014

Original Price: $4.99

Title: "Hostage Crisis"

Writer: Christos Gage
Artist: Javier Rodriguez
Inker: Alvaro Lopez
Letterer: Chris Eliopoulos
Colorist: Javier Rodriguez
Editor: Stephen Wacker
Editor-In-Chief: Axel Alonso 

SYNOPSIS
A former employee of the Kingpin sells information about Peter Parker being connected to Spider-Man to the vampire assassin Blackout, who kills the informant in return. Later, Parker (whose body is now inhabited by the mind of former villain Otto "Dr. Octopus" Octavius) visits with his Aunt May and her husband Jay Jameson, who expresses concern about Peter's work with Spider-Man. Peter leaves and goes down into the subway, unaware he's been followed by Blackout. On a train, Peter uses his Spider-Bot camera systems to check up on the city and sees May and Jay being attacked by Blackout. The vampire easily disables Jameson kidnaps May before Parker can make it back to their apartment. Blackout left a cellphone for Peter, which means he won't kill May until he gets what he wants.

Not long after, the cellphone rings inside Spider-Man's headquarters. Blackout proves that May is still alive, then gives his demands that Parker is to sabotage Spider-Man's equipment so the villain will have an advantage against him. Parker uses his Spider-Bots to triangulate Blackout's location, but decides he needs to do some research on his enemy before taking action. He contacts Danny Ketch, former host to the Ghost Rider, whose sister was murdered by Blackout. Ketch tells Spider-Man that Blackout will target everyone he loves if he doesn't kill him, and offers up a few suggestions about his weaknesses, including sunlight. Spider-Man briefly considers asking Dr. Strange for help, but decides against it when he realizes that Strange could possibly discern that he is actually Otto Octavius.

Spider-Man tracks Blackout to an abandoned slaughterhouse, where he catches the villain exiting the building with May. Using his Spider-Bots to form a forcefield around May, Spider-Man deprives Blackout of his hostage. The fight turns vicious, with Blackout submerging the hero in darkness and stabbing him in the back with his claws. Blackout attempts to rip out Spider-Man's throat, but an electrical plate in his neck shocks the vampire into unconsciousness, which Otto/Peter had planned. He tells May to leave, breaks Blackout's legs and arms, and hangs him from meat-hooks. Octavius then brutally removes Blackout's fangs and claws, leaving the vampire to beg for his life. Spider-Man tells Blackout that he is going to spread the word to all criminals that Parker and his family are off limits from now on, and he then uses a generator to fry Blackout with artificial sunlight. The next day, a pickpocket steals Parker's wallet, but gives it back and begs for mercy when he realizes who he has stolen from. Meanwhile, the Green Goblin has returned and is plotting against Spider-Man.

ANNOTATIONS
Blackout last appeared in Ghost Rider (2011) # 1.

Danny Ketch last appeared in Wolverine (2010) # 6. How he lost his powers has yet to be revealed.  He will make his next appearances, fully re-powered as the Ghost Rider, years later in Fantastic Four (2018) # 3-4.

Blackout killed Danny's sister Barbara in Ghost Rider (1990) # 7 and nearly killed Dan by ripping out his throat in Ghost Rider (1990) # 25. Blackout became "half demon" when he was reborn as one of the Lilin in Ghost Rider (1990) # 41.

REVIEW
Blackout attempts to make a comeback by killing Spider-Man, not realizing he's dealing a newly "superior" foe.

I don't normally review comics that only feature a Ghost Rider cameo (see last year's issue of Wolverine and the X-Men that had GR on the cover, only to feature him in one measly panel), but I thought this one was appropriate to make an exception about. Not only was Blackout a major Ghost Rider villain during the 1990s, but this issue also gives us an update on the whereabouts of Dan Ketch. Plus, it's a pretty great comic in its own right!

I've only read a few sporadic issues of the Superior Spider-Man series, most of them from the "Team-Up" spin-off series. It's a pretty great concept, Dr. Octopus's mind in Peter Parker's body trying to prove himself a better hero than the original Spider-Man, and it's a premise that allows for some truly new takes on the traditional "Spidey fights random bad guy" story. Blackout, when handled correctly, can be a truly terrifying villain, and it's sad that he's never really lived up to the potential he had in his original appearances from the 1990s Ghost Rider series. Since then he's been treated either as a joke (see Jason Aaron's run, where he's called "the Clapper with fangs") or as disposable canon fodder (as in Rob Williams' run, where he's taken out by Alejandra in the span of two pages).

Christos Gage seems to have a lot of affection for those early Howard Mackie stories, though, because he not only gets Blackout's character he also understands how the villain operates. Blackout isn't scary because he's a vampire, he's scary because his standard modus operandi isn't to attack the hero but to kill the hero's family (and friends and acquaintances and so on...). Just like with Dan Ketch years ago, Blackout comes at Peter/Otto through his loved ones by kidnapping Aunt May, a tactic that usually works for him. It blows up in his face in a spectacularly horrific fashion here, though. Blackout, for all his ferocity, is a coward that is afraid to take on an opponent face-to-face, so his fate at the comic's end is appropriately vicious.

We also get a look at what Danny Ketch has been up to since his last appearance, and again it shows that Gage knows the early stories well. Of all the villains he faced during his time as the Ghost Rider, Blackout is the most personal for Danny, and even though he's powerless I liked that offered to come help Spider-Man. Despite being just a normal human, Danny's still a hero, which shows he's handling his "disability" much better than he did the LAST time he lost the Spirit of Vengeance.

The artwork by Javier Rodriguez is also a big win for this comic. I'm not familiar with Rodriguez's work, but his style fits the Spider-Man aesthetic perfectly. In particular, he does well with the Superior set-up, making Peter/Otto much more insect-like and creepy in his movements and presence. His Blackout looks scary, and I love the way he interprets his light-dampening ability, with only certain colors standing out in each panel to represent where the characters are in relation to the darkness.

While this comic certainly isn't essential for Ghost Rider collectors to pick up, I'd still highly recommend it for anyone that was a fan of the 90s series and wants to see a few of the characters from that time handled with care and respect.

Grade: A+