Startling Stories: The Megalomaniacal Spider-Man

(Marvel, 2002)
™ and © Marvel Characters, Inc.

In Amazing Fantasy #15, Peter Parker learned that “with great power comes great responsibility.” This epiphany came about as a result of the preventable death of his Uncle Ben, a man who, by all accounts, was a saint. In The Megalomaniacal Spider-Man, a welcome but ultimately disappointing parody of the Spider-Man legend, Peter learns that his uncle was a chronic gambler, murdered by a man looking to collect on a debt. Thus, the stage is set for a cynical, self-centered webslinger who retires from the super-hero biz and becomes CEO of Spider-Man Inc., treating employees Betty Brant and J. Jonah Jameson far worse than J.J.J. ever treated Peter.

It’s amusing to see Spider-Man and the gang drawn in Peter Bagge’s rubbery-legged, hunch-backed style, but the issue lacks the biting wit of early issues of Hate, the series for which Bagge is most famous. The best moments involve brief confrontations with Spidey’s gallery of rogues, most notably Doctor Octopus, who begs Spider-Man not to leave him. Less successful are the swipes Bagge takes at corporate America and Ronald Reagan.

— Brett Weiss

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#1

June, 2002
Cover Price: $2.99
5 copies available from $9.95

Peter Bagge