Spider-Man/Doctor Octopus: Year One

(Marvel, 2004–2005)
™ and © Marvel Characters, Inc.

Who knew that Peter Parker and Otto Octavius encountered each other before becoming their far more powerful alter egos? No one, and not surprisingly, since so few of Spider-Man’s oldest foes seemed to have any histories at all prior to making our hero’s life a living nightmare. But this series shows Otto Octavius living an introverted existence, tormented unmercifully by both schoolmates and his violent, simple–minded father. Only in science and learning could Octavius find a world that made sense, and gradually, it was science that solved all of his problems. Unfortunately for the world, the solution to Octavius’s problems only created new ones for those around him.

This miniseries, by Zeb Wells and Kaare Andrews, introduces us to the troubled child who became one of Spider-Man’s greatest foes. It also highlights the different reactions and choices that made one young man a villain and the other a hero.

— Andy Richardson

Jump to issue:

Notes

Writer

Artist