Friday, January 25, 2013

CBR Spider-Man NOIR 2

 

And we're back with a period comic!

As the threat of the second World War looms abroad over Europe, Spider-man tries the best he can to stop the incoming threat at home.

For more stories of AMAZING FANTASY check those out!!

Comic title: Spider-Man Noir: Eyes Without a Face
Art by Carmine Di Giandomenico
Story by David Hine & Fabrice Sapolsky
Published by Marvel noir
From 2010
Lineup Spider-man, Marvel noir
Format: Digest trade paperback collecting the mini-series Spider-Man Noir: Eyes Without a Face # 1-4.

In 2009, Marvel Comics launched yet another new imprint for an alternate Marvel Universe.

Published through Marvel Knights, called Marvel noir it was centered around more realistic stories around their famous characters.
In noir you won't find no powers or magic. And absolutely no traditional "super heroics".
The genre here is noir/thriller in the fashion of old 1930s polars.
Several titles were launched and by the end of the second year you had noir takes from Spider-man to Daredevil, Punisher and the X-Men.
The lineup proved to be quite popular and received a lot of praise.
Recently the line was even revived through another supplementary title called Deadpool Pulp.

This time I'll be reviewing the return of the Spider-man Noir in a follow-up story from 2010.


This time the story is about the incoming threat of the nazis, segregation and inhuman experiments on people.
First of all, I'll just say, I'm pretty sure this could have been done for yet another iteration of Spider-man. In 2010 several new stories were written for the noir universe. Some evolved into different projects, like Deadpool Pulp. (less noir as the title implies and following its own rules and settings)
But thankfully Spider-man Noir was brought back for a second story.

The year is 1934, taking place several months after the original Spider-man Noir.
There's a new problem in New York City, and its name is Crime Master.
A masked mastermind trying to get all the dispersed criminals left in the absence of Norman Osborn under his single rule.

Meanwhile Peter Parker's been using his wall crawler persona to clean the streets and get rid of most of the trouble in the city.
Long are gone the days he let those goons harass people, he is now quite proactive.
He's also been secretly meeting The Black Cat speakeasy's boss, Felicia Hardy.

One day he goes with his friend Robbie Robertson, another reporter, what is the famed Doctor Otto Octavius doing on Ellis Island.
You see, Robbie thinks he's in the disappearance of young black kids around the streets...
And the way Octavius is willing to experiment on poor defenseless animals... It's only one step for the wheelchair bound scientist!


The story is a bit more centered and focused than David Hine's previous tale.
It's less dense in villains and reference though several familiar faces appear and get noir-ified.
This time the story touches both deep moments in (American/worldwide) history and yet is about experiments that might seem comic book-ysh but where at one time no doubt thought by nazis.

It makes the story much more thought provoking and yet more complex despite it being more linear.

The art of Carmine Di Giandomenico is once more spectacular!
The story is a bit more colorful this time around. Which is a good thing because the cheap paper Marvel uses for these digest-sized comics doesn't ruin the pages too much this time.
(I still wish they could use something a bit more glossy, recycled, sure, why not, but with a bit more texture Marvel, please!)


Some characters get introduced in the Marvel Noir universe for the first time.
Mary Jane Watson is there with Aunt May, helping her at the soup kitchen.
Curt Connors is here too, missing an arm as usual.
The Sandman is one of the Crime Master's henchman, now a regular crewmember with surprising resilient endurance.
Robbie Robertson is Pete's reporter buddy, which is a nice new interpretation for this regular Spider-man character. Though I wonder why they didn't make his father Joe be Robbie and change him into Robbie's son in the mainstream comics "Randy Robertson". (just a thought as a Spidey purist..)

Part of me still wish our hero would be called The Spider over "Spider-man" as well.
I mean the title could have stayed Spider-Man NOIR.
But for a period piece, I think it would be more effective and appropriate - think The Spirit, The Shadow,..

Anyways it's a very interesting look back a real period in time through the lens of fiction.
And in its way, a different tale and different tone from the previous volume.


Overall, I really enjoyed this book.
Probably moreso than the first volume.

My only complaint would be that these Marvel Noir are all way too short. (why only 4-issues stories?!)

This one's probably more mature in tone and more serious than the first one, it doesn't really end on a "Happy Ending" as much for one.
Sure there's some controversial points such as Doc Ock's genetical condition and him being a Nazi sympathizer at the same time. But I think it's quite an original departure from the regular characters.

Great solid writing and original story.

I give it:
2.5 / 3 SpiderHams!
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