"THE COMING OF THE KANGAROO!"
Writer: Stan Lee/Penciller: John Buscema/Inker: Jim Mooney/Letterer: Artie Simek/Editor: Stan Lee/Cover Art: John Romita Sr.
Synopsis: A wanted man known as the Kangaroo is set to be deported back to Australia, but he manages to escape the authorities and steal a vial of a deadly bacteria that could wipe out the city...
Review: Superhero comics, even in their darker moments, have always been a little bit silly. I mean, we're talking about people dressing up in outlandish costumes and choosing to fight people in equally outlandish costumes; the whole thing is inherently camp and kind of ridiculous, and that's part of why we love it (I would argue). However, I feel that there is a line that if crossed, means the creators have stepped a bit too far into silliness, and ASM #81 is a prime example of this. More specifically, the Kangaroo is a prime example of this.
Who on earth can take this guy seriously? His backstory consists of nothing more than him living with kangaroos for a bit - eating the same food, drinking the same water - and somehow that enables him to jump really high and kick with severe force. As abilities go, they're not the most exciting, and the origin is even more ludicrous. I will admit that Kangaroo isn't really portrayed as a menacing villain here; he's more of an outcast who is hated for how 'dangerous' his abilities make him, and so he decides to turn to crime, but that doesn't make him any less of a laughing-stock. I'm also unsure as to where he gets his costume from; he just seems to have it in his bag, even though we never see him wearing it in any of the flashbacks of his life in Australia.
Kangaroo's theft of the virus is purely accidental, which I actually rather like; we've seen enough villains stealing the things that they intended to steal, and so seeing Kangaroo nab something he never wanted in the first place feels refreshing, not to mention appropriate. The virus also adds an extra element of danger for Spider-Man, as during his fight with Kangaroo he's constantly worried about hitting the villain too hard for fear of smashing the vial and releasing the virus. It's actually rather effective at increasing the tension, and again is something a bit different to what we've seen before; as Spidey himself says, "I've never been in a spot like this!" Ultimately however, the issue plumbs the depths of stupidity once again by having Spider-Man retrieve the vial by dangling Kangaroo upside-down over the bustling streets and catching the vial with his web when it falls out of Kangaroo's pocket. So much for not wanting to risk contamination.
This isn't the only bone-headed decision Peter makes in this issue; he causes Aunt May to faint from shock after she sees the web dummy he plants in his bed to make it look as if he's sleeping. The poor woman's only just come back from her holiday - and an absence of several months in the comic - and she's already half-dead again. Not only this, but in trying to calm her fears, Peter manages to convince his doting aunt that she's losing her marbles and starting to see things. I've never been able to hold in my laughter at this; it's just so over-the-top that it manages to make the preceding events of the issue look downright po-faced in comparison. I don't recall it ever coming back to bite Peter either; it gets a brief mention next issue before being entirely forgotten, which shows you just how much Stan's workload was making him forget such details like continuity.
ASM #81 is completely bonkers and not exactly a winner in my book, but it's good for a few laughs and does at least have one genuinely interesting idea in the form of the virus. The Kangaroo himself has gone on to achieve somewhat legendary status among Spider-Man fans for just how laughable he is, and he's even managed to return a few times, so I guess this issue does have staying power of some kind.
Rating: 2.5/5
Next time, Electro makes his triumphant return to the pages of ASM, and Spider-Man appears on TV...
No comments:
Post a Comment