"THE ARMS OF DOCTOR OCTOPUS!"
Writer: Stan Lee/Penciller: John Romita Sr./Inker: Jim Mooney/Letterer: Sam Rosen/Editor: Stan Lee/Cover Art: John Romita Sr.
Synopsis: A Chinese general is flying aboard a 747 to Kennedy International Airport for a summit in America, but the plane is hijacked by none other than Doctor Octopus...
Review: It really has been too long since we last thrilled to Doc Ock - 32 issues to be exact - but I'd much rather they only brought him back when they have a really great story for him to feature in, and this opening act of a new Doc Ock trilogy is most certainly up to par with his previous appearances; this is probably the best issue we've had since ASM #78.
The big thing that stands out to me about this issue is just how fast-paced and kinetic it all is; it's pretty much action all the way, but without ever feeling shallow or repetitive. There's enough time spent with the characters to break up some the more visually dazzling moments, and the action itself is absolutely top notch. In many ways, Stan and John peak a bit too early by including a brief but incredible fight sequence between Spider-Man and Ock's mechanical arms - controlled by their creator from afar - pretty much as soon as the issue's started. This is a truly terrific scene, with plenty of destruction and some beautiful action shots of Spider-Man by Romita. The whole concept is just fabulous as well; I love those rare moments we see of Ock controlling his arms mentally when they've been separated from his body. Even without their creator attached to them, they're still formidable weapons.
The stuff on the plane is another highlight for me; anything set in an enclosed, claustrophobic environment is pretty much guaranteed to get me interested, and whilst the whole hijacking scenario is hardly 'claustrophobic', it's still tremendously exciting; seeing Ock tear through the walls of the plane, overpower the armed guards and take hostages, all without breaking a sweat is just such a wonderful display of the character's power; I have really missed seeing this guy in action. If I had to level one complaint at the scenes set on the plane, I feel that there's a bit of a missed opportunity by not involving Jameson a lot more. He's on the plane as well, so why not cut to him grumbling about the hold-up every now and again for a bit of comic relief?
I can't complain too much, as everything else in the issue is just so brilliant; even the majority of the scenes with the supporting cast carry that same frenetic, pacy energy that the action scenes have; this issue has some of the best momentum - I feel - of the entire Lee/Romita era; seeing Peter and Robbie rush into action when they hear the plane's been hijacked is particularly enjoyable. There's also something of a revisit to the student protests of ASM #68, as we see a bunch of people condemning General Su's presence in America, but not a lot's really made of this other than Captain Stacy commenting that the protestors will cause mayhem if they break out onto the airfield - which they never do. It's not even that clear what they're protesting about; one of them calls Su a 'warmonger', but we get no more than that, and there's not exactly any evidence to support this person's accusation, other than the fact that Su is a military figure, I suppose. I'm assuming that Stan and John wanted to reflect the steadily improving Sino-US relations around this time period, but weren't quite sure how to handle it, so just dumped some vague references in this issue, and much as I admire them for attempting the subject, I do think it comes across as an afterthought.
We get a brief bit of Peter and Gwen early on in the issue which acts as the only relaxed portion of the whole thing, and it's nice to see the two of them just getting along and enjoying their relationship instead of the drama we usually see - trust me, that won't last long. It's also interesting from a fan's perspective to read the scene between Peter and Professor Warren, who is very friendly and concerned when Peter's grades begin to slip; he really was a completely different character before Gerry Conway took over the writing duties.
ASM #88 brings back one of Spidey's greatest villains in cinematic style. It's a terrifically paced, mile-a-minute issue that doesn't let up for a single second. I could have done with a bit more Jameson goodness, and the ending is a little bit abrupt, but those are very minor comments when weighed up against everything else. This is the best issue in quite a long time, and it's only the first instalment in a trilogy.
Rating: 5/5
Next time, we're introduced to our new artist in Gil Kane, as Doc Ock runs riot in the city...
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