Because publishers want you to buy their product every month, comics are typically serial in nature. However, occasionally (and more often nowadays than ever before) publishers launch a comic title that is only meant to last for one issue. While ongoing series often have multiple chances to hook in new readers, the comics highlighted in this ongoing investigations only had One-Shot At Greatness!
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Date: August 2007
Cover Price: $3.99
Writer: Paul Jenkins
Artist: Paolo Rivera
This is the fourth book in Marvel’s Mythos series, allowing Paul Jenkins and Paolo Rivera an opportunity to retell the origin stories of some of the most famous characters in the Marvel Universe.
If you’ve seen the movies or read the comics, I’m sure you’re familiar with the origin of Spider-Man. But, for those of you not in the know, Peter Parker (a nerdy teenager) gets bit by a radioactive spider which causes him to develop super-powers. Hoping to cash in on these newfound super-powers, he devises a costume and web-shooters and pursues fame. Caught up in his self-importance, he allows a thief to escape right in front of him. Arriving home later that night, he finds out that the uncle who’s raised him has been killed! When he hunts down the killer, he discovers it’s the very same burglar he let go earlier. From then on he swears to use his powers to fight crime and adopts the motto his Uncle Ben taught him: “With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility”.
Paul Jenkins’ script doesn’t add anything new to the story (aside from replacing the wrestling bit with an appearance on Conan O’Brien‘s Late Show) but it certainly captures all the important parts. I don’t think comic fans are ever in need of yet another re-telling of Spider-Man’s origin. After all, it’s been retold hundreds of times in countless comics, cartoons and movies. But, if one must recount it yet again, they could do much worse than to experience it as told through Paolo Rivera’s luscious paintings.
On Ebay: Spider-Man | Paul Jenkins | Paolo Rivera | Mythos