REVIEW: A Villain for the Ages in W.E.B. of Spider-Man #5
In W.E.B. of Spider-Man #5 #5 by Kevin Shinick, Alberto Alburquerque, Rachelle Rosenberg, and Joe Sabino, with a main cover by Gurihiru, we finally get to see the villain teased in the last issue revealed… and it’s much stranger than the bad guy you may have thought we were dealing with in this series!
W.E.B. of Spider-Man #5. Photo: Marvel Comics
Cy-Gob
It turns out, in W.E.B. of Spider-Man #5, the big bad that Spidey and his Worldwide Engineering Brigade (get it? W.E.B.!) friends have been facing off against is a would-be computer hacker named Mendel Stromm, and he’s turned himself into a cybernetic version of the Green Goblin: the Cy-Gob!
Photo: Marvel Comics
Not only does this cybernetic supervillain look cool, it’s a very interesting idea for a Spider-Man antagonist. In my opinion, the best Spidey villains are the ones who are based in science gone wrong, and it doesn’t go much more wrong that being turned into a cybernetic Green Goblin, does it? Being part cyborg, I can vouch that cybernetics can be pretty good, but not when they’re attached to a Green Goblin!
Things get really weird when Stromm demonstrates that his body has just become a vessel, and he can “throw” his consciousness into any nearby electronics, including a stoplight! Fortunately, the Spider-Bots that have played a significant role in this series have a firewall that protects them from Stromm’s malignant, malicious malware.
W.E.B. of Spider-Man #5. Photo: Marvel Comics
Finally, this issue takes advantage of its Parisian setting by having Stromm head over to the Louvre…
Photo: Marvel Comics
And it takes full advantage of the setting by incorporating the particle accelerator under the Louvre into the narrative (this is a real thing, Marvel Blog True Believers, not science fiction).
The world’s only particle accelerator used regularly in the analysis of art is at the Louvre museum in Paris, France. Photo: BBC
And this doesn’t take into account the show-stopping splash page that pays homage to “Liberty Leading the People,” one of the paintings housed at the Lourve (never fear, Marvel Blog True Believers, Tippy-Toe knows what’s up)!
Liberty Leading the People, Mutants, & Spider-Bots. Photo: Marvel Comics
This issue is not quite the same as taking a visit to France… but it just might be the next best thing!
A Great Conclusion
Overall, this issue was an excellent conclusion to the wholly satisfying W.E.B. of Spider-Man story arc, and the inevitable trade paperback collection would make a great read for the plane trip to either Disney California Adventure or the Hotel New York in Paris!
Only in Paris… Photo: Marvel Comics
Did you get a chance to read this series, Marvel Blog True Believers? We want to hear what you think! Share your thoughts with us in the comment section.
