Posted - July 18 to 20, 2014 | Updated : August 24, 2015

Marvel Knights Spider-Man 14

I'm eating my words right now because last issue I predicted that this issue would either be a small train wreck or a big train wreck. Well, it's neither. In fact, its rather good. The new creative team of Reginald Hudlin and Billy Tan are apparently hitting their stride. Let's start with the one thing I didn' t like about this issue then we'll go on to the other parts which are all good.

Last issue we had a cliffhanger were Wolverine stabbed Spider-Man during an Avengers' training session. That was a good cliffhanger but what follows in this issue is not so good. First of all, it turns out that the stab isn't fatal at all. Here's pretty much how it plays out from there.

Spider-Man and Wolverine. Could you believe this? This crap plays out in school yards with toddlers NOT in an Avengers training session. This cringe-inducing schoolyard scenario goes on for a few pages then right at the end, the last few panels jump at me.

These two panels are done very differently from the previous ones. These two panels are done right. The right mood, the proper treatment for an Avengers sequence. The good news is this training session baloney is the only bad thing in this issue and even this has some good points, namely, Billy Tan's art. This panel for examnple

Great layout. Spider-Woman has those impossible Image comics proportions though. Not good. After Finch did Spider-Woman in New Avengers I have very high standards for Jessica. Anyway, still a good panel.

The layout in this panel is also very good.

That's Spider-Man passing out from the blood loss. What blood loss? There was no blood on the training room floor at all. And yes, these kind of details do matter.

I keep eating crow with this creative team. Right after I ragged on Billy Tan's Spider-Woman he comes up with this panel

Now that's Spider-Woman.

Ok, enough Avengers (one can't really get enough of the Avengers, but that's all we have of them this issue). Let's head over to the Absorbing Man. Last issue failed to leverage such an excellent villain but not anymore. This issue takes full advantage of Crusher Creel's amazing powers. Just to recap, Absorbing Man has been hired by the Owl as an assassin and we come upon Absorbing Man doing his "bloody rounds". This is a wonderful sequence that greets us at the start of this issue.

As Absorbing Man goes around taking out Mafia-types, oh, sorry, Maggia-types - the "bosses" mount some heavy defenses like this one.

Here's the Absorbing Man making like the floor and dropping the Maggia thugs to the next level.

Billy Tan gives us two incredible Spider-Man vs. Absorbing Man panels. Here's the first.

The deep reds and blues colorist Ian Hannin gave the Spider really jumps out here and I love how big Tan made the Absorbing Man. This is what I'm talking about. This is the Marvel villain that goes head-to-head with Thor or the Hulk. Then we have this panel too.

Thank you Mr. Hudlin for at least insinuating that Creed turned to aluminum. I reiterate, a fight with the Absorbing Man is most enjoyable when the reader knows what he just turned into.

Oh, wait. Here's another panel.

Beautiful linework, great layout. Note that Peter is still wearing his civilian pants? That's very important when we get to this issue's cliffhanger ending.

Creed is doing his hits with an "associate" from the Owl in tow. A girl. Here's a nice panel of her dodging something from Spider-Man.

That "something from Spider-Man" is a spider web, incidentally.

All in all, great Absorbing Man segment.

Now let's go to the Superman segment. Yes the Superman segment.

I was totally against the inclusion of Superman/Clark Kent in Marvel Knights Spider-Man because it was too much cheese on top of the spaghetti but now I have some second thoughts about that objection. It wasn't so bad. Truth is I enjoyed it a bit. Clark Kent and Peter Parker are paired by J. Jonah Jameson as a team. The whole Absorbing Man thing breaks out and both Peter and Clark get into costume (separately) and they both have a piece of the action. No show-worthy Superman panels except this one.

Yeah, Superman is ok. I wonder how Hudlin is going to resolve this one though? It's always good when a writer dares something this big and I don't know how he'll end it.

The end of this issue, on the other hand, is this cliffhanger.

Remember that panel shown above with Spider-Man still wearing Peter's pants? We'll Mr. Parker's wallet was still in those pants and Ms. Whats-Her-Name, the Absorbing Man's erswhile companion, found the wallet. Ergo she knows who Spider-Man is, the Absorbing Man knows who Spider-Man is, and the Owl knows who Spider-Man is. Now, that's trouble.