Saturday, July 15, 2006

Your teacher's a super-hero? Sensational Spider-Man #28

Teachers are SO cool! How much closer can you get to real-life superheroes? Teachers fight the good fight every day to improve lives, fight ignorance, and make the world a better place. Plus, teachers tend to be both intelligent and good-looking. Ummm, am I giving away what I do for a living here? OK, let's move on before someone starts throwing spitballs.

Even if you don't think teachers are the coolest people around, you should still get a kick out of Marvel's Sensational Spider-Man #28 by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Clayton Crain. If you've been hiding out in your underground lair for the last few months, you may have missed the fact that Spider-Man recently unmasked himself for all the world to see in Civil War. The first question most fans asked about this unmasking was, "How does this change Peter Parker's life?" This issue addresses that question, but looks even more deeply at how Pete's unveiling changes the lives of those around him. Particularly, the people around Peter that we've never thought much about before.

Jordan Harrison is a pretty typical high school kid. He works hard to keep up his grades, even though they aren't always great. He daydreams about his lab partner, who is a "total hottie." He worries about getting into a good college, so he can become a Marine Biologist someday. And his favorite teacher, his Biology teacher, is a guy named Parker who just made a big splash on the news wearing his Spider-Man tights. That is a big step for Spidey and a REALLY big deal for Jordan.

For the naysayers out there who were worried that Marvel would backpedal, failing to give the unmasking story the follow-through it deserved, this issue should help you to unclench just a bit. Clearly, this story is going to have huge ramifications, and they start here. Aguirre-Sacasa gives readers a great, self-contained story. Jordan, and his fellow students, are believable. Pete's first "unmasked" run-in with an old sparring partner is worth the price of admission all by itself. Clayton Crain's art is always amazing in the level of detail and realism he brings to a story. His images really seem to jump off the page. I always enjoy Crain's work, but I think it is even better than usual in this book, since there is less of the dark quality that sometimes makes his art hard to see.

Are we still paying attention class? This is a fun book, tied into major Marvel Universe events, but with a totally done-in-one story. Don't make me keep you after class, read Sensational Spider-Man #28 while it is Four Color Fantasies' guaranteed Book of the Week. And don't forget to thank a teacher today!

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