THE SUPERIOR FOES OF SPIDER-MAN VOL. 1: GETTING THE BAND BACK TOGETHER Paperback – February 25, 2014

THE SUPERIOR FOES OF SPIDER-MAN VOL. 1GETTING THE BAND BACK TOGETHERThis is/was without a doubt one of my favorite comics of all time. This series came out of nowhere and was just brilliant. The concept behind this series was excellent. Take five villains from the Spider-Man stories that may not be the most mainstream [except maybe Shocker] and follow them not only when committing crimes but in their everyday dealings, it is a great story. We follow Boomerang, the Shocker, the new female beetle, Overdrive and Speed Demon as they operate as The Sinister Six [yes I know the math is off, one of the best things in the story].The Sinister Six is back in business or at least they are trying to be, with only five members at that. Their leader Boomerang has a plan to put the squad back on the criminal map and it involves a head and the crime boss known as The Owl. What these criminals don’t know is that their leader may have dealings with another famous crime boss, The Chameleon. To add on top of that The Punisher may be in town and looking for the gang as well.It may or may not sound like it at this point but this is a very funny story with great characters, yes you read that right, great characters. Nick Spencer did an excellent job with this title and these characters with wonderful and fitting art work by Steve Lieber. This book collects the first six excellent issues and these characters do indeed have issues, trust issues to be exact. Everyone of them is developed wonderfully and the bickering and backstabbing is hilarious. Had in the appearances by Chameleon, Owl, Punisher and even Hammerhead and you have one great collection. I can’t recommend this book enough, it really is that good.

I really mean that, people. Everyone talks about how great books like Fraction and Aja's HAWKEYE is, or how great Vaughan and Staples' SAGA is, but so few people talk about Nick Spencer (MORNING GLORIES, BEDLAM, SECRET AVENGERS) and Steve Lieber's (WHITEOUT) SUPERIOR FOES OF SPIDER-MAN. This is a book that isn't quite on the level of the sheer wonder of SAGA or the storytelling mastery of HAWKEYE, but this is, with the exception of Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky's SEX CRIMINALS, the most entertaining book on the shelves.The bringing together of C-list villains like Boomerang, Shocker, Speed Demon, the new Beetle and Overdrive (much like Gail Simone's brilliant SECRET SIX) and presenting them in a comic that's more of a workaday view into the lives of a costumed criminal is so fresh, inspired and just so amazingly funny that it blows pretty much every other comic of its ilk out of the water. Almost every panel of every issue has something that makes you smile or giggle or simply double over in hysterics thanks to Spencer's marvelous dialogue and Lieber's simplistic yet evocative artwork.It's not a book like Gerry Duggan and Brian Posehn's DEADPOOL where the comedy feels forced more often than not, but a book where the laughs and occasional suspense come naturally.This is a book that also always seems on the cusp of getting cancelled, and it's time for fans of great and fun comics to step forward and start buying this book. Believe me, SUPERIOR FOES OF SPIDER-MAN is more than worth your money and your time.

What does a super villain do on their day off? I mean, after death rays and world conquering. Well, that is the big guys. This is about the other folks with gimmicks and animal themes. Villains with little lives, but big dreams.

It's nice to see these very unloved characters getting theirs (be honest; you didn't know or care about these characters before you read this). While it starts out slow, building the character Fred Meyers- a.k.a. Boomerang-, it gets really good in the third act with some good twist and turns, good humor, an impressively well done ( for an under appreciated villain) masterstroke, and some great Spidey supporting villain cast appearances, this is one heist story no Spider-Man fan will want to miss.

This series followed the exploits of the villain Boomerang. There's a lot of story and humor in it. The art matches the writing perfectly. It's always amusing watching Boomerang try to talk his way out of situations, while constantly stabbing his partners in the back.

I'll get right to it. This book is HILARIOUS.I've read very few superhero titles that have made me laugh out loud as much as The Superior Foes of Spider-Man has. The writing and visuals come together to create an incredibly amusing experience, and guess what? Characterization and story don't suffer for it!Superior Foes is one in a small handful of superhero comic books that treat the reader to large doses of humor and fun without sacrificing story or character development. Think Matt Fraction's Hawkeye, for instance. There's actually a narrative device that Nick Spencer (our Superior writer) takes right out of the pages of Fraction's Hawkeye that works wonderfully in Superior Foes.The point is, Superior Foes of Spider-Man has more than a few moments of comedic genius, so if you want a comic book that's truly entertaining, this might be just what you need.

Collects Superior Foes of Spider-Man issues #1-6This was a really funny book, but don't be fooled. The main characters in this book are not anti-heroes. They are villains. This first collection is not a story of redemption. It is a story about a group of villains that team together for a common cause. This doesn't necessarily mean that they are going to watch each others' backs, though.Another word of warning; Spider-Man only appears in this book in flashback. He appears so little that I'm surprised they chose to use his name on this.There is a good understanding of Marvel history in this series. Nick Spencer and Steve Lieber knock it out of the park with this one.