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Superior Spider-Man 2, the second issue since Otto took over Peter’s body, is a blast. Mary Jane and Otto together is fun to watch. In addition, Peter’s soul endlessly persists on Otto doing the right thing. You can read about Superior Spider-Man 1 if you haven’t yet.
Spider-Man and Jonah Jameson Become Friends
Whoever would have thought that J Jonah Jameson and the man he loves to hate, Spider-Man, would ever make amends? Well it happens in Superior Spider-Man 2. Jonah and Spider-Man shake hands as a sign of gratitude for a job well done. Peter’s soul watches in awe as his infamous enemy, currently mayor, makes things right. Is this the beginning of a new friendship?
This creates an ironic situation. For those who aren’t aware of Spidey comics, Jameson had always been the antagonist of the famous wall-crawler. Nothing was going to change that, since doing so would change the ironic situation of Peter Parker as a photographer working for his enemy. But even with his mind replaced by Otto, we know that this isn’t going to last forever. It’s probably some sort of set-up for later issues.
Mary Jane and Otto Date
The focus of Superior Spider-Man 2 is MaryJane and Otto (“Peter”) begin dating more often to mend their relationship. This makes for a very entertaining issue. Mary Jane shoots down Otto over and over again, giving him a peck on the cheek after each date. Eventually, Otto realizes that Mary Jane loves the danger of Spider-Man as well, and uses it to his advantage. In the end though, he is forced to let her go in order to make things right.
But why try to patch things up in the first place? A lot of Otto’s motivation was due to Peter’s failures. He felt the need to fill in the holes of his life. For example, he finishes up Peter’s schooling, breezing through it as if it was nothing. Same goes for repairing the relationship with Mary Jane. The irony is that, despite being a genius a science, he turns out to be an idiot with romance.
Public Rejection
Judging from the letters in the back of the comic (or emails, I should say) people seem to really hate the premise of Otto replacing Peter as Spider-Man. I had the same initial response, but it is turning out to be a fresh direction and beats the ho-hum same-old, redundant Spider-Man we are used to. So many people hate the concept, however, that I am sure Peter will find his way back into his body and he will have Otto’s memories. That way, he will still be superior, and fans will stop complaining.
If you haven’t read it yet, get it (Affiliate Link). This is one of many things that writers have done to try and spice up the Spidey comics over the years. Unfortunately, nothing will ever beat or succeed above the classic original comics. The writing was too good, and the surprise situations were a testament to its writing. The character had been beaten to death, and it might be time to put him in the back burner.