Tomes of Costumed Adventurers: Spider-Man--The Octopus Agenda

Tomes of Costumed Adventurers

Welcome to the land of "reality", where scientific experiments, accidents, genetic heritage, and alien influences affect the lives of ordinary mortals. Join me as I observe the superhumans of planet earth and their struggles against equally powerful foes.

W A R N I N G !

This review does not represent the opinions of the general public. It reflects my personal thoughts and opinions on the book.

That said, on to the review!

Title: Spider-Man--The Octopus Agenda
Author: Diane Duane
Publisher: Boulevard Books
Format: Paperback
Copyright Date: 1997

After struggling against Venom twice already--once beneath the streets of Manhattan and once in the Florida Everglades--with at least one of his other enemies ready and willing to mix it up with him, Peter Parker certainly doesn't want to see his arch-nemesis anytime soon. But something's happening that will bring them together again, once more while following the paper trail left by CCRC, the European corporation that was responsible for endangering first the city of New York and then the ecosystem of the Florida Everglades and eventually the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. Certainly Venom wants nothing to do with Spider-Man, except to eat his spleen or whatever else the symbiote wants. But with a strange subsurface nuclear explosion in upstate New York attracting media attention, it was inevitable that the two should cross paths again. And lurking behind it all is a mastermind who may be more than a match for the two of them put together. And that isn't even taking into account the kind of problems the Russian mob in New York will cause for the whole lot of them!

There's a lot I could say about this book that I'm not going to, simply because I'd be repeating myself. Then again, let's face it: I can't stop myself! It's time for a terrific battle royal between Venom, Spider-Man, and Doctor Octopus (like you couldn't figure it out!) with the entire planet at stake. I've seen Venom operating in hero mode before--okay, honorable villain--so there's nothing new there, but you have to admit, nothing was likely to establish a partnership like a worldwide threat to innocents. And who else would even come close to being a match for Venom's pseudopodia than someone with four extra adamantium arms? Carnage, of course, but who else?

While the battles between the three superhumans was terrific, I think the real hero(ine) of the book is Mary Jane Watson-Parker, Peter's wife. Ignoring for the moment that she has no super powers (that we know of, anyway), I think it was terrific arranging for her to become a voice-actor on a superhero cartoon! And the way she used her experiences there to deal with Venom when he came a-visiting was one of a kind! You wish more people had the guts to do something like that. Then again, it probably would only have worked on an honorable villain. Someone like Doctor Octopus would probably kill you the moment you opened your mouth to speak.

Spider-Man--The Octopus Agenda finally draws to a close (for now) Spider-Man's problems with Venom. At least when they next meet they won't be facing a common foe like Doctor Octopus (or the Lizard, or the Hobgoblin). You know the next time Venom won't be holding back from killing Spider-Man if he can!

Rating: Thumbs up! Another unlikely team-up against another unlikely enemy with another unlikely plot to conquer the world!

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