Tomes of Costumed Adventurers: Spider-Man--Wanted: Dead or Alive

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--Wanted: Dead or Alive
Author: Craig Shaw Gardner
Publisher: Boulevard Books
Format: Paperback
Copyright Date: 1999

Almost from the beginning of his career Spider-Man has found himself the target of J. Jonah Jameson's paper's campaign to portray him as a menace to society. Now, however, JJJ has a mayoral candidate to support who believes that all costumed vigilantes--Spidey included--are menaces to the city of New York and who have, by their presence in the city, lured super-villains like Dr. Doom and Magneto into attacking the Big Apple. And what no one knows is that this particular candidate has a very powerful backer whose determination to control the city--albeit from behind the scenes--has driven him to start a smear campaign with Spidey as its focus! Accused of a murder he didn't commit and unable to do his investigating without drawing undue attention, Peter Parker is forced to rely on his life as an ordinary citizen to track down the facts he needs to clear both of his names...because the police are looking at him as an accomplice to his alter ego, and that's bringing them a dangerous step closer to discovering his secret identity! Can Peter get the factual evidence he needs to clear his names before all his movements--as Spider-Man and as Peter Parker--become severely limited by a jail cell?

The title, Spider-Man--Wanted: Dead or Alive, pretty much sums up the story: Spider-Man is now a criminal wanted dead or alive for a murder he didn't commit. Long time Spider-Man fans will recognize that this is just the kind of thing J. Jonah Jameson's been looking for to completely turn Spidey's career into a mess. And the author doesn't disappoint, taking full advantage of the history between Spider-Man and Jameson to create a novel filled with intrigue and crime and politics...or did I just use three words to identify the same thing? Kidding!

One of the best parts of this novel would have to be the fact that Peter Parker is proving himself to be as effective a person as Spider-Man himself. Yeah, I know they're one and the same person, but think about it. Spider-Man's always the one in the limelight--for good or ill--because of one spectacular rescue or criminal apprehension after another while Peter takes the pictures. This time we get to see that Peter is capable of action as Spidey, although not necessarily of the same caliber. After all, it is Peter who must tackle the daunting task of clearing Spider-Man's name, since Spidey's the one the police are after. Although I guess that means Peter's trying to clear his own name, since he's Spider-Man. This is confusing, isn't it?

Overall, Spider-Man--Wanted: Dead or Alive is a book well worth reading. And before you even ask, yes, Mary Jane is there, along with the rest of Spider-Man's supporting cast, including two of his old nemeses, Rhino and Electro. So what are you waiting for, Doc Ock to drag you to the bookstore?

Rating: Thumbs up! If you thought super-villains were the worst, wait 'til you see what politicians and mobsters can do!

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