One of Spider-Man’s most acclaimed writers takes a look at an untold chapter in the history of his archnemesis in Spider-Man: Shadow of The Green Goblin. Young Peter Parker has just lost his Uncle Ben. Peter recently gained great power as Spider-Man… but does he truly understand the great responsibility that must come with it? Meanwhile, Norman Osborn’s earliest mistakes come back to haunt him… including the Original Goblin!
J.M. DeMatteis has a long association with Spider-Man that goes back to the early 80s. He has produced some of the wall crawler’s most memorable stories from the 80s and 90s including Kraven’s Last Hunt, The Death of Harry Osborn and The Lost Years. It is always a treat when he returns to the character and this series is no exception – particularly given the subject matter.
Many of DeMatteis’s classic Spider-Man comics that were psychologically driven focused on Norman Osborn or his son Harry. Being so well versed in these characters, he is a natural choice to delve into the history of this troubled father and son pair. We get to see Harry’s early friendship with Gwen Stacy before they met Peter Parker and how cold his relationship with his father was. Norman’s wife Emily Osborn plays a significant role in the story having been a somewhat mysterious element of the Osborn family’s history. Having only appeared in a handful of flashback scenes over the years, Emily supposedly died shortly after Harry was born which was one of the key reason Norman treated Harry so badly over the years. Her reappearance in the story not only reveals some key mysteries of Norman’s past, but also leads to Harry encountering her for the first time.
In addition to examining the Osborn family’s fractured state, DeMatteis also revisits a classic issue from the 90s set in the past that focused on Norman Osborn’s early experiments with what became the goblin formula. These experiments don’t exactly go to plan and Nels Van Adder was turned into an out-of-control goblin-like creature. His reappearance in the story allows DeMatteis to pick up some story threads that have not been examined in a long time whilst also adding a new dimension to Emily’s revenge scheme.
But this is also Spider-Man story, albeit one very early in his crimefighting career with Uncle Ben’s death still fresh on his mind. Outside of Spider-Man trying to track down Van Adder, the majority of the Peter Parker segments focuses on the impact Ben’s death has had on the Parker household. With Peter now missing at night and returning with bruises on his face, he ends up coming into conflict with Aunt May who is not only processing her husband’s death but also trying to work out why her nephew keeps disappearing for hours on end. DeMatteis really nails the relationship between the two and uses it as an opportunity to explore how people deal with grief in different ways.
Michael Sta. Maria’s art takes inspiration from both the classic Ditko art of the 60s and the 90s era. The result is a very authentic take on Spider-Man which gets bonus point for the leaner Ditko-esque build of the character which fits with the time period. His action and character work is also top notch.
Spider-Man fans will love this detour to a classic era of the series and the chance to see DeMatteis return to the character. The revelations of The Green Goblin’s past will also make it very enticing for completionists.
Spider-Man: Shadow of The Green Goblin is out 31 December from Marvel (9781302957537, p/b, £16.99)
Or support your local bookstore.
Want regular updates and weekly reviews on the latest in graphic novels and manga? Follow us on Twitter @turnaroundcomix.
