Spider-Man/Doctor Octopus: Negative Exposure

As far as straight superhero comics go, "Spider-Man/Dr. Octopus" is probably Brian K. Vaughan's shining moment. Whereas his work on "Batman" and "Ultimate X-Men" left readers underwhelmed, this mini-series succeeds on many levels. Vaughan presents one of the most vicious takes on Dr. Octopus ever. It should be noted that although there's no mention of the time period, it's set early on in Spider-Man's career, as Gwen Stacy is alluded to in one scene.

Having just recently began my interest in comic books again, I was no doubt eager to get back into the 'swing' of things with my life-long favorite, Spider-man. J.M. Straczynski's work on Amazing has been excellent, but Spider-Man/Doctor Octopus: Negative Exposure really stands out as one of the best Spider-man tales I've read in a long time. Spidey and Doc Ock are at it yet again, and Daily Bugle photographer Jeffrey Haight(wrongly misprinted as 'Jeff Brasi' on the back cover) is at the end of his rope with Peter Parker. Jealous of the young photographer's success with Spider-man photos, Jeff wants desperately to make it to the front page, even if it means conspiring with an individual who is just a little more than dangerous... This collected volume features some truly great artwork and color. The characters all look distinctive and personalized, and the action sequences are clear and very well done. The story itself is fairly deep and Jeff's internal monologue gives alot of insight to his character. In fact, the story is much more about his dilemma than anything else...Peter/Spidey barely show up at all throughout the comic other than for those crucial moments in battle or encounters with Jeff. The story itself is also more 'fantastical' rather than the 'real world' trend that Marvel has been following as of late. This was a welcome change. The timeline of this story will probably be confusing to most people...at least it was for me. Negative Exposure does NOT correspond to any concurrent continuity in existing Spider-man titles. What this actually turns out to be is an 'Untold Tale' of Spider-man. The time period can be estimated somewhat accurately, as Peter and MJ are not yet going steady, and there is a brief if subtle mentioning of Gwen Stacy. Peter is also still a young college student in this tale. The only inaccuracies are the fact that Doc Ock has his up-to-date current look. Complaints aside, this was a great story, and if you don't already have the individual comics themselves, then I highly suggest picking this one up. You will not be disappointed. Coming from a life-long Spidey fan who is getting back into the swing of things after an 8 year hiatus from the comics, I can say that this is one of the best stories I've read in quite some time.