Otto comes another step closer to becoming Doc Ock in this second issue of Year One.
MY COMPLIMENTS TO THE CHEF
This issue continues to lay the emotional pressure on Octavious in the form of his mother and a colleague with whom he develops a brief romantic relationship. Unfortunately, due to his own psychological troubles in conjunction with his controlling mother, he manages to alienate the one person who may genuinely care for him. And when said mother betrays his trust, he becomes a completely isolated person. His interactions with others become mechanical and he only truly has relationships with the machines he builds and operates. The unraveling of Otto's social mind that started in the last issue continues in brilliant fashion here until it comes to the point of no return.
This issue does a fantastic job of establishing an interesting motivation for Octavious' obsessive pursuit of technology and the direction it takes. The technological armaments employed by a group of superpowered individuals (including everyone's favorite web slinger) gives Otto what he believes to be an epiphany of sorts. He knows what the next step of humanity is and he pours himself into his work even more, contributing to his already severe isolation. My hat is off to Wells. (I had been wearing a hat up until this point of the review, I promise.) He's managed to create an original motivation for an established character without abandoning the core of who that character is. How many times have you seen attempts to do that go horribly horribly wrong?
Andrews does it again in this issue. He manages to create panel after panel of incredibly imaginative, disturbing and beautiful illustrations. Just like with the first issue, the reader is never far from a stunning example of Kaare's talent. My favorite scene involves Otto, an x-ray machine, a love interest, and a history lesson... It looks better than it sounds.
Normally, I'm not a big fan of using Latin in a text as an attempt to make the work seem more intelligent or deep, but it works really well in this issue. Otto is in the middle of a demonstration. He cares not of those around him or those in his life. They're all either inferior to him, lack an understanding of his genius, or have betrayed him. Only technology matters to him now. His machines are his only friends and he speaks to them in tender and affectionate tones in a manner normally reserved for lovers. He trusts them. And so, inevitable tragedy strikes in the form of another betrayal. Something goes wrong with the demonstration and horrible things are about to happen. Realizing this, Doc Ock utters one pathetic phrase just before everything goes to hell:
Yes, doctor, them too.
(For those who don't know, "Et tu?" translates from Latin to "And You?".)
Beautifully tragic.
FEEL THE STING OF MY DISCONTENT!
Surprise! Nothing here.
WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE
While Andrews stole the show last issue, Wells ups the ante this time around and delivers a fantastic second chapter. Both of these guys are delivering some brilliant material.
Other reviews for Spider-Man/Doctor Octopus: Year One #2 - Part 2
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