Potential spoilers for Spider-Woman #12 ahead!
In a special preview for Spider-Woman #12, one of the worst habits of Marvel heroes - constantly talking during battle - gets called out. The issue will be for sale in stores and digital May 12.
In previous issues of Spider-Woman, the title character has been put through her paces: she nearly died, received an upgrade, discovered she had siblings she never knew about, fought clones of her mother, and tangled with the High Evolutionary. Spider-Woman is ready for a breather, but first, she must tangle with an adversary from the past, one who makes a valid point about the heroes of the Marvel Universe.
As the preview opens, Spider-Woman is called in to take care of one half of Los Espadas Gemelas, two criminal brothers she had tangled with previously. She put one of the brothers in jail, and now the other is going to break him out. As he and Spider-Woman exchange blows, she keeps a non-stop stream of dialogue coming, prompting him to ask if she ever stops talking. She replies that he would not be the first to ask such a question. He is able to get the upper hand on her, subduing her and breaking open the jail cells. Check out the preview pages below.
The preview ends there, so readers must wait to see how Spider-Woman resolves the situation, but the villain’s comments about the constant talking during battle is funny - and valid. Cracking jokes while fighting the bad guy is a common comic book trope, going back to the teen sidekicks of the Golden Age. When Spider-Man debuted during the Silver Age, he elevated wisecracking to an art form. Spider-Man’s quips are legendary, and while they are funny, they serve two important functions: first, they are a great way to break the tension. Heroes like Spider-Woman fight some truly horrific foes, and cracking jokes during battle is a great way to cope with that fact. Second, they can distract the opponent. For example, every quip out of Spider-Man’s mouth is a verbal jab at his opponent, designed to get under their skin. The opponent will focus more on what is being said than the fight itself, leading them to slip and make a mistake. It is also annoying, a fact the Gemelas brother calls out, proving the banter works.
Spider-Woman’s namesake would be proud of her—she unleashed a stream of jokes and quips that irritated and distracted her opponent. Spider-Woman #12 is written by Karla Pacheco, with art by Pere Perez, colors by Frank D’Armata, and letters by Travis Lanham.
https://ift.tt/3tzy1cL
May 10, 2021 at 05:19AM
