Ultimate Spider-Man (Vol. 1), Issue #11

Ultimate Spider-Man (Vol. 1), Issue #11 – “Discovery”

* Part 4 of 6 of the Learning Curve storyline *

Welcome to Loneliness & Cheeseburgers Presents: Ultimate Spider-Man (Vol. 1), Issue #11 – “Discovery”! 9/11 NEVER FORGET, THIS IS THE SEPTEMBER 2001 ISSUE! OH NO, IT’S HAUNTED! In the previous installment, when Spider-Man gets caught breaking and entering into Fisk’s building, he and his goons throw him around, zap him with electricity, unmask him, and toss him out a window! Mr. Big, who looks like Humphrey Bogart, mouths off to Fisk during a debriefing meeting about the Spider-Man infiltration. Fisk takes this with very little stride and crushes Mr. Big’s head with his bare hands after putting the Spider-Man mask on him. He’s tossed in the river for the police and papers to discover.

Not only is Spider-Man on the list of murder suspects, but Peter Parker is his own damn cockblocker with MJ! So fuck him.


Ultimate Spider-Man (Vol. 1), Issue #11 [September, 2001]
Written by: Brian Michael Bendis
“Discovery”

Ultimate Spider-Man (Vol. 1), Issue #11

Gotta hand it to the cover artist. Nothing makes me want to rip an issue from the shelves in frothing delight quite like a provocative pose from Spider-Man with zero context about what may be in the issue at all whatsoever. Thanks.

A forlorn Parker is at the school computer lab thinking about how much of a doofus he has been as Spider-Man. He’s been a doofus as Peter Parker too, but one thing at a time. Part of his preoccupation is Mr. Electro-Zappy, who “creeped him out to no end”. He spends his afternoon Googling the surveillance camera company that Fisk uses. He sets up a fake email, uses a fake name, and contacts the company with interest in pursuing their services, stating “my employer attended a party at the Fisk Towers and was very interested in the surveillance technology that they are using”. Parker thinks he’s slick with this, sending emails, dropping Fisk’s name when he didn’t have to whatsoever. Still a doofus.

When he’s at school, a woman named Dr. Bradley (who looks like she could be Peter Parker’s new Aunt May once she kicks the bucket) sits with Parker alone in a classroom. She’s interested in speaking one-on-one with the students about the whole Spider-Man tearing-up-the-school event. Parker is worried!

Ultimate Spider-Man (Vol. 1), Issue #11

Show me on the doll where The Spider-Man touched you, if you would please, young man.

And his worries are justified. Dr. Bradley doesn’t want to chat about Spider-Man’s sexy dreaminess! The student body sees Spider-Man as equally of a villainous threat as the Green Goblin! “Took hold of the school”, that’s how she describes the fiasco! They both took hold of the school! Peter Parker is positively FROWNING about this.

Parker perplexes Dr. Bradley right away by insisting that the Green Goblin is Harry Osborne’s dad, which is a doofus thing to bring up in front of a doctor who could write your ticket straight to the looney bin, son. She waves this off though. Reportedly, Parker was trapped under the chalkboard the whole time. “How does that make you feel?” she asks him. “Have you had trouble sleeping?” she asks him. “Were you close with your dead-as-a-doornail uncle?” she asks him. Peter “Harry Potter” Parker gets grumpy about all these questions, fulfilling one of the most overused tropes ever. He asks her if he needs to be here, she informs him that he can go if that’s what he wants to do, and then he sheepishly attempts to leave like a shambling, autistic penguin.

Thinking that this was all about him, thinking that his Spider-Man cover is blown, he runs into a ponytailed girl named Liz in the hallway who is on her way to speak with Dr. Bradley. She’s all sad and unfocused. Parker offers his ear if she ever needs to talk, and I’m pretty sure this nerd has never spoken to Liz in her life so of course she says no immediately. “Why do I feel guilty about Liz,” he asks himself, “it wasn’t my fault that Harry’s dad tried to blow up the school.” Oh wow, maybe it is, did you ever think about that? Shouldn’t have gotten in the way of the big, scary radioactive demon spider, you doofus. Also, who the fuck is Liz? Let’s move on from Liz.

Ultimate Spider-Man (Vol. 1), Issue #11

Thank you for your permission, doofus. That really helps.

Parker checks his email and sees he ain’t got squat. On his way to another class, he runs into Marijuana Jane Watson who is still incredibly salty about, you know, being blown off 600 times in two weeks? Some mild high school relationship drama ensues. Will they? Won’t they? Arrrgh! So much suspense! Does she like him? Does she hate him? Does he like her? Does he like Aunt May? Does she like Kong? Does he like J. Jonah Jameson? Does she like Liz? Does Kong like J. Jonah Jameson? Is Wilson Fisk actually Kong’s dad? SO MANY LEGITIMATE RELATIONSHIP QUESTIONS! Parker’s internal monologue is reeling! “We’ve never even had a fight in our entire lives and I need to stand her up for one lousy movie, and all of a sudden I’m Charlie Sheen.” Parker pouts. That’s rough, buddy.

It’s not all rain clouds and poop-in-the-cornflakes for Parker, though! He got a positive response from the security company! The 4566 Telech System! It’s very popular amongst the rich assholes and their stupid Fortune 500 companies! Parker is sent a video link about the 4566 Telech System and he grins eagerly as he watches a super-boring technical lecture. It uses ultra-high tech turn-of-the-millenium DVD-burning, labelling, and storing-in-a-giant-ugly-cabinet technology! And, guess what Parker, somewhere in that building there’s a cabinet with a DVD of your pimply, unmasked face!

Time for action!

Ultimate Spider-Man (Vol. 1), Issue #11

Fling him out da buildin’ like a spent condom. Badabing badaboom, T.

At Fisk’s office, Fisk and his upper-level cronies are having a meeting regarding Mr. Big’s discovered body. One of them is assuring Fisk that neither his name, his company, nor his organization will be mentioned by the media in conjunction with the murder. Or else. But he doesn’t sound very convincing to me, so it certainly wouldn’t sound convincing to Frowny Fisk either.

Fisk asks his men if they did a sweep of the area. They assure him that there’s been no sign of Spider-Man (even though, as they speak, Spider-Man is doing flips around the area like a doofus). They continue sucking Fisk’s fat little dick for a few more minutes while Spider-Man scurries along the rafters of the building’s framework. The guy manning the security cameras is reading a newspaper, unaware that Spider-Man is eyeing him from about 15 away.

So, once again, Spider-Man is not at all stealthy or subtle, and he throws out some one-liners as he knocks the security officer out cold. Another officer comes in, and Spider-Man loudly incriminates himself right in front of him like the dumb doofus that he is while the officer aims a gun at him. Meanwhile, in Fisk’s office, his men won’t shut up about “not hearing from Spider-Man ever again”, which is going to look very bad in a few seconds.

The security officer shoots his fucking gun right at a pipe, which starts shooting out steam. Then he shoots his fucking gun at a high voltage electrical transformer, which cuts off power to Fisk’s office.

Elsewhere, moments earlier in some fancy meeting room, Fisk’s lower-level cronies (Ox, Indiana Jones, Dapper Dan) are discussing Mr. Big’s murder. Ox is practically weeping with guilt, suggesting that they should turn themselves in to the authorities. Fantastic Dan all but slaps the big oaf, waving a finger at the guy and telling him “NO! SHUT UP! YOU WANT THE KINGPIN TO THROW YOUR CRUSHED-HEAD ASS IN THE RIVER TOO? GO FUCK YOURSELF!” Indiana Jones agrees with Ox, but then the lights go out in their room too. They get called to Fisk’s office.

Ultimate Spider-Man (Vol. 1), Issue #11

MR. BIG’S SLEEPIN’ WIT DA FISHIES, OX. WAH!

Spider-Man, having eliminated the security guards, discovers the cabinet of DVDs in the room and successfully rips the door off with his big strong spider muscles. Shocked with disbelief that his efforts actually worked, he paws through the cabinet and finds the discs with the date of his initial intrusion. He pats himself on the back, but if history has taught me ANYTHING it’s that he’s going to be discovered within minutes and Fisk is going to throw his stringy doofus ass out of the building again!

A bolt of electricity whizzes past him! Ha! Eat dirt, spider boy! The Indiana Jones guy wraps his whip around Spider-Man’s neck and holds him down, and the electric guy reassures him “Don’t worry…this will only hurt a lot.”

Final Thoughts

Spider-Man keeps getting tangled in shit that he should never have been involved with in the first place!

DVD discs can be snapped easily, too. He should’ve done that right away.

He also should’ve just stayed home and jerked off. I’ve been saying this for a long time!

Doofus.

Calva Louise, Sunless, and Richard Dawson & Circle

2021 is almost over, gotta cram it in before it’s too late! Gotta cram it all in! Gotta cram it way up there! Last-minute reviews today on 2021 albums from Calva Louise, Sunless, and the Richard Dawson/Circle collaboration.


Calva Louise – Euphoric
(August 20, 2021)

Calva Louise - Euphoric

Calva Louise’s debut Rhinoceros from 2019 was quite enjoyable. The three-piece from California plays an energetic and slightly distorted style of pop punk that leans closer to pop than punk, which makes it easier to swallow for people like me who have a really hard time with straight pop punk. However, while I did like their debut, there was something very sparse and shallow about it to me. It felt disposable; a record that couldn’t seriously be considered for repeat listening as the years go by. Their second album, Euphoric, rectifies this.

For one thing, holy god, these melodies! They seem to transcend the pop punk formula in a glorious way, focusing equally on idiosyncratic rhythm and melody while maintaining a believable, natural high-energy. The band reminds me of early Sleigh Bells with its noisy, bombastically intense style. But even Sleigh Bells in their prime couldn’t write a melody like the soaring, arena power pop of a song like “Hunting”. That one sounds like it should be in a Gatorade commercial, or something equally “hit the fucking gym and get pumped, bitch!”. I mean that as a compliment too.

What really sets Euphoric apart from similar contemporaries is Jess Allanic’s switching back-and-forth from English to Spanish. It certainly brings added texture to the already-textured arrangements. “Tiranto”, for example, is sung almost entirely in Spanish, but the snakey music around her singing is definitely using Middle Eastern scales. “Belicoso” is mostly English, with only one verse in Spanish, but something about the switching brings extra weight to the chorus where Allanic yells “I don’t see it, I don’t smell it/But it’s going to my head!

This album is fantastic, and largely overlooked by nearly everyone in 2021. Check it out.

Early Verdict:


Sunless – Ylem
(October 29, 2021)

Sunless - Ylem

You know, only last winter did I really start getting deep into black metal. After gorging on the genre for months straight without much of a break, I found that I strongly preferred a few flavors. I’LL KEEP THE REST A SECRET, but one is the feverishly dissonant, swirling anxious muck kind of black metal that’s created only with conventional four-piece instrumentation. So, Deathspell Omega. And anything else that sounds like Deathspell Omega.

BUT I STILL HAVE MUCH TO LEARN! Because I spun Ylem a dozen times and I’m JUST NOW finding out that Sunless is considered a death metal band. And I’m like, what the fuck? This stuff sounds like they’re exactly in the same camp as Deathspell Omega, or Dodecahedron, or any of those other chaotic messes of shit black metal outfits! But no, it’s death metal. So I’ll roll with it.

The other death metal band I’m aware of that sounds like this, then, is Artificial Brain. While that band’s themes are firmly rooted the cosmos, Sunless’ themes tread the more enigmatic, metaphysical topics that you’d fucking expect from a goddamned black metal band goddamnit. OK, sorry, I’ll roll with it, I promise.

It’s like technical death metal, but they’re playing with technically proficient messiness. The drummer is an animal at the kit, hi-hattin’ and flim-flammin’ until he pukes up a lung. As the cover art might suggest, the songs weave and swirl around this foreboding green nebula, and, when you stop to take the occasional breath, you can recognize the beauty of that which is so disordered.

That is to say, I like this kind of music because it can engulf my brain completely like not much other music can. You deserve to have most of your senses deprived once in a while. Ylem will help you get through the holidays! Ho ho ho.

Early Verdict:


Richard Dawson & Circle – Henki
(November 26, 2021)

Richard Dawson & Circle - Henki

No, not serial sexual harasser Richard Dawson from Family Feud and/or Match Game and/or/and Hogan’s Heroes! We’re talking Newcastle-upon-Tyne’s most phenomenal music sensation since Sting! Sting! Since STING! And this time Dawson brought his Finnish buddies, Circle, to create a crazy new epic prog album about plants or some shit.

A DISCLAIMER IS WARRENTED! This isn’t shitty prog. This ain’t about dragons or unicorns or whatever the hell Neal Morse sings about. God? Pfft. No, Dawson sings sad, folky tunes about sad figures (like himself) getting killed (sometimes) or, perhaps, failing a sociology final exam. And I’ve only listened to a few of Circle’s 8,000 albums, but what I’ve heard has been a QUITE ENTERTAINING, unique mix of krautrock, metal, weird drones, and whatever else they feel like playing at any given moment. Needless to say, I’m acquainted enough with both of these collaborators, and I was looking forward to hearing what this sounded like when it finally dropped in late November. It’s good!

Richard Dawson has a distinctly thick-accented warble that is impossibly well-suited for any genre you throw at him, and Henki runs quite a gamut; from the medieval galloping of “Cooksonia”, to the Sonic Youth-esque drone jam of “Ivy”, to the dissonant, meditative free jazz of “Silphium”, all the way to the ’70s prog excess of “Pitcher”, every track is carefully crafted to be propelled with the perfect amount of slow-building momentum and gripping storytelling. All about plants or some shit.

I hope Richard Dawson and Circle collaborate more often in the future. This is one of the best examples of prog-adjacent songwriting that I’ve heard since I discovered Major Parkinson. Highly, highly, recommended.

Early Verdict:

Batman (Vol. 1), Issue #404

Batman (Vol. 1), Issue #404 – “Who I Am – How I Come to Be”

* Part 1 of 4 of the Year One storyline *

Welcome to Loneliness & Cheeseburgers Presents: Batman (Vol. 1), Issue #404 – “Who I Am – How I Come to Be”! Ohhh man, what excitement awaits??

So what’s this now?! Not only am I taking a brief break from the New 52 action, but also, going completely against my strong obsessive compulsive tendencies, this is the first time I’m not jumping into a series with the first issue. Why? Because the original Batman series has been around since 1940 and it sucked complete shit for the first 30 years, that’s why!

More importantly, after poking around comic book Wikis and Reddits, it has come to my attention that there are iconic storylines in the history of the comicverse that demand a New 52 detour once in a while. Ergo, thus, hitherto, I’m taking my first quick detour and hitting what appears to be one of the MOST iconic Batman storylines of all time: Batman: Year One. Oooooh, chills. It runs the range of Batman (Vol. 1) Issues #404 – #407, just four installments.

I haven’t read too much about it since I don’t want to spoil the experience, but, from what I gather, this arc contains the best version of the Batman origin story? It had FUCKING better! Nah, I’m cool.

Let’s get to it.


Batman (Vol. 1), Issue #404 [February, 1987]
Written by: Frank Miller
“Who I Am – How I Come to Be”

Batman (Vol. 1), Issue #404

The cover says it all, doesn’t it? A young Bruce Wayne kneeling near his deceased parents. We’re going to see how it all started! I’m positively aroused!

January 4. We begin with Commissioner Gordon, but oho, he’s no police commissioner yet. He’s Lieutenant Gordon, and he’s arriving in Gotham for the first time. A detective named Flass, who looks like the kind of linebacker who beats his wife, welcomes the twitchy (yet familiarly mustachioed) Gordon at the airport. “Welcome to Gotham, Jimmy. It’s not as bad as it looks. Especially if you’re a cop. Cops got it made in Gotham.” Flass tells a rather unassured Gordon.

On the same day, it seems, Bruce Wayne is flying back to his home city after twelve years abroad (and since I just finished that first New 52 Batman & Robin storyline, I already know that Bruce spent much, much time bouncing around the world training with masters in martial arts and shit like that). See! I’m fucking learning, here! News reporters flood the airport terminal trying to get a statement from “Gotham’s richest and best-looking native son” and his future plans in the city now that he’s back for good. The news informs me that Bruce is fucking 25 years old, making me feel ancient. Training since he was 13 years old huh? Hmm, I wonder what prompted that decision? MAYBE WE’LL FIND OUT? A news anchor moves on to a story about Assistant District Attorney Harvey Dent withdrawing conspiracy charges against Commissioner Loeb after a key witness disappears…

Batman (Vol. 1), Issue #404

Red hair? Mustache? YOU’RE PERFECT! Welcome aboard, Opie.

Lieutenant James “Jimmy” “Jim-Jam” Gordon is chatting it up with Commissioner Gillian B. Loeb in his office, which is full of chintzy trinkets such as one of those drinking bird toys, a big portrait of a clown on the wall, a dart board, and a Peanuts lampshade. Loeb is gushing over Gordon’s police record, and Gordon sheepishly admits that he’s made mistakes in the past and he’s grateful for another chance to prove himself. “What mistakes have you made, Lieutenant? You kept the media away from it. That’s the bottom line, isn’t it? Yes it is.” It sounds like this Loeb guy is a real straight-shooter!

Bruce arrives at his manor, as positively fancy and schmancy as the day he left it. Alfred’s been there this whole time, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he was a little bit irked that his free bachelor pad for the last 13 years is now suddenly no more. No more orgies for you, Alfie.

Jim Gordon is sullen. “It’s either this or pumping gas,” he thinks as his partner drinks and drives, “…then I tell myself I’m doing it for Barbara…”. Aha! That’s his daughter, one of the Batgirls! I know things! Anyway, Gordon and Flass are out on patrol and Flass suddenly screeches the car to a halt near some loitering teenagers. “Mother know you’re here, Stevie?” he asks one of the kids and then sucker punches him right in his mug! Take that, unsuspecting teenager doing no real illegal activities whatsoever! Flass also hoists him by the neck and crotch and slams him against the edge of a dumpster, which…it SEEMS rude, I think? But hey, I’m not a cop! Gordon keeps his beady eyes and frowny mustache on Flass. Methinks Flass ain’t gonna be coppin’ much longer when Gordon’s in town. Coppin’ a feel, that is. Coppin’ a feel on some teenager dicks.

Batman (Vol. 1), Issue #404

Wear a cup next time you come out to play, kid!

Flass confiscated a retractable comb from the kid, thinking that it was a knife. “I’m only human, Jimmy.” Flass says smugly, knowing full well that ol’ Stevie probably has a trillion of those pocket combs. Classic Stevie. I forgot to mention that Gordon keeps hoping that “Barbara’s tests are negative”, and I’m not sure what that means yet! Keep it in mind! Don’t worry, I won’t forget it at- oh my god, I just saw a blimp! There’s like 17 of those left in the world!

Where was I?

February 12. Over a month later. I learn that Barbara’s not even born yet, I guess that makes sense. Gordon and Flass are chasing down a homicide, Flass tells him that he and the boys are all worried about Gordon. The dude needs to chill. Gordon tells him to call him “Lieutenant”. Gordon’s getting some balls!

February 21. Bruce is judo choppin’ some bricks for fun at his estate. He’s also trying to kick trees down, which doesn’t sound like any training I’M familiar with. He’s struggling internally, thinking he’s not ready yet, but he can’t put his finger on it.

Batman (Vol. 1), Issue #404

Grab an axe, you dingus.

February 26. Flass is chatting it up in Commissioner Loeb’s office, complaining about ol’ Wet Blanket Gordon being too honest, being too much of a good cop, trying not to rise above the law. “He’s just not fitting in, Gill.” Makes me sick too, Flass! Grrr! He asks Loeb if he and the boys can rough ol’ Wet Blanket Gordon up. Loeb tells him to wait until he’s out of town. Two weeks.

March 11. *looks at a calendar* Hey, that’s two weeks! All right, we don’t waste any time here in Issue #404! Bruce Wayne idles in a parking garage, going over an alibi that he had put in place that evening. He’s supposed to be at a hotel fuckin’! Seriously. His alibi is that he’s fuckin’ at a hotel. What the unsuspecting public doesn’t know is that Bruce Wayne, by all accounts that I’ve personally witnessed so far, is completely asexual. Bruce gets ready in the car putting on makeup. Uh.

Meanwhile, Gordon is in the police parking garage and talks about Barbara again and I guess it’s his wife that’s named Barbara? Christ, so many characters. He says he’s trying to get himself off the night shift but no one answers his phone calls. He is suddenly ambushed by four thugs in ski masks with baseball bats. Gordon perks up and defends, but he’s no match! He gets whacked in the noggin! As they’re beating the shit out of him, Gordon recognizes Flass’ laugh…

Batman (Vol. 1), Issue #404

Right in the dome! If that bat was corked, oh man… I don’t even want to know.

Bruce, incognito, is ambling through the worst parts of town (and for a city like Gotham, that’s saying quite a bit). He weaves his way through seedy adult theaters and prostitutes aplenty, one approaches him that looks 13 years old. “Cheer you up?” she says. “I doubt it. How old are you?” he asks. “Young as you want me to be.” she responds, and then her pimp hurries over to chastise her for doing it all wrong.

Batman (Vol. 1), Issue #404

And lo and behold, the origin story of Stabby Whore.

The pimp thinks Bruce is a cop. As I make my way through the most surprising suggestive scene that I’ve seen in a comic book yet, and that even counts the MAX imprint Alias comics, the pimp gets skittish and brandishes a knife at Bruce. Bruce can’t help himself and kicks the pimp’s ass six ways to Sunday! All the while he’s kicking himself for getting involved in the first place, drawing all sorts of unwanted attention. “Idiot — never should have done this.” he thinks to himself. Then Holly, the little whore girl, stabs him in the leg.

As a veritable horde of prostitutes swarm Bruce, he meets his match with a particularly feisty, leather-clad, short-haired dominatrix (it’s brought up that she hisses like a cat, so could this be Catwoman?)! Bruce punches her in the face right in front of the police! They shoot him right at a major artery! He’s losing blood! He blacks out as he gets booked! Now that’s comedy!

What a shitty day for everyone’s favorite future Bat-like Man and future Commissioner-like Gordon.

En route, Bruce breaks out of his handcuffs like he wasn’t shot four minutes ago. He incapacitates the cops and sends the police car into a fiery crash. Good going, dipshit! The news report indicates that the cops were found unconscious far away from the car. Bruce apparently dragged his bloody body on his hands and knees to his own car in the parking garage, not aware of how he got there or if he did anything else stupid on the way. While he’s hoping he didn’t do anything stupid, he stupidly attempts to start his car and drive away in his condition.

Gordon is also trying to drive home in his condition. He and Bruce cross paths. “Maniac almost hit me–” Gordon grumbles.

Batman (Vol. 1), Issue #404

Ahhh, the good ol’ ’80s…

Gordon makes it over to one of the other detective’s houses and stakes it out from afar. A poker party, and Flass is in attendance. Several other cops leave one at a time, and Gordon let’s them go. When Flass drunkenly staggers out and drives away, Gordon follows him. Eventually, he runs Flass off the road, who hits a tree. Gordon points a gun at him. Flass recognizes him and drops his own gun. Gordon tosses him a baseball bat, but Flass just kind of stands there and takes it as Gordon kicks his ass. Afterwards, Gordon throws Flass’ gun into the woods, strips him nude, handcuffs him, and leaves him there. How’s that for hazing! ANIMAL HOOOUUUUSE!

Cut to Wayne Manor, where Bruce barely made it home. He crashed his Porsche into Alfred’s shitty British car, totalling both vehicles. He’s in his father’s old study creepily talking to a bust of his father on a pedestal. “I have wealth. The family manor rests above a huge cave that will be the perfect headquarters…even a butler with training in combat medicine…yes, father, I have everything but patience.” Bruce gibbers, bleeding out as we speak. He’s tired of waiting. He’s been waiting 18 years. 18 years since that fateful day when his parents were needlessly murdered right in front of his eyes. As he wonders what to do next, a goddamned bat crashes through the window of his manor.

And the rest is history! *trumpet fanfare* *clown horn*

Final Thoughts

HELL yeah! This IS good. I don’t know what I expected, but this is just the kind of grittiness that I feel like I haven’t really encountered yet. I heard that DC was pretty excellent in the ‘80s, maybe I should dip into some of these early modern-era stories more often.

But then again, it is way more fun to write about the bad comics. A dilemma…

Ultimate Spider-Man (Vol. 1), Issue #10

Ultimate Spider-Man (Vol. 1), Issue #10 – “The Worst Thing”

* Part 3 of 6 of the Learning Curve storyline *

Welcome to Loneliness & Cheeseburgers Presents: Ultimate Spider-Man (Vol. 1), Issue #10 – “The Worst Thing”! Maybe that’s what MJ is going to call him by the end of the issue?? In the previous installment, Spider-Man busts up a Wilson Fisk crony gangster hideout for no other reason other than to ask to see Wilson Fisk, and it works! A guy tells him that he’ll be hosting a very important gala and it would be quite horrible, just so sad, if some high school punk tried to sabotage Fisk’s good time. So that’s exactly what he does. And it seems to have not worked very well within literally a minute of breaking into Fisk’s building.

With respect to some side business, MJ asked Peter Parker out on a legitimate date so they can work toward getting their bone on. The Daily Bugle is printing stories that show Spider-Man in a negative light, and, shockingly enough, J. Jonah Jameson wasn’t very responsive to Parker’s protests.

So now that Fat Fisk is in the picture, we can get the ball rolling on some real Sopranos shit. Let’s go!


Ultimate Spider-Man (Vol. 1), Issue #10 [August, 2001]
Written by: Brian Michael Bendis
“The Worst Thing”

Ultimate Spider-Man (Vol. 1), Issue #10

We learn that Spider-Man learns what we already know. And what we already know about what Spider-Man learns (well, we didn’t know that Spider-Man didn’t know it yet, but he learns it now, and we learn that he learns it now) is that he has a Spidey-Sense! And it tingles! And when Wilson “89-Feet-Tall-4,500-Pounds” Fisk approaches him ready to crush the little spider fucker like a, well, like a bug, his Sense Spideys up big time.

So when Fisk asks him menacingly if he can help him, Spider-Man swings around and tries to sucker punch the guy. It doesn’t work. First of all, he’s a million times larger. Second of all, it looks like some sort of force field stops Spider-Man’s punch like a brick wall. Fisk starts crushing the kid’s bony little arm and demands to know who sent him. Of course, Spider-Man is being cute and avoidant about answering, and Fisk ends up crushing one of his web shooters.

It looks like Spider-Man is in grave danger! How is he going to get out of this one?

Ultimate Spider-Man (Vol. 1), Issue #10

Don’t worry, Fisk. No one knows who that is anymore! You didn’t miss the boat at all on that one.

Well, he breaks free from Fisk’s grip and starts doing zany acrobatics around the room while calling him fat (hey, that’s my turf). Fisk seems politely annoyed by this whole circumstance. “Elektra, take care of this. I have guests.” he says to one of his assistant’s with a genuine look of nonplussedness. After his assistant asks him, AGAIN, to call him Electro instead, “as in, to electrocute this idiot”, Fisk is all like “FINE, WHATEVEEER, JUST TAKE CARE OF IT” and before this dude charges up like that Dragonball Z guy, Spider-Man leaps away! He narrowly misses a bolt of electricity that hits a wall with a sturdy “KRABOOM”, and I know that’s not the first time I’ve seen a ”kraboom” in a comic book.

Ultimate Spider-Man (Vol. 1), Issue #10

AHH! IT’S WORSE THAN WE THOUGHT! KILL IT! SMASH IT! GROSS!

After plenty of panels of lightning bolts and bouncing spiders, one of Carmen Elektra’s bolts finally connects and the little fucker gets zapped to the floor. Incapacitated, Fisk demands his mask be removed. They don’t recognize Peter Parker, but one of them recognizes Spider-Man as “the little freaky Spider-Dude that was messin’ with Mr. Big the other night”. OooooOOoOoo, “Mr. Big”, eh? Spider-Man was messing with Mr. Big? Sounds positively erotic! Is “Mr. Big” what Fisk calls his-

Huh? Oh yeah, so Fisk asks to get a hold of Mr. Big. “His presence is required.” They then throw the semi-conscious unmasked shrimp out the window. “Find this Carson Daly person and destroy him.” Ha! And guess what, no one gives a flying shit about Carson Daly here at the tail-end of 2021 so I guess Fisk was successful.

A montage of a now-alert Parker falling down and bumping against the side of the building, desperately trying to scramble his way into latching onto something unsuccessfully, that there is an lol for sure.

Shambling home in his extra baggy street clothes, Parker is down on himself for unsuccessfully trying to…I don’t even know what he was trying to do. What the fuck was all this about? I can’t remember anymore. Because he saw Wilson Fisk’s name in the newspaper archives and thought he could single-handedly take him down? Moron. You’re 12. Go watch iCarly and jerk off, son. At least he acknowledges that he was only in the building for 30 seconds, which was the funniest part for me at the end of the last issue. That’s twice as long as I thought! Good for him.

Ultimate Spider-Man (Vol. 1), Issue #10

Time to boot up Aunt May’s Windows 98, login to AOL 4.0, and do some serious LiveJournalin’.

Parker spends a lot of time angsting around on his way home from FAILING, as you can see above. That happens for a while. He eventually gets home, though, to find Aunt May watchin’ her stories. She couldn’t look more miserable and, like, 400 years old.

Ultimate Spider-Man (Vol. 1), Issue #10

Oh no! Someone replaced Aunt May with the saddest mannequin at Macy’s!

When he asks her what the fuck her problem is, she asks him so dramatically and over-the-top that even I want to web her right in the face, “Do you like me Peter?”. Peter’s Guilt-Sense starts going haywire! “UH BLUB BLUH BLUUHH BLUB, OF COURSE I DO AUNT MAY! UH BLUBUHUBUH” he says, down on his knees. She twists the knife a little harder: “Not as an aunt or a person who is related to you…just as a person. Do you like me as a person?” And then Peter responds: “GUUUUHHH! AAAAHHH HOOBLOOBLOOLBLOOO! OF COURSE!”.

“Well,” she continues, face like a stretched catcher’s mitt, “you’re never here.” And then she just starts LAYING IT ALL OUT on this 15-year-old, how “life threw them together in this house” and “this isn’t the life we both chose” and “I miss my dead husband WAH!” and all sorts of other baggage. Get a grip, May. Shit’s already hard enough for this little pants-wetter without making him feel worse. So he wants to take down kingpins! That doesn’t mean he hates your guts, you old bat!

Parker wakes up Saturday morning to the ringing phone. He’s got Atlas Shrugged on his desk too and I’m fucking FUMING right now, holy god. Anyway, it’s MJ clearly about to ask him if they were still on for tonight, and Peter, being the worst, asks to blow off the night because his puny little muscles are still aching from falling down a skyscraper. Virgin alert! Hey Peter, you’ve done so many dumb things already, but Christ kid, this is so very goddamned dumb. I’m all riled up over here! I can’t even continue reading this right now! I’m going to pop some Ambien and take a few shots.

Ultimate Spider-Man (Vol. 1), Issue #10

The pretty redhead wants to bone you, idiot! Drop everything! Strangle your own caregiver if you have to! Get the fuck out of that house!

OKDSfds93rwefsd wEHERje WAS I?? OH YEAHSA. OK, this little dipshit just blew MJ off for probably the 14th time in 10 issues. And she gives him every opportunity to change his mind too, but he’s not taking the hint. Even after she angrily hangs up on him, Parker doesn’t even think twice. “Gotta make a new mask!” he says, clanging the virgin nerd bell so loudly that even Stan Lee can hear it right now.

Good, we get to spend a few minutes away from Peter Parker right now. Fisk is with his 1920’s gangster cronies holding up the Spider-Man mask. Humphrey Bogart is there, you remember him, right? He’s the one that tipped Parker off to Fisk’s event in the first place. When Fisk says that the little pisser almost ruined his dinner party, Bogart is bold enough to say that Fisk sounds like Martha Stewart talkin’ ‘bout dinner parties and whoozits. Fisk stares him down, the other cronies are uncomfortable, and Bogart keeps on talking: “Seems to me, that maybe you’ve elevated yourself above all us common thugs.”

Fisk is amused, and instructs two of his men to hold Bogart steady for him. Bogart looks like he’s going to poop his stupid pants. He starts stuttering and bargaining as Fisk looms over him. He puts the Spider-Man mask over Bogary, declares “I only get my hands dirty when I really, really want to do it myself.”

Then he crushes the fucker’s head. Kind of like when the Mountain killed Oberyn Martell. Anyone? *crickets*

Ultimate Spider-Man (Vol. 1), Issue #10

:[

The headlines the next day announce Fredrick “Mr. Big” Foswell’s sudden departure from the earthly realm. He was found floating in the river, head crushed, wearing the Spider-Man mask, perplexing media and law enforcement alike. BUT YOU AND I? WE KNOW WHAT HAPPENED. WINK. A detective on the scene is lumping Spider-Man himself into the list of current suspects. Peter Parker, eating cereal in a Ja Rule t-shirt (lol), listens to the news broadcast from his kitchen. He probably pooped his pants harder than Humphrey Mr. Big Bogart.

Monday morning at school, Parker’s class apparently had “listen to the Watergate tapes” as weekend homework, and Parker looks at MJ past the girl who made the sudden “ENOUGH WITH SPIDER-MAN!” outburst in the school cafeteria the other day. While the class chats about that cuddly Nixon character, Parker apologizes to MJ via note-passing. Her dumb ass actually takes his apology. She’s just as dumb as he is. They’re both so fucking dumb.

So we go back to the lesson. The teacher asks the class why Nixon, an obviously paranoid individual, who had his enemies, who was so involved with lawless behavior, would record and document his every move? Peter has a sudden memory of the security camera at Fisk’s Palace of Fat, Lavish Gala Events and replies, under his breath, “…because he thinks he’s untouchable.”

Final Thoughts

Not being too familiar with the story at this point (and I’m not at all certain if the way these events are playing out are part of the Earth-616 canon anyway, don’t forget that this is Earth-1610), I must say that this is very interesting storytelling. Peter Parker’s fool-ass reckless behavior is getting him into major trouble, which is not only hilarious to me, but at least somewhat realistic. Actions have consequences, dipshit. With great power comes great hamburgers! Or whatever it was that Uncle Ben said.

Bye, dorks.

Batman and Robin (Vol. 2), Issue #8 – “Black Dawn”

* Part 8 of 8 of the Born to Kill storyline *

Welcome to Loneliness & Cheeseburgers Presents: Batman and Robin (Vol. 2), Issue #8 – “Black Dawn”! With this one we wrap up the first story arc of the Batman and Robin New 52 series. In the previous installment, NoBody’s holding Robin on his Big Boat of Acid and Batman is racing over to find them. He crashes his Batmobile through the roof and then he and NoBody fight for about forty pages.

Batman throws NoBody in the acid, but then decides to spare his life and pull him out. While Morgan is chained up, Bruce intends to dump him off on the police. Morgan quietly threatens a nearby Robin, and then before Bruce can stop him, Robin kills Morgan with a fatal jab between the eyes.

Robin’s gonna get a spanking and be sent to his room now.


Batman and Robin (Vol. 2), Issue #7 [May, 2012]
Written by: Peter J. Tomasi
“Driven”

Batman and Robin (Vol. 2), Issue #8

“Damian…what have you done?” asks a horrerstruck Bruce. “What I had to do…what I needed to do…for you, father.” answers a tired, business-as-usual Robin, while he’s knuckles-deep into Morgan’s brain cavity. Bruce hoists the little fucker up in his arms. “We’re leaving.” Bruce says simply, while the boat around them burns and sinks.

Leaving Morgan’s corpse to sink with the wreckage, they climb into the Batmobile. Bruce engages his reverse thrusters and they blow another hole through the top of the boat. In a daze, Robin tells Bruce that he named the dog Titus. Bruce is like “yeah, ok kid, you just murdered a guy with two fingers. No dog for you, you maniac.”

Back at BATCAVE CENTRAL, Alfred has his best blue doctor’s smock on again so he can check up on Robin’s injuries. Alfred comments that Bruce, too, needs to be assessed, but our altruistic hero says he can wait. Alfred comments again that he looks like he’s ready to fall, and Bruce yells at him “AND I SAID FOCUS ON DAMIAN INSTEAD OF WORRYING ABOUT ME — I’M FINE, DAMMIT!”. Alfred doesn’t want to dinged by the Comics Code Authority, so he holds back and just answers him with a snarky “Obviously.”

Batman and Robin (Vol. 2), Issue #8

Remember to have your Bat Men spayed or neutered.

Alfred’s analysis shows some minor injuries that two weeks of rest will fix as long as Scrappy Doo over here actually will rest (he won’t). Bruce is relieved, thinking that Morgan had hurt him worse. I NEVER THOUGHT THAT! I’m smarter than you, Orange Juice Bruce. While Alfred is very concerned about the circumstances of Damian’s brief departure, Bruce insists that it was all a ruse to trap NoBody more easily. Alfred doesn’t seem to think all of it was a ruse. Bruce disagrees, basically saying “It was. NoBody’s dead. Damian’s here. End of story.” And Alfred, who is always the smarter one, barely concedes out of respect for the large oaf idiot rich guy Bruce Wayne.

Later, Bruce collapses while having a mental breakdown about Morgan dying at Robin’s hands instead of his own. When Alfred finds him, he can’t help but twist the knife with a quick “told ya so” before checking up on him too. Like Damian, Bruce has a concussion and a loss of blood from his wounds (and, funnily enough, zero acid-related injuries? Yeah, ok).

Damian is resting, actually resting holy shit, in his bedroom. Bruce sneaks in to drop-off a penis-sized thumbdrive. When Bruce leaves, Damian peeks open an eye, then plugs it into his phone and listens to the recording. Remember all those times I said that Batman was telling his story to not-Damian? Well, as it turns out, Batman was recording the whole story for Damian to listen to later. I suppose that makes sense! Peter J. Tomasi, you thought of everything! And here I am trying to poke my own plot holes right through your ironclad door of a story! My my, is my face red…

Batman and Robin (Vol. 2), Issue #8

Cool neurotic podcast, dad. You’re a regular Marc Maron.

Later, Bruce is ripping sheets off the covered furniture in his father’s den, which has remained completely untouched since his parents’ murder. AND WE GET TO SEE THEM BEING TOUCHED IN THIS VERY ISSUE?! OH MY STARS, HOW SPECIAL! Robin pops into the doorway to let him know that he listened to his story. “Well, whatcha think, sonny ol’ boy??” Bruce asks him, clapping him on the back and letting out a hearty guffaw. Bruce tells him that the intention of Damian hearing those recorded thoughts was to let the little lad know that he is as much his son as he is his mother’s. “And what the shit fuck cunt hell does that mean, Dad?” Damian asks.

And Bruce tells him that the urge to kill is strong within him too, as it was within his mother, and that maturity is an important step to controlling it. Or something. I’m skimming! “You can’t face lunatics like we do on a daily basis and not have it boil up when they put innocent lives in jeopardy.” Bruce tells the little whipper-snapper. Killing bankrupts your soul, and all that jazz. Violence isn’t the solution to violence, kid! Damian admits that he doesn’t want to turn into some soulless killing machine like Morgan Ducard. “I want to be like you. I’ve always wanted to be like you.” he tells daddy dearest. Awww, oh my heart just simply cannot take it.

Batman and Robin (Vol. 2), Issue #8

Live with the guilt, kid. This is the real world, everyone’s fucked up and no one cares!

So Damian asks how he can fix it, and Bruce says that he has to live with it. Tough talk.

Since Grumpy Uncle Alfred isn’t letting them leave the manor property for another day, the two of them decide to play catch with Damian’s new dog.

And as they play fetch, Alfred sighs up at the sky on the sidelines. “Just one night, is that too much to ask?” he frowns.

The Batsignal shines on.

Final Thoughts

Woo! That’s enough therapy for now! Congratulations, Peter Tomasi, I ridiculed your daddy issues but you made quite a realistic dynamic between Bruce and Damian. It’s too bad that the series couldn’t continue with the little sociopathic monster version of Damian Wayne, but a man can dream.

Like the New 52 Batman, and the New 52 Batgirl, this series also converges into the Night of the Owls crossover event after the first story arc (even if it is only one issue). I’ll have to table Batman and Robin for now, but I look forward to continuing with this one. Some day. If I ever get there! Too many comics, too little time.