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Web Of Spider-Man #104: Review

Sep 1993
Terry Kavanagh, Alex Saviuk

Story Name:

Infinity Crusader

Review & Comments

Rating:
4 stars

Web Of Spider-Man #104 Review by (December 3, 2022)
This issue is a tie-in to the Infinity Crusade event.

The opening as Goddess recruits Spider-Man is an expansion of a bit of IC#1. The immediately following Avengers Mansion and Paradise Omega parts are from IC#2. The rest of this issue including Spider-Man's doubts and his battle with Moondragon and Goddess are new, but it all fits within IC#2.

Spidey has been busy since the Maximum Carnage event in Secret Defenders #6-8 (with Dr Strange, Captain America and Scarlet Witch vs Xandu), the SM/Punisher/Sabretooth: Designer Genes (vs Roxxon Corp) 1-shot and Midnight Sons Unlimited #3 (with 2 Ghost Riders vs Spider-X).

The events of the Nightwatch story take place between Maximum Carnage (which included the previous issue of this mag) and the Infinity Crusade event. This is part 1 of 3.





 

Synopsis / Summary / Plot

Web Of Spider-Man #104 Synopsis by Rob Johnson
Spider-Man is fighting a street gang (a rematch from #101) when he's interrupted by the Goddess (the gang can't see her) who says she knows the pain of his existence and she wants him to join her Infinity Crusade to save the whole universe from such anguish. And when they've left, as a side-effect the gang lay down their arms and willingly surrender to the police.

Most heroes who haven't been recruited have assembled in Avengers Mansion. Mr Fantastic is explaining that Goddess' telepathic transmissions have hypnotised their missing comrades into joining her, and also caused all criminals to become honest citizens.

And in Paradise Omega, a cathedral on a new planet on the far side of the Sun, Goddess is explaining her plan to her flock - with their help to spread her enlightenment across the universe to usher in an age without pain and sorrow. Silver Surfer asks how this will be accomplished. She shows them a cosmic egg she has created (from 30 Cosmic Cubes). From inside it she will contact enlightened souls like theirs across the galaxy and form them into a group soul which can use the egg to sculpt reality. Invisible Woman worries that cosmic beings like Eternity or the Living Tribunal will stop them, but Goddess assures them that the Supreme Will (ie God) is on their side. The heroes task is to guard her while she's in the egg. And telepathic Moondragon will serve as her intermediary. Goddess enters the egg and they sink into the planet.

Time out for an interlude with Robbie Robertson at the Daily Bugle. J. Jonah Jameson is unhappy about the lack of crime that the Goddess has caused. Robbie calms him down by pointing out they still have natural disasters and accidents to fill the newspaper with. Then he has a secret meeting with investigative reporter Betty Brant about their equally secret project.

Back at Paradise Omega Spider-Man, although he believes in the Crusade, can't help having niggling doubts. That's just the way Peter Parker is. His uncharacteristic sureness about the Goddess is itself something that worries him. And how can this be paradise without his wife Mary Jane? He heads for the top of the cathedral to clear his head.

But Moondragon has detected his lapse of faith and followed him. She attacks him with blasts from her Mind Gem. MD has the advantage that she can read Spidey's mind, but some of his actions are instinctual. And after he blinds her with webbing she can't dodge inanimate web-balls. But then he's engulfed by flames and appears to be taken to Goddess' sanctuary deep within the planet. But also into a soulscape where he's attacked by shadows of his friends and enemies.


Story 2:- Deathmask (starring Nightwatch)
Pencils Bill Wylie. Inks Tim Tuohy.

Nightwatch is heading home after the Maximum Carnage event (in particular the finale Spider-Man Unlimited #2) when the eyes of his mask detect a robbery at the Natural History Museum which has already cost the lives of several security guards. He attacks the robbers and stops them contacting their boss Daniel Davis. He KOs most of them but keeps 1 to question. But Davis already has the thing he really wanted, a recently-unearthed Macedonian deathmask which he believes he can sell for a lot of money. The men with him kill the guard who let them in and prepare to leave. But Nightwatch stops them, his razor-edged cloak slicing guns in 2. Davis escapes and puts the mask on (presumably to free his hands for other tasks). However it kills him and takes over his corpse as Deathgrin.



Alex Saviuk
Don Hudson
Bob Sharen
Alex Saviuk (Cover Penciler)
Alex Saviuk (Cover Inker)
? (Cover Colorist)
Letterer: Steve Dutro.
Editor: Eric Fein. Editor-in-chief: Tom DeFalco.

Characters

Listed in Alphabetical Order.

Invisible Woman
Invisible Woman

(Sue Storm)
J. Jonah Jameson
J. Jonah Jameson

(JJ Jameson)
Mr. Fantastic
Mr. Fantastic

(Reed Richards)
Silver Surfer
Silver Surfer

(Norrin Radd)
Spider-Man
Spider-Man

(Peter Parker)

Plus: Betty Brant, Goddess, Nightwatch, Robbie Robertson (Joe Robertson).

> Web Of Spider-Man: Book info and issue index

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