Scarlet Spider: Texas Hero
By: Andrew Hines
This is an awesome book. There, I said it. I'm a fan of characters like Kaine. The kind of guy who doesn't necessarily want to be a hero, but at the same time feels a drive to do the right thing. He blames Spider-Man for that, finally giving him a conscience. He's been in Austin, Texas for the last 9 months and is beginning to feel at home there. He even has something resembling a life and even friends. He's gotten away from the Kaine of old and is finally on the track to being a tried and true superhero.
Chris Yost has been doing a good job as the writer of this series since issue 1. He's taken Kaine from being just another spider-clone and definite baddie to his own brand of hero. Just when everything seems ten kinds of crazy, our old...err...acquaintance(?) Roxxon comes into the picture. Because what would a trip to Texas be without the presence of an oil company? This is a well-written issue, despite a slightly too clean ending.
The art works, primarily because of the pencils from Khoi Pham. The action shots are great and I don't see any angles that cause weird faces or anything. It fits with the cartoony style of the "Spider-Man Family". The best part, I believe, is the monster of the issue, Mammon. The inking and coloring teams do a good job as well.
I give this issue a solid "B", because of the overly clean ending. It's a better than average issue, but not exactly worthy of a standing ovation.
