"The science behind superheroes"

[Riddick]

Superior Spider-Man: The Story So Far

Having taken possession of the body of his long-time nemesis, Doc Ock has masqueraded as Peter Parker/Spider-Man for 10 issues. While people have noticed a difference, SpOck has yet to be exposed.

Far less adept at wisecracking than Peter, as Spidey he's been prone to dish out severe punishment to villains, which has earned him the respect of NYC mayor J. Jonah Jameson. By contrast, the Avengers put him on notice that they're keeping an eye on him.

For a time, SpOck had retained the memories of Peter Parker, whose "ghost" remained in the back of his mind, at times coming forward in an attempt to exercise some control over SpOck's tactics and more extreme actions, with varying degrees of success.

However, in issue 9, now aware of this apparent apparition haunting his thoughts, rather than a spirit from beyond SpOck deduced Peter's memories had formed a 'phantom consciousness'. This faux Parker in his mind had to go, and to assure no more meddling in his affairs, over the course of the issue with aid of a cerebral 'file shredder' SpOck deleted every trace of Pete from his head.

While solving that problem, in the next issue the consequences begin to show. Without his memories to draw from, in relations with Pete's family and friends SpOck's already awkward Parker impersonation has taken a turn for the worse, raising some questions particularly from Mary Jane Watson who is surprised when in peril, unlike per usual her hero does NOT come to her rescue.

Fallout has been less apparent in his Wall-Crawler identity, though working without benefit of his predecessor's experiences to draw on may be a concern before all too long. While it's easy enough to pummel second-string villains beyond an inch of their lives, what SpOck doesn't know is the Green Goblin has returned and is gearing up for an all-out assault on his arch-enemy AND the world.

Even as all this is going on, Otto Octavius has plans to cut out his own niche in his new life as Parker. Shocked to find Pete never received his doctorate, Ock is determined to correct that. The trouble is a prof from his past life that rubs him the wrong way. To make a better impression on him, Ock takes on a diminutive yet darling female student as a tutor, and finds himself falling for her.

Can Ock find happiness as Pete? Can he keep a lid on his arrogance and continue to improve on what Parker achieved in his private life AND in his super-heroics? Or will we see the new world he's making for himself all come crashing down? Stay tuned...!