4 out of 5

And somehow, Nick Spencer and Steve Lieber managed to do the impossible – giving us a parody comic that satisfies as a legit Spider-Man comic, as a funny comic, and as a comic that can simply stand on its own.  And no, it’s not because ‘they gave it heart,’ but rather the opposite: Spencer and Lieber weren’t afraid to get dirty.  Yes, these are the lesser-than foes of S-Man, and yes, we certainly have some yuks at their bumbles, but on the whole – they’re villains.  They’re humanized, which is where the comedy mostly stems from, so we can get a slightly better grasp on why a chick dressed as a purple and green beetle would hang out with a dude whose super power is throwing boomerangs, but they’re still up to no good, and thinking otherwise will cause you to be constantly thwarted by a script that wants to remind us that money and power are a big draw for a lot of people.

Arc 3 has something of a loose ends feeling to it, trying to wind the previous threads together for a satisfying conclusion, but anchored by the witty voice of Boomerang as our narrator, it works, as his telling is purposefully snippy and it follows why he would withhold some information for the story’s effect.  And the gags don’t always land – Lieber draws like a madman, balancing comic action with amazing slapstick acting and timing to pull off some bits that would just fall completely flat for most – but the smirky nature of the tale means some moments are going to feel like a reach, and they just can’t quite always get there.  Plus, as can happen with monthlies, reading these issues back to back exposes some repetition in the dialogue that gets a little tired.  But it’s a method that works well to ingratiate the reader when 30 days passes between issues.

Superior Foes worked because it respected its characters and genre while acting like something of an “honest trailer” for the same.  It reads like a love letter in that sense, but our creators are smart enough to keep things accessible so that you can get the vibe without the background.  It’s amazing to hold up this level of fun for several arcs, not to mention actually carrying a story through those arcs that’s not just reliant on puns or jabs: we get a light-hearted heist / double-triple-quadruple cross that’s fun on its own merits and then get to chuckle at the small cache of B-villains Spencer keeps trotting out and letting them have – however brief – their moments in the sun.