Kurt Kordok: Mastermind?

Kurt Kordok is obviously not the criminal mastermind he thinks he is, considering how he just alerted the superhero to his presence. A criminal mastermind would have his thugs shoot Spider-Man many times, then come out and gloat at the bullet-ridden body. Then again, there is that classic villain tendency to gloat to a still-living and able-bodied antagonist, so it's not that out there. I am still wondering which desert Mary Jane is in, however.

Also, Spider-Man turned around suddenly yesterday when Kordok came in. Did he turn back so he could peer over his shoulder today?

Thing I Liked:

-Mary Jane's pajamas. They look like a hospital gown.

Tri-Post

Jeepers, have I been a bad Blogger for the past week. I'm terribly sorry I haven't posted, things have just come up. In any case, here's a triple dose of Spider-Man. If anyone is still reading this thing.
04/27/2007:Perhaps logic has invaded the comic strip, but perhaps not. Maybe the two officers are there because they want to see the fight, and not to actually do any police work. Only time... er, the continued reading of this post will show us the truth. Also, it seems like Jonah has totally forgotten that traditional law enforcement still exists. And: what is up with that cop on the left? He is spooking me.

Thing I Liked:
-The cop on the right looks like Norman Osborn.

04/28/2007:
I am so glad that Gomez the Cop has become less freakish. Also, it seems that they are there to do their job. One can only assume that this logic will further invade this comic strip until it falls apart at the seams.

Thing I Liked:
-Spider-Man in panel three. It would have been better if the second word balloon had said, "ARE YOU READY TO ROCK?!"

04/29/2007:Before you make any rash decisions, it has been well-established that sometimes Mary Jane can sense that her husband is in deep trouble. At least in a few Spider-Man novels I've read, and that's good enough for me. Also, it is pretty unlikely at this point that Kurt Kordok is anyone but Kurt Kordok. I'm kind of sad about this, but there is nothing to be done about it.

Thing I Liked:
-Kordok's entrance.

Meep!

I totally forgot to post yesterday. I am very sorry about this. Here's two posts in one, then:
04/25/2007:
Well, it looks like the Spider-Man/Weasel team-up is just a pipe dream. Also, I realize Spider-Man is just being cautious (all he really knows about Weasel is that he's tied to Kurt Kordok) but the man's arm is probably broken. Webbing him up like that is going to cause him no end of pain. That's just not cool, Spider-Man.

Thing I Liked:
-Weasel's sheepish plea in panel two.

04/26/2007:
Spider-Man is still being quite cautious, or perhaps a glory hound. "No one tries to help me and gets away with it!" he thinks. He's actually being quite nonchalant about this whole thing. Yes, he's saying that lives are at stake, but he took the time to listen to a random guy and web the same guy onto a lamp post. This obviously can't be that important for him.

Thing I Liked:
-Spider-Man's line in panel one. The matter-of-factness of it brings me no end of mirth.

Tuesday Turmoil!

For the briefest of moments, I thought Spider-Man's second thought balloon in third panel was going to read "Ha! Sucks to be her!" or something along those lines. I'm sort of disappointed that it's not. Also, if Spidey and Weasel don't hurry up, Kordok is probably going to send his goons outside to kill both of them.

Thing I Liked:
-It seems like Weasel is using mystical powers to manifest the "Stan Lee/Larry Lieber" box in the first panel.

Three, Three, Three Posts in One!

04/21/2007:

A better story would be that both Jonah Jameson and Weasel belong to an IRC group dedicated to flat-top hair cuts, and the following conversation occurred:
weasel528: i am in a bad mood my boss tried 2 kill me earlier
jjjnewshound: who is your boss
weasel528: jerk named kurt kordok
jjjnewshound: omg i just got a tape from him
jjjnewshound: did you know he is going to be at the memorial stadium 2nite 2 get spiderman
weasel528: now i do
weasel528: g2g k thnx for info
Then Weasel logged off at the public library and high-tailed it to the Stadium. Also, note that Weasel is more resilient than previously thought as he managed to escape his watery tomb with one bad arm. Compare that to Spider-Man who was defeated by a falling brick.

Thing I Liked:
-The fact that Weasel sounds vaguely like a character from "For Better or Worse"

04/22/2007:

I know we've seen Weasel in his Sunday best before, but today it really struck me how different Weasel's Sunday and weekday colorings are. What really gets me is that on weekdays, his jacket has a sort of a single-colored checkerboard pattern (which probably has some sort of name) that his Sunday best totally lacks. This means that the coloring drones take the time each day to draw all those lines on him. Also, Weasel looks a bit more sinister in the Sunday strips. Which is fine, because I'd rather have the Jimmy Olsen-esque Weasel any day. I also hope that "Next" box does not hint at Weasel's fate.

Thing I Liked:
-The fact that Weasel looks a bit like Adam Sandler (to me, at least)

04/23/2007:Weasel forgot to mention that she jumped out of the car and Kordok was angry that she could have been seriously injured or worse, and therefore not suitable bait for Spider-Man at all. However, Spider-Man is proving especially slow on the uptake right now. Kordok tried to kill Weasel, and our pal wants some revenge pie. IT IS BEST SERVED CHILLED. Not cold, because who seriously wants cold pie? In any case, let's hope Kordok left Dorset at his house, otherwise things could become quite ugly quite quickly.

Thing I Liked:
-Imagining that in the third panel Weasel is pointing directly at Kordok's house.

Spider-Man's Pal, Weasel Olsen

Well, this comic strip just redeemed the heck out of itself. Everything in the storyline so far has been leading up to this moment, and the pay-off is sweet indeed. If Spider-Man had not been hit by a falling brick, Weasel would not have been able to take him by surprise leading to Spider-Man's priceless line in the second panel. Dara Dorset existed only to get Weasel angry enough to rebel against Kurt Kordok. Indeed, this is one of the best team-ups ever and I hope it never dissolves.

Thing I Liked:
-I liked the whole blasted thing!

Worried for No Reason

Kurt Kordok, powerful as he may be, seems to just be a normal guy with above-average strength. You, Spider-Man, have the proportionate strength of a spider which usually rounds out to being able to lift 10 tons and jump about fifty feet straight up. Not only that, but you have super-agility which will allow you to not get hit. Sure, he'll bring some thugs but a quick punch to the chin will take care of them. You have nothing to worry about, Spider-Man. Besides, you should be happy it's in an open area instead of a warehouse. It'll give you more room to maneuver. Ah, and you claim there's no high place to swing from but that entrance looks pretty tall.

I also like how this strip is basically promising us an exciting, action-packed brawl, and it will not deliver. Chances are we'll spend most of our time with Dara Dorset gaping in awe at the two combatants.

Thing I Liked:
-Spider-Man's use of the word "fritz".

Spider-Batman

Spider-Man using a door? That's crazy. Though I suppose that when there's no window available to climb out of, you have to make do. This scene is oddly reminiscent of Batman, actually. Think about it: an older man is giving a superhero information which will be beneficial. While older man is distracted, superhero vanishes. Also, I like how Jameson is using a nickname for Spider-Man that is not superficially derogatory. Could ol' Jonah be softening up?

Thing I Liked:
-I liked how it reminded me of Batman. Also, the thing I said above. The nickname thing.

Ah, also: Diesel Sweeties mentioned our pal Spider-Man today:
You know, I didn't notice how weird the tails for the word balloons are in this comic until right now. Now I'll never stop noticing. In the future, if Spider-Man is mentioned in a comic strip I'll put it up here. It'll be an interesting diversion, if nothing else.

Repetion

The only thing I can really say about this is that Jonah is no doubt going to seethe with righteous anger for the next few days. When he finds out that Spider-Man's appearance has sent his ratings through the roof, however, and the tale of a hero going off to save his supposed wife has glued the public to his program he will be singing a song of a different tune. Also, wouldn't it be great if Jameson decided to accompany Spider-Man and film the hero doing his heroism? I think it would be.

Also, this is the fourth time Jonah has mentioned that Dara Dorset is being held by Kurt Kordok. I think people get it, JJJ.

Thing I Liked:
-I guess the arrangement of things in the first panel. Jonah looks like he's manifesting an image of Dara Dorset, kind of.

Story Recap GO!

I'll follow today's strip lead and recap the story so far:

It all started about four months ago. After defeating Doctor Octopus, Spider-Man found out that his wife, Mary Jane, was heading out to the desert for a week to shoot her Marvella movie. While she told Peter Parker (the alias of the amazing Spider-Man) he could accompany her, he threw a hissy-fit and proceeded to whine after she left about how much she would miss him. Then Spider-Man beat the living daylights out of some thugs robbing a jewelery store. These thugs were under the employ of the mysterious Kurt Kordok, who was angry that they were stopped by Spider-Man. He expressed this by tossing his henchman, Weasel, into a wall.

Meanwhile, Jonah Jameson started an anti-Spider-Man news program to combat Maria Lopez's pro-Spider-Man program. However, Spider-Man was still on the prowl and took out a car of thugs. At this point, we were introduced to the sensational character find of FOREVER, the Land Captain. Maria Lopez did not care about Land Captain's involvement and asked Spider-Man for an interview. Spidey accepted the offer and later that night he... uh... went to the interview. The consequence of this was Kurt Kordok's new-found resolve to get the web-slinger before the web-slinger got him.

Kordok (who may or may not be the Kingpin, and this is looking pretty doubtful right now) was given the means to do this when a woman named Dara Dorset went on Jonah Jameson's show claiming to be Spider-Man's wife. Needless to say, after going on Jameson's show several times claiming to be Spider-Man's wife, Dorset was kidnapped by Weasel. Elsewhere, Spider-Man was hit in the head by a falling brick and was out of commission for several hours. Anyway, Dorset was now being truthful about her relationship to Spider-Man (re: none) and is currently being held for ransom by Kurt Kordok. The ransom, as you can see above, is Spider-Man.

We have no idea what Mary Jane thinks of all this, as I think they forgot about her. Ditto for Maria Lopez, who showed up once to gape at Jonah's find and has vanished.

As for today's comic, well, it's a recap of yesterday's for those who don't get the Sunday installment.

Thing I Liked:
-Jonah's thought bubble in the first panel. Pure gold, that.

Overlord of Crime?

I think Jameson made up that "Overlord of Crime" bit on the spot, since Kurt Kordok has supposedly been so secretive that his hired thugs were afraid to reveal his identity. I have a better name for Kordok: THE KINGPIN OF CRIME. With each utterance of the Kingpin's name, we come one step closer to me being totally wrong. Also, that little bit about Britney Spears not being Spider-Man's wife? A fair stab at being relevant.

Thing I Liked:
-I dunno. I guess Spider-Man's pose in the last panel. It's classic.

Breaking News!

I sincerely doubt they would stop all programming just to let people know Jameson has found out who has Dara Dorset. If it was a child, maybe, but she's supposedly the wife of Spider-Man. However, maybe the city of Los Angeles has been on edge since Dara Dorset's disappearance (earlier that afternoon) and this will allow everyone to get back to their daily lives. Or, more likely, the station Jonah broadcasts from is only airing "Perfect Strangers" reruns or something.

Also, what exactly is Spider-Man watching in panel three? It's obviously some sort of television set. However, it looks more like a magic image cube that shows an image on each of its six sides. In any case, why is the alleged television set set-up with its screen facing the window? Unless that's the apartment of some sort of crazy avant-guard artist, it would facing into the room. Another possible solution is that the apartment belongs to an attractive woman who was aware that she was being watched, and put the television set there to confuse the voyeurs.

Thing I Liked:
-The continued use of only Kurt Kordok's surname. It brings a small amount of hope to my dwindling belief that he's actually the Kingpin.

Fun for Friday!

Since I was unable to get to my computer until about 11:30PM, I'm doing two days' worth of comics today! I try to make it sound like you're getting some sort of deal, but seeing as this blog is free to read and I'm one behind quota (more if you count that week I took off back in December) you're actually not getting a deal at all. Anyway, on with the show!
Jameson is quite sure Dorset was killed, which is odd. Yes, he saw her get thrown into a limousine by evil Jimmy Olsen, but that doesn't mean she was killed. Abducted, yes, but not murdered. I do like the calligraphy on the video tape's label. I wonder if it was done professionally? It's also oddly specific, as I'm sure most crime bosses like the people who recieve their videos to be surprised at the contents.

Things I Liked:
I am doing two for this strip, because it was a tie!
-The video tape's label
-Jameson's excitement about the video tape.

The narration box in the first panel is rather flawed, considering how the tape was obviously thrown behind Jameson into a window. I'm sure professional thugs could have hit a middle-aged man with a video tape. I wonder how the advent of recordable DVDs is going to affect things like this. I imagine some thug throwing a DVD at someone, and then they get a nasty gash on their arm because the disc was thrown with such force and accuracy. In any case, the video goes on to make the claim that Dara Dorset (bound but otherwise unharmed) is his captive. Yet it is entirely possible that, after the scene was shot, Kordok snapped Dorset's neck and dumped her in the river. Unlikely, yes, but possible.

Thing I Liked:
-Kordok's use of only his last name to introduce himself.

Stereotypical Thuggery

The police officer in panel two looks unnaturally cartoony. Also, why did Lug and Angel hurl the video tape through a window when Jameson is standing right there, along with a police officer? Wouldn't it have been less suspicious to stop the car, get out, and hand Jameson the tape? Right now someone is probably writing down their license plate number and speeding off into the night. Or, perhaps, the Land Captain is back and on the prowl...

Also, I acknowledge I was wrong in assuming Dara Dorset's death-defying escape did not advance the storyline.

Thing I Liked:
-How gosh-darned happy Jonah Jameson is. He certainly is the king of all media.

Weasel Rises Again!

Well, it turns out Weasel isn't dead. Now he's free to betray his boss and lead Spider-Man to Kordok's inner sanctum after Jonah plays the tape he's sent. However, I must point out: Lug and Angel didn't try to kill Weasel. Kordok did, and simply told the thugs to dump the body in the river. Coincidentally, I'm pleased as punch that Weasel isn't dead. Hopefully the Jimmy Olsen doppelganger will be in the strip for months to come.

Also, I just realized that a "Deadpool" supporting character is named Weasel as well. However, that one is a bit more intelligent and is a sort of weapons and information broker. He also looks nothing like Jimmy Olsen.

Thing I Liked:
-Weasel being not dead. Also, Lug having more sense than Angel.

Dude is Furious

Well, Kurt Kordok is still strong-arming Dara Dorset. It also looks like Lug and Angel, Kordok's goons, have decided to heck with the river and are dumping Weasel in the bay or something. That is all well and good, and I hope more stuff goes down tomorrow. I am rather confused as to the meaning of the second panel, where Kordok acknowledges that Dara does not know Spider-Man's secret identity, yet persists in interrogating her. Also, this is the second time I've seen them use "While" to cut to another location. Isn't "meanwhile" a more suitable word to do so? I hope more stuff happens tomorrow. In any case, Johnny Hart (creator of the comic strip "BC") has passed away at his drawing board. A moment of silence, if you please. That's all for today.

Thing I Liked:
-Kordok's fist shaking with rage in the first panel. Dude is furious.

Hey, It's Aunt May!

The most surprising thing about this comic is the unprecedented Aunt May cameo in the second panel of the second row. She hasn't been seen in the strip's story for years, only in the Sunday throw-away panels. I can see why, though: the old girl looks like the undead. Meanwhile, Kurt Kordok is leering at the captive Dara Dorset, who is tied to a table. The man should probably be twirling his mustache, and maybe tying the lying actress to some train tracks or to a sinking ship or something.

I just realized Mary Jane looks like she's topless. I suppose that's how Spider-Man would imagine his wife, maybe, but it's a bit risque for a family paper. Not to mention Spider-Man landing on a building in the first panel of the third row only to be swinging through the air in the very next panel. Sunday Spider-Man obviously has some sort of off-panel teleportation power.

Thing I Liked:
-Aunt May's appearance, but not her hairstyle.

Oh my God! WEASEL!

Weasel is dead. Kurt Kordok hurled a man into a wall with sufficent force to kill him. Either that, or Kordok hopes Weasel will drown once Lug and Angel dump him in the nearest river. While, Spider-Man is still not knowing how his spider-sense works. For a second, I thought they made a mistake on his mask. It's a weird position, in any case. Also, when did Kurt Kordok made the tape which no doubt alerts Spider-Man to his location? Either he had the tape ready and chose to multi-task, or he made the tape while Weasel's body rotted on the floor. In any case, it's probably not very good quality. Also, for a man who mere months ago valued his secrecy to the point where his hired goons were afraid to mention his name, he sure is quick to get his tape out there. In any case, all of this is awfully close to something the Kingpin would do.

Coming Soon: Watch as Kurt Kordok isn't the Kingpin at all and I look bloody foolish!

Thing I Liked:
-The name of Kordok's nattily-dressed thugs, Lug and Angel.

Kurt Kordok Dislikes Mistakes

Just in time for the weekend we shift into high-gear with some good ol' fashioned action. Kurt Kordok is not a good listener, as Dara Dorset has told him several times already that she has no clue who Spider-Man really is. The man is stubborn as a mule, and strong as an ox! I hope poor Weasel comes out of this okay, though. Maybe roughed up a bit, but there's no need to kill the poor fellow. Also, what will Kordok do when he learns that he, himself, made a mistake? Perhaps throw himself into the wall or something. By that time, Spider-Man SHOULD be here barring any more falling bricks.

Thing I Liked:

-Weasel's violent shaking in the first panel. Dude is worried.

Kurt Kordok in Love

Kurt Kordok goes from insane ranting and threats to genuine concern at a moment's notice, it seems. However, this also brings up Kordok's ulterior motives for capturing Dorset: love. Indeed, when he first saw Dara Dorset on the television, he was instantly smitten with the becoming lass. When he learned she was supposedly Spider-Man's wife, he was down-trod but quickly hatched a scheme to get Dara Dorset all to himself: kidnap her and kill her husband. Indeed, with spring comes love, and Kurt Kordok has it in spades!

Poor Weasel is probably going to get his neck broken, though.

Thing I Like:
-Kurt Kordok's attempt to cover up his concern in panel three.

Spyder-Man

This is actually pretty clever on Dara Dorset's part. It's obviously a lie, but still rather clever. I can't decide if the removal of Kordok's glasses is supposed to be ominous or the catalyst for a big reveal, but it could always be both or nothing at all. Also, I'm not hip with the marriage laws, but don't they require the participants to have some sort of ID? I mean, I can't go to Wal-Mart and buy an R-rated DVD without an ID. Surely it's harder to get married than it is to buy a DVD.

Right?

Thing I Liked:
-Dara's ingenuity

Sham of a Marriage

Dara Dorset's pretend marriage to Spider-Man is not based on trust. Instead, it is probably based on the fact... well, that's just it. It's a lie, a sham, and other things synonymous with "false". I do feel rather sorry for Miss Dorset, mainly because it looks like we're going to spend a week watching a starlet get roughed up by a crime boss, and that's going to be painful to watch. Now, if Dara Dorset seemed like the type to fight back or something it'd be a bit more interesting and less painful, but I doubt that will happen. I am still holding out hope that Kurt Kordok is the Kingpin in disguise. This is probably not the case, however, considering how he's acting uncharacteristically cruel and spiteful in today's strip.

Today's Thing I Liked:
-That bowl of flowers in the second panel. I don't know why, but it caught my eye and kept it for the duration of the strip.

An Important Message to You, From the Editor, About the New Amazing Spider-Blog!

Well, okay, it's not new in content or spirit or anything, but it is new cosmetically. As you can see above, we have a new logo courtesy of reader Luke. It's a marked improvement over what I tried to do, but its majestic girth required me to alter the Blog so things would still be fairly nice to look at. This, however, was a sacrifice willingly and readily made.

So I would like to give Luke a big hand and Land Captain has something for Luke as well:

Indeed, I have truly arrived.

Introducing Things I Like!

I'd like to point you attention to Weasel in Sunday's strip. Usually Weasel looks the same all week, but today he looks like an evil Jonah Jameson. Spider-Man's web-slinging tour of Los Angeles is also worth nothing, because it seems his power of magic webbing-anchors has become nearly cosmic. I'm willing to accept him anchoring his web-line on something unseen when he's swinging above buildings, but in the Hollywood hills? That's just silly. In order to promote good will and whatnot, I shall list things I like about each strip from here on it:

Sunday's Comic:
-The first panel in the third row. I'm thinking of making it into a logo for the blog.

Monday's Comic:
-The pompous narrator in the second panel