Spider-Man: Doctor Octopus – Out of Reach #1-5 (2004)

You know this is terrible before you even open the cover to issue #1, which is terrible.

This mini is 100% tropes:  

Establishing sympathy for a truly evil villain through trauma?  Check.  Flashbacks to Otto being picked on a child and being a mama’s boy whose mom died when he was young. 

Superheroing impairs personal life?  Check.  It’s MJ’s birthday, but Peter has to fight the bad Doctor.

Ridiculously specific science and coincidences?  Check.  A bank has constructed a vault design just to foil Doctor Octopus (who isn’t really known as a bank robber), and that’s the bank he tries to rob.

Stockholm syndrome?  Check.  Ock kidnaps the inventor of said bank vault, who then works with Doc Ock after Otto inspires him.   Because they BOTH were picked on as kids.

Filler?  Check.  Multiple “origin” flashbacks for Doc Ock that don’t add anything to the narrative.

The best part of this was learning that MJ walks around the house in a bikini top and Peter bathes in his boxer shorts.

Ugh.

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