One of the most auspicious books to come out of the Spider-Family in the last few months has actually belonged to Otto Octavious, of all people. The War of the Realms took their toll on the Superior Spider-Man, leaving some rare depth and characterization to one of Spidey’s formerly shallow and oldest villains. Despair over the loss of innocents, empathy for those who have lost those close to them. Otto even trying to reach out to have a new romantic relationship with a woman he respected made for some strangely compelling drama. The book appears to be keeping up that reputation with the latest issue.

Superior Spider-Man #11 comes to us from the pen of Christos Gage, with the art crew of Mike Hawthorne, Wade von Grawbadger, and Jordie Bellaire. Clayton Cowles worked on letters for the issue.

Horizon University, where Otto’s double-identity has been working as a teacher, is no more. An alternate, spider-powered Norman Osborn MIA since Spidergeddon has launched an all-out attack against the Superior Spider-Man. As Otto and his henchmen do their best to stop Osborn’s reign of terror, Osborn kidnaps a young child Otto befriended and lays out his demands. Kill three healthy people, in public, or the boy dies. Faced with a no-win scenario, what can Octavious do against the madness of Norman Osborn?

This issue is another wild ride. Gage has a lovely angle with Otto, having truly made a face turn from his old self several issues ago. While he is still brusk and doesn’t tolerate fools, Gage’s Octavious seems to have a genuine desire to do good and to make up for past misdeeds. There is one hell of a left turn in this issue alongside the young boy’s kidnapping that genuinely was unexpected and needs to be seen. The dialogue is reminiscent of the old One More Day storyline from Spider-Man, only with more in-depth characterization and some genuinely earned angst. Top-notch stuff here, and it remains to be seen where Gage is going with this.

The art for this issue is nothing short of spectacular, to borrow another Spider-descriptor. Mike Hawthorne has some wonderful pencils in this book, with the newfound emotional depth of Otto on proud display beyond the dialogue. The brief fight between Norman and Otto is as brutal as it is short, and has excellent choreography with a 6-armed villain. The entire issue is moody with the inks and colors, well benefitting what is Otto’s lowest point since the series began. The final half of the book uses a massive amount of red in a filter effect. But to Jordie Bellaire’s credit, it is very easy to still tell shades of color apart.

Otto’s fight with Norman has only just begun, but there is one devil of a left turn with how the story seems to be unfolding. It remains to be seen what Gage has planned, but this could be the turning point that makes Otto into a true hero… or drags him back into the depths of villainy. With the next issue looking like the final issue, one thing is for sure: Otto likely won’t be the same again.

Grade: A