Since debuting The Superior Foes Of Spider-Man in July of last year, writer Nick Spencer and artist Steve Lieber have made the title one of Marvel’s most captivating ongoing series, balancing humor, crime, and superhero genres in a way that made the book feel fresh every month. Spotlighting the five team members of the Sinister Six—a clever way of showing how the team is always falling below expectations—the series has offered a hilarious perspective of Marvel’s street-level landscape, downplaying the fantastic elements of the supervillain lifestyle and focusing on how these rogues connect to each other on a personal level.
At the heart of it all is Fred “Boomerang” Myers, a scumbag that used to play professional baseball until his immorality cost him a career and pushed him to a life of crime. He’s been manipulating events since the very first issue, and it all leads up to the big moment at the start of next week’s Superior Foes Of Spider-Man #17, which finds Myers back on the pitcher’s mound, throwing for the New York Mets (or Mehs, according to Lieber’s trademark-dodging art). It’s the series’ final issue, but the creators got to tell the story they wanted with the amount of issues they needed despite the book being in cancellation-worthy sales territory for most of its run, so this ending ultimately feels like a victory.
But The Superior Foes Of Spider-Man will be missed. It provided a grounded look at Marvel villains that took the influence of Hawkeye and used it as a springboard for something bold and unexpected, and the creative team had a clear passion for this story and these characters. Still, fans of Spencer and Lieber won’t have to wait long to see new works from the two in a similar vein. Spencer is moving on to the new Ant-Man ongoing series, where he will likely get the opportunity to continue exploring Superior Foes’ humor/comedy/superhero blend. And Lieber is heading to Valiant for the Quantum And Woody Must Die! miniseries, a book that will greatly benefit from his keen sense of comic timing.