Spider-Man: Reign

Collects Spider-Man: Reign #1-4 by Kaare Andrews.

I like The Dark Knight Returns. It was my favorite comic book, favorite book period in fact, for a long time. I even have a signed hard cover collector's edition of it on my shelf. I also like the works of Kaare Andrews. I really enjoyed his and Zeb Wells' Spiderman/Doctor Octopus: Year One, it's one of the best Spider-Man books I've read in recent times. And of course, Spider-Man is my all time favorite super hero, I still sometimes think of what I would say if I found myself in the same room with him (no really!).

So why is it that this book does not make me dance half-naked around in my living room, while letting out short yelps of pleasure and satisfaction while reading out loud from its pages? Because this is really the Spider-Man version of Dark Knight Returns (DKR) written and drawn by Kaare Andrews, and it is not being shy about it. There are so many DKR-homages in this book that I am sure some people would go so far as to use the P-word, although I would like to make clear that I wouldn't go that far, mainly beacuse I think that it is still a pretty good comic book.

The basic plot of a super hero who has been gone for years and comes back as an old man when his city needs him, to fight not only the demons of his city but also his own inner demons, is taken directly out of DKR. The dystopic future setting, the old arch villains, the rebirth, it's all there, even down to the tv commentators! Even the art, the line work and the colors especially, reminds me a lot of DKR.

But Kaare Andrews is not the comic book artist that Miller was when he did The Dark Knight Returns. And therefore Spider-Man: Reign is not as good The Dark Knight Returns. And the question remains, do we really need another The Dark Knight Returns? Personally, I don't think so.

When that is said, I still think this is good comic book and I would recommend fans of Kaare Andrews and/or Spider-Man to read it. But if you want to read The Dark Knight Returns, read that, because it is much better.

7/10