The Spectacular Spider-Man #145 Retrospective- 'The Boomerang Return.'

by Dave Scrimgeour & Kevin McCluskey

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​Cover Date- December 1988
Price- 50p

Script- Gerry Conway
Art- Sal Buscema
Lettering- Rick Parker
Colour- Bob Sharen
Editor- Jim Salicrup
Editor-In-Chief- Tom DeFalco
Publisher- Marvel Comics

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synopsis

The penny drops whilst he sleeps, so Peter dons the reds and blues, races across San Diego to the San Leiber Yacht Club and to the "Golden Champion" looking for hard evidence, but swings directly into a trap.  However, Boomerang and Louis Baxter III underestimate the webslinger's resilience and upon breaking free, Spidey puts an end to the millionaire playboy's machinations.  Meanwhile, someone is leaving cryptic messages for the Kingpin written in his courier's blood, Mary Jane literally bumps into her cousin on the streets of Manhattan and Robbie, against the advice of his legal council, decides to plead guilty to the charges against him.  (K)

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Dave
What do you make of the cover for issue 145?


Kev
I quite like the cover, actually.  It's a pretty arresting image.


Dave
Yeah, I remember this cover from years ago.  Still, to this day, it manages to quickly grab your attention.


Kev
And has you wondering how the hell Spidey manages to end-up in this predicament as well.


Dave
True, and those eyes of Pete, suddenly waking up in shock on the full panel of the first page, are a bit disturbing to say the least.
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"Wakey, Wakey! Hands off Snakey!"

​​​Kev
Ha, ha!  Yeh.  He's got the crazy-eyed thing going on here.  This is a great looking splash page again by Buscema and Sharen, but this issue starts on a bad note for me with Peter waking up in the middle of the night having solved the mystery.  It's a bit cliche and I hate to say it, but feels like lazy writing from Conway.  I know he's using it as a vehicle for a story recap, (every issue is someone's first and all) but, for me, it's a misstep and the issue never really recovers from it.


Dave
These opening full page panels are a hallmark of this series.  Also, I like the way "Boomerang" is lettered within the image of a boomerang.  Yeah, I feel there is a bit too much narrative going on again too early in the story and I agree, I felt this issue was nowhere near as enjoyable as the previous one.


Kev
Yeh, man.  I like the Boomerang font too.  It's class.  Was Conway told to wrap this story up pronto to make way for the 'Inferno' crossover, which starts next issue, do you reckon?


Dave
Possibly.  I think this story could have easily carried over into another issue.  Plus, there are the interludes that interrupt the story throughout, with about three other sub-plots in the fold.  So yeah, I reckon he was under orders to speed things up.


Kev
Buscema's artwork is just gorgeous though.  Look at it on page 4.  It's so crisp.

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"Sittin' in the mornin' sun. I'll be sittin' when the evenin' comes."

​Dave
Yep, the man really does a great job drawing Spidey still or in motion.  His fluidity is top notch.


Kev
His Spidey is so angular and the lines are so clean.  It's an absolute joy to look at.  I am liking how Conway is writing Boomerang though, as this deliberately cheesy, cliched villain who's nowhere near as good as he thinks he is.  Look at his stance on page 7.  What a tool!  It's hilarious.


Dave
It's the classic villainous pose.  Christ sakes, the guy should be doing Christmas pantomimes with a pose like that.  You're right, it is funny though.

Boomerang's performance as the villain was a bit big for some.

Kev
Ha, ha!  Yeh.  Conway is portraying Boomerang as a bit of a loser here, who's not in Spidey's league at all.


Dave
I was going to say that myself.  He is definitely a B-list villain here.


Kev
He's almost just a mild annoyance to Spidey.  He still manages to get the drop on Pete though.  I like this first interlude, as I'm a bit of a sucker for the Lobo Brothers.  "Kingpin: Wolves Bite Back."  I love it.


​Dave
Yeah, this is a good build up, then crash bang into the MJ's cousin interlude.  MJ's not pleased with her at all.  Jesus, those pigtaiis are like a dog with droopy ears.


Kev
Yeh.  This is the start of the Lobo Brothers revenge for Kingpin sending The Punisher to bump them off.  I agree, this is a great slow build.  And yeh, in the second interlude we have the introduction of MJ's cousin, Kristy.  You're right about those pigtails, she's a very cartoonish looking character.  Come to think of it, she looks a bit like Miss Lion from the 'Amazing Friends' cartoon series.


Dave
Yeah, that’s true.  Haha. That last picture of her is quite amusing.

Mary Jane Watson-Parker and Miss Lion.

​Kev
Yep.  She's definitely the comic relief here, although there is an underlying darkness that comes to light in later issues.  Howeverthe less said about Miss Lion, the better perhaps.  The third interlude keeps the Robbie storyline ticking along nicely, building towards the inevitable return of Tombstone, of course.


Dave
I've got to say, Robbie's lawyer, Ms. Bernhammer, has to be one of the most flamboyantly dressed lawyers I've ever seen.


Kev
Yeh, she doesn't exactly dress discreetly does Ms. Bernhammer.  She rocks the big hat and everything.


Dave
She is a bit like Matron from 'Dragon's Claws.'


Kev
I was just thinking that myself.  She definitely bares something of a resemblance to Matron.


Dave
It's more just in the style of artwork that I noticed the similarity.


Kev
Definitely.  Senior and Buscema have similar styles in many ways.


Dave
I like how the cigar falls out of of a shocked Jonah's mouth in the last panel of that page..


Kev
Ha, ha!  Me too.  I wonder how many cigars JJ wasted over the years in this fashion.

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Not convinced Dolores Umbridge was the best choice of legal representation for Robbie.

Dave
The colour palate in this interlude has an interesting mix to it.


Kev
It does, doesn't it?  It has a very washed-out look to it.


Dave
And then we're back to Boomerang spilling the beans to Spidey.  A cliche used by every villain in history, not just comics, but in movies as well.


Kev
Ha, ha!  No doubt about it.  His monologuing works here because he's such a cliched, stereotypical super villain though.  Again, it's quite amusing.  Conway is clearly playing him for laughs.  Check out young Donald Trump as the reporter who's covering the boat race for the local news on page 14.

"A lot of people are saying this is the best this shirt has ever looked."

​​Dave
Good spot there.  I never picked up on that.  Even the hair is bang on.


Kev
It's the hair, isn't it?  That's what got me as well.


Dave
Interesting point by Boomerang later, as he highlights that the nautical environment may force Spidey to work out of his normal comfort zone in combat.


Kev
Yeh, man.  It's a great point.  Spidey is way out of his element here over a body of water.  All of the normal advantages he has in a built-up, urban environment; the webbing, the speed, the agility, they're all stripped from him here.


Dave
Plus, Boomerang has an added aerial advantage.


Kev
True.  Boomerang has all the advantages over the open water; flight, better arsenal, snazzier costume, the list goes on.  Peter's MJ/love monologue here is a bit nauseating.  "Think about Mary Jane back in New York.  Think how you love her.  When you love someone so much, anything is possible."  It makes you want to vomit.  And yet, I really like the humour in the next couple of lines.  "I can move my leg.  Things are looking up."


Dave
I know, it's starting to slide into 'Rocky' territory.


Kev
"Aaaadddrrriiaaannn!"


Dave
The comment earlier, "One good thing if i get out of this, it'll be great publicity for my book."  Shame on you Parker!


Kev
Ha, ha!  Peter the shameless publicist.  Jonah would be proud.


Dave
That's a good panel of Spidey snapping free from the chains.  A real power pose there.

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"Break chains. Make change. Break chains. Woah, woah, woah, woah!"

​Kev
Yeh.  I suppose this is just another variation on the classic, Spidey freeing himself from under the rubble in 'The Final Chapter' scenario.


Dave
No sign of Donald Trump as we get another look at the reporters, but why is there a Mr Lilly look-a-like in the background of that panel?  This whole boat race with Louis Baxter is becoming very Bond-esque, a la 'Thunderball.'

"Fake news!"

​Kev
With the reveal of the turbo jets on the 'Champion?'  Definitely like something out of a Moore era, Bond flick.  Spidey continually calling Boomerang "Boomie" got old quick.  It's just irritating by this point.


Dave
I think Boomerang is vastly over-estimating that he killed Spidey here.  He barely clipped him.  I do like that cheesy grin on Baxter's face from a profile perspective.

Elon Musk's words to live by.

Kev
That profile shot is great, isn't it?  Boomerang's ego is at play here.  He really does believe he's that good.  Good enough to have taken out Spidey.  He's a deluded fool.  The closing of this issue is very Saturday morning kid's cartoonish, with a He-Man-esque public service announcement at the end, by which point, Baxter's been reduced to a crybaby, loser.


Dave
Yeah, it's an oddity, this issue.  I can't believe that self righteous bit at the end either, it's all a bit too cartoonish.


Kev
It just sort of ends, with Spidey still in the drink holding Baxter and Boomerang by their collars.  Although, again, Spidey talking about the first time he saw Baxter might not be the best way to preserve his secret identity.


Dave
I'm just waiting on Spidey turning to the readers to give us a lecture about respecting your elders and eating your greens everyday.


​Kev
It's not far off that, is it?  Imagine he did actually break the fourth wall, in true Deadpool style.  That'd certainly be.....different.  This is such a disappointing second half to a story that I was so pleasantly surprised with earlier on.  It seems so rushed and throwaway.  Was the purpose of it nothing more than just to kill a bit of time before 'Inferno,' so Conway wasn't having to take a break from the Tombstone arc at a more inappropriate juncture?


Dave
Could be.  That last panel, with him in the water holding them up, is just too slapstick looking.


Kev
It really is.  It's the entire last page as well.  This issue is like an episode of 'Amazing Friends' in a lot of ways.  Particularly the ending.  The story just seems to run out of steam.  Much like the "Champion' itself when its booster jets run out.  It's almost like Conway got halfway through writing this story, then realised he had nothing else for it, or perhaps no remaining time to do anything, so just wrapped it up.  Definitely a story of two halves split cleanly over the two issues.


Dave
Yeah, it feels too rushed.  Still, there was a more important arc to come into play, this was just a filler in between.  Pity the second half let it down.


Kev
I agree.  This issue has its moments, but as I said at the top, it gets off on a bad foot and it never really recovers.


Dave
The artwork is still good, there are some nice panels, but even the action pieces are not too engaging, in general.  This is a weakness, as well, in this issue, along with the writing.  I would have to say that this is not one of the better ones.  Not by a long shot.


Kev
Yeh, not to sound like a broken record, but after being so pleasantly surprised by how good last issue was, I felt let down by how unsatisfying this one was.

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And they would've gotten away with it, if it weren't for that pesky Spider-Man.

(D) & (K)

​Next: 'Demon Night.'