Otto Octavius is looking for a few good men…and they’re all him. Devil’s Reign: Superior Four #1 is written by Zac Thompson, drawn by Davide Tinto, colored by Matt Milla, and lettered by Ariana Maher.
Otto Octavius has always been chasing something greater. The more we’ve learned about the villain and his motives and drive, the more the idea of his modern “Superior” moniker becomes clear. Devil’s Reign: Superior Four #1 extrapolates what that means, but in a way that readers might not expect.
Having become the Superior Spider-Man twice (both as Peter Parker and Elliot Tolliver) and even topping his own accomplishments as the Superior Octopus, you might look at the title of this series and think that his goal is now to be better than Reed Richards. It’s a fair assumption to make. After all, in Devil’s Reign, we’ve seen Otto take over the Baxter Building as part of Wilson Fisk’s plans for New York City. But Zac Thompson and Davide Tinto show us almost immediately that’s not the goal.
Otto is out to become the greatest in the multiverse.
It’s a hook that’s ingeniously simple, but really wouldn’t work with many other characters. For Otto though, it works, and Thompson knows exactly how to walk the delicate line he needs to for it to work. Any other character would have a voice in their head feeding them doubts or serving as their conscience. Otto doesn’t have that, but he does have his Superior Four. And that’s where the creative team really cuts loose.
Through a single mission into an alternate universe, Thompson is able to show us everything we need to know about Otto’s mental state. He’s full of ego and hubris, determined to be the best by conquering these other realities.. But it’s in the art that it all comes together through the Four.
Tinto’s designs for these four versions of Otto- Otto Banner, Otto Howlett and Otto Blaze- are subtle. Though they are all largely the same as their 616 versions at first glance, plus four arms, he adds little details to show why they’re Otto, not Bruce, Johnny or Logan, but also represent parts of 616 Otto. Howlett represents his confidence, always with his chest puffed out or his hands on his hips. Blaze represents his superiority complex, always hanging over the others, looking down on them. And Banner…
Thompson and Tinto make Banner the most interesting of the bunch. Banner is his hubris. He doesn’t quite act as his conscience, but he isn’t as nearly as short sighted as Otto. Obviously Banner has lived through more than Bruce or Otto. Thompson makes it clear in his dialogue, and Tinto and Milla show it in his sickly-green, tumor-ridden figure. Where in Otto, Howlett and Blaze, the extra arms are an enhancement, in Banner they feel like a curse.
So with all that set-up through the first half of the issue, Thompson shows us Otto’s mission- to absorb all his other variants and become the ultimate version of himself. That mission is successful, killing an Otto who’s overcome all the challenges the others have faced to become a heroic version of himself.
Once again in those moments, we see Otto’s greatest challenge again- his hubris. This time though, it’s personified, in a way that not even Otto Octavius may be able to overcome- the Octopus Supreme.
In a single issue Thompson and Davide haven’t just made a mission statement for a story. They’ve created a character examination that is centered in a psychological profile made real. This is headed towards a vision of its lead that could define him for years to come. I can’t wait to see where it leads.
Tony Thornley is a geek dad, blogger, Spider-Man and Superman aficionado, X-Men guru, autism daddy, amateur novelist, and all around awesome guy. He’s also very humble.
