'An Obituary for Octopus'

[cyberghostface]

 

I posted this two years ago but with the end of Superior on the horizon I thought it warranted a reread. It also ties into a storyline in 'Superior Spider-Man Team-up' which I will try posting soon.

Disclaimer: This story was 25 pages long.

This comes from Spider-Man Unlimited #3 written by Tom DeFalco and illustrated by Ron Lim.

The story follows to interweaving plots. One involves two obituary writers planning an obituary for Dr. Octopus in advance, using information on his past gained from people who knew him. The second features Dr. Octopus and Spider-Man in present time. 

As a child, Otto Octavius was bullied by his peers. His parents weren't too much better; his father was a construction workman and was verbally abusive towards his son for being a wimp, whereas his mother would often baby and coddle him.

Otto's father later died in a construction accident when he was in college., and his mother urged him to do better in his life. Otto later graduated at the top of his class.









In present time, Spider-Man discovers that Dr. Octopus broke into an AIDS research facility and stole vials of infected blood. Spidey knows that whatever Doc Ock has planned, it can't be good.

Spider-Man comes upon Dr. Octopus robbing a truck carrying radioactive materials of some isotopes and tracks him down to his lair, and attempts to stop him from completing his experiments.






The arms go limp and stop fighting Spider-Man. The experiment was a failure. Dr. Octopus is devastated.