Spider-Man’s Tangled Web #5

[cyberghostface]

"Flowers for Rhino" is my personal favorite story from Tangled Web and in my opinion one of the best takes on the Rhino period.

Warning for suicide reference

The issue opens with Stella Pavlov, the daughter of a gangster, kidnapped by his rivals. Her father sends the Rhino to rescue her. She asks who he is.





Rhino attempts to go after Spider-Man, but he is outsmarted by the webslinger and humiliated in front of the media. After Rhino escapes from prison, he meets up with the scientist who grafted on his hide.





We see the day in the life of the Rhino and it's miserable. He lives in the basement so he won't fall through the floors and he has pulleys to pull himself out of bed. Stella's fiance, Romeo, comes to him with a job offer. Rhino turns it down but takes it when he finds out it's looking after Stella.





Depressed at how meaningless his life has become, he considers suicide. Then he has an idea.



The doctor starts it up. Rhino bites down hard.

Comments

[tinygaylaura]

I feel really sorry for Rhino in the comics :(

[blueprintstyles]

I really wish they'd choose a path and stick with it for Rhino. He flip-flops issue to issue.

[dan_ingram]

Yeah, some writers have him as dumb muscle, others have him as an unmotivated Bane

[numeronone]

This is just life for a second-tier Spidey villian.

Rhino is a meathead palooka suffering for his tough skin, until he's a Russian-sounding guy wearing armor, until he's a muscly henchman with only 2-3 characteristics.

Vulture is an old inventor who broke out of jail, until he's an old man who drains others to revert back to his youth, until he's an old man who recruits children as his henchmen.

Hobgoblin is a mysterious usurper, until he's a child-obsessed demon, until he's a manipulative supervillian influencer.

Etc., etc.

[tinygaylaura]

To be fair, two of those Hobgoblin's were different people

[tinygaylaura]

Rhino only pawn in game of life

[janegray]

Oh Rhino :(

[tinygaylaura]

This will end in heartbreak :(

[super_fly]

I mean with the title of the story that seemed like a foregone conclusion

[tinygaylaura]

And also with the comics status quo

[tripodeca113]

Truly the real victims of superhero comics, are B and C grade villains. An endless cycle of crime ,being sent to prison. And to top it all off, they'll probably never get to be the main villains in any of the movies.

[cyberghostface]

Anything can happen. Vulture and Mysterio are as c-list as it gets and they both became big villains in the movies.

[arilou_skiff]

Eh, I'd say Vulture and Mysterio are B-list rather than C-list. They're not the big famous members of the Rogue's gallery, but they do have a couple of semi-big plots they pull off, and aren't just muscle or fight-scene fodder.

[mastermahan]

They're definitely B-List. C-List is more guys like Lightmaster, Slyde, or The Looter. They're the guys who have made repeated appearances, but they're never going to get an action figure.

[tinygaylaura]

Never say never!

White Rabbit got an action figure

I know because she is perched on my desk at work

[tinygaylaura]

The worst part is how writers will constantly change their personality. One day they're as wholesome as a Flash rogue, the next we find out they're working for the Red Skull and eating puppies

[bradygirl_12]

Poor Rhino! :(