Polite Dissent

Marvel Knights Spider-Man #3 and #4 Down Among the Dead Men, parts 2 and 3
Mark Millar, writer
Terry Dodson, penciller

I don’t always criticize medical scenes in comics, sometimes I even compliment them. This is one of those rare times, and a double-header at that.

After a ho-hum start, Marvel Knights Spider-Man came into its own in issues #2 and #3. A few brief medical items of interest came up in these issues as well.

First, I thought the Owl’s thug kvetching about his Crohn’s Disease in issue #2 was worth a chuckle. The details were right on the money too.

Second, after a rough fight with Electro (and what was with his mask? bolts up, bolts down, bolts up…), Spider-Man is rushed to the hospital in issue #3. The medical scene was portrayed well. Sure there were some small nit-picks (e.g. the EMTs not mentioning which arm was injured; Spider-Man going straight to surgery instead of being triaged in the ER), but overall it was handled skillfully. The surgeon was absolutely right to cut Spidey’s mask off, secret identity or not, because examining the patient – and I mean all of the patient – is key in traumatic injuries.