Review: ‘Red Goblin’ #2 Ups The Ante

by Tony Thornley

Normie Osborn may be struggling with the dual legacy he’s inherited, but it’s his Goblin side, not the symbiote, that might be about to wreck his life.

Alex Paknadel, Jan Bazaldua, David Curiel and Joe Caramagna are about to end Normie’s superhero career before it begins.

Phil Urich has kidnapped Norman Osborn and is determined to drain the Goblin Formula straight from his veins to create a new Goblin Nation. Norman’s only hope is his grandson and his new symbiote ally Rascal. Unfortunately, he’s stuck at school, trying to hide his new identity and that might mean Norman’s death.

Paknadel takes what he was able to accomplish last issue and improves on it. This doesn’t feel like just a spin-off but an exploration of a character that’s been traumatized by circumstance more than pretty much any other Marvel character. It’s given Normie an incredible amount of depth, and helped him live up to his potential. Even better, it’s deepening the lore of the Goblins, turning Spider-Man’s greatest villains even more frightening.

Bazaldua’s art is even better this issue than last. She struggled a little bit with making Normie look age appropriate there, but here he looks and feels like a pre-teen in both his figure and his body language. Phil Urich is terrifying and she is even able to make Norman feel sympathetic as we watch him struggle with the Goblin Nation’s torture. It’s a lot for the linework to carry, but she’s able to take Paknadel’s script and add a lot to an already deep story.

Curiel is able to make an issue set almost entirely in a sewer grimy and dirty without making the art murky and unclear. He also makes Rascal pop off the page, not using that particular shade of red any where else in the issue. Caramagna’s letters enhance the experience as always, and he gives the symbiote unique speech balloons without making them glaringly out of place.