Issue(s): Marvel Spotlight #11
Cover Date: Mar 81
Title: "The Big Time"
Credits:
Bill Mantlo - Writer
Steve Ditko - Penciler
Steve Ditko - Inker
Al Milgrom - Editor

Review/plot:
The cover for this issue asks "What happens when a cat burglar becomes Captain Universe?!". And this issue does show that you don't have to be totally altruistic to receive the Uni-Power, but that doesn't mean things are going to end well for you.

Since this is a story about a cat burglar, Bill Mantlo has some fun with the fact that his artist is Steve Ditko. You can see the "Claws of the Cat" title on the cover, referencing Amazing Spider-Man #30. They jokingly back away from it on the opening splash.

The story has a cat burglar trying to prove himself by robbing from a big Maggia boss, Guido Carboni.

The mobsters find the burglar, Monty Walsh, still dangling from the balcony.

Monty is big on metaphor, but neither that nor returning the money saves him from getting shot.

However, he receives the Uni-Power after getting shot.

Interestingly, unlike last issue when the twins compared themselves to the FF and the Avengers, Monty compares himself to the super-villains that he used to envy in prison.

He also suspects that maybe fate dialed the wrong number when he got his powers.

But it seems that the Uni-Power wasn't mistaken or random in choosing Monty. It sticks with him while he begins to disrupt Carboni's operations. The manifestation of the Uni-Power even reflects Monty's revenge-driven attitude by casting a shadow in the shape of a cat.

It also allows him to grow claws.

As Captain Universe tears through Carboni's criminal activities...

...he gets some support from an off-panel J. Jonah Jameson, while Peter Parker sighs at the irony of it all. Steve Ditko won't draw Spider-Man anymore, but Bill Mantlo still managed to sneak him in.

Eventually, Monty catches up with Carboni himself.

And at this point it's confirmed that Monty intends to take over Carboni's operations, not end them.

With this, the Uni-Power leaves Monty. Either it's abandoning him because of his true intentions (as the narration panel says below), or maybe Monty had already achieved what the Uni-Power wanted. Either way, it's the act of leaving Monty that solidifies the downfall of Carboni. Monty was already dead when he got shot by Carboni's goons earlier in the story, so now the dead body in Carboni's office allows the police to investigate.

That's it for the Captain Universe try-out in Marvel Spotlight. The next issue blurb says that Captain Marvel will be returning, but in fact this is the final issue of the series. There is an appeal to readers to write in to ask for the return of The Hero Who Could Be You!

Quality Rating: C-

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: Peter Parker is at the Daily Bugle, placing this after Amazing Spider-Man #210 (which is where it falls by publication date anyway).

References:

• Just a joke reference to the title of Amazing Spider-Man #30.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

My first look at "Captain Universe" was in ASM when Spider-Man got it during "Acts Of Vengeance". I'm glad I don't have to wait long for the review from FNORD, since that's coming up after the back-issue add is completed.

The Captain Marvel story intended for issue 12 appeared in Marvel Superheroes 3 in 1990, so you'll be reviewing that one soon, fnord.