Doc Ock is the greatest nemesis of that scoundrel Spider-Man! But after their last encounter, he has been cast out of his broken body, and seeks a backup somewhere useful. But then he ends up in the mind of Japanese middle schooler Otoha Okutamiya! What are they to do?
(written by Hideyuki Furuhashi. Art by Betten Court)
Get fucking serious is what. There's a deeper mystery to why Otto has ended up sharing headspace with Otoha, and it builds into other characters and an examination of Doctor Octopus and what makes him tick. In particular, I like the core thesis of this manga, that he could be a pretty good teacher if he allowed himself to. And, for minor spoilers, we get to see several versions of Octavius throughout his life, and how he's changed.
Otoha Okutamiya has a strong focus throughout, and rather than being just the recipient of Otto's mind she's actually a fairly complex character with an understandable motivation and philosophy. The other original characters don't get as much focus; there's usually one big moment for them where we learn they're more complicated than that at first appear, but a lot of them don't really have an effect on the finale. Which sucks, because almost all of them are good enough to grow on you.
It's also a book with something to say about leaders and science. It's a little milquetoast but an ultimately important statement about the future we buy and sell, and what it costs to do business. And at merely 32 issues, if you wanted to spend some time with Doctor Octopus in some unusual circumstances, this is a book for you. I think at the very least you'll have fun with it; I certainly did.
