Let me start with some positivity; I liked the cover. Okay, positivity over.
Now, I'm a huge fan of prose novels that revolve around superheroes and I don't really care who that superhero is as long as it's a good book. Having said that I do have a soft spot for Spider-Man. I even had a soft spot for him back when I was convinced that he was really Lionel Richie due to his song and lyrics, and I quote, "Oh, what a feeling. When we're dancing on the ceiling". I mean, how could Lionel not be Spidey with that dancing on the ceiling stuff? Soon after this revelation I then discovered Lionel asking the dumbest of questions to a blind woman, "Hello, is it me you're looking for?" Yeah, way to go with the insensitive lyrics Lionel. I'm sure the "looking" reference went down a treat with a blind woman and at that point I kind of realized that Spider-Man and Lionel Richie were definitely not one in the same.
Even given my soft spot for Spider-Man I didn't enjoy this novel. However, I must let you know that if you have absolutely no idea who Spider-Man is then this a decent novel to lose your Spider-Man virginity to! You see, the authors have this horrible habit of recounting what seems like every major incident of Peter Parker's life (he's Spider-Man by the way if you are one of those virgins) within the storyline and so a lot of the book is wasted on stuff like how he got bitten by a spider, how his uncle was killed by the guy he failed to stop, Gwen Stacey being killed etc. Great for the novice with no knowledge but incredibly tedious for anyone who even knows the basics.
The beginning of each chapter has a one page picture which acts as a kind of teaser for what will happen in that chapter. The pictures are well drawn but do tend to give away what is going to happen as witnessed at the beginning of chapter six which shows Spidey beating up the Scorpion. Then, of course, he beats up the Scorpion in chapter six. By telling you that I've just given away what happens in chapter six too which makes me a spoiling son of a bitch also I suppose but, in this instance, it goes with the reviewing territory.
Speaking of the Scorpion (and you know this part is going to have a sting in tail) Spider-Man has a few random fights in the novel that just seemed to be written into the story in order to break the monotony of nothing much happening. Yes, they're loosely linked into the storyline but loose isn't good enough when the rest of the novel is found wanting.
The dialog in Goblin Moon is at times terrible...particularly between Peter and Mary Jane. I lost count of the number of times Mary Jane refers to Peter as 'Tiger' which is the pet name she has for him but, my goodness, it is used to death in this novel. "Tiger", "Tiger", "Tiger" all the way through every conversation that takes place between them. There were times I just had to skip those conversations as the "Tiger" count was bordering on the ridiculous...heck, make that the sublime.
One thing that Tiger the old webhead is renowned for is his sense of humor but it was very much lacking in Goblin Moon. Even when present I found it to be lacking, it was flatter than a witch's tit if you will, and that's really one aspect that needs to be correct when penning the character of Spider-Man. I mean, go ahead and add up every time you've smiled reading this review. Okay? Now even if your number is zero then that's still one more smile than you will experience when reading Spidey's quips in this book.
The story itself is a good one and pits Spider-Man against his old adversary the Green Goblin...well, who else were you expecting when taking into account the cover and book title?!? Unfortunately, the poor characterization and poor story telling take away from what could have been a decent enough novel in the right hands. As such, I really can't recommend this one at all. ( )