There are a lot of comics out there, but some stand out head and shoulders above the pack. With “Don’t Miss This,” we want to spotlight those series we think need to be on your pull list. This week, we’re swinging back through the Spider-Verse with “Spider-Man” and the introduction of Spider-Boy.
Who’s This By?
This “Spider-Man” series is written by Dan Slott, who’s no stranger to the Spider-mythos. He worked on “The Amazing Spider-Man” throughout multiple storylines, brought the series into “Superior Spider-Man,” and wrote part of the “Spider-Verse” storyline, in addition to his work on the “Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions” video game. Outside of Spider-Man, he has decades of experience writing comics for Marvel, DC, and several other studios, including highly-acclaimed runs on “Fantastic Four,” “Silver Surfer,” and even several issues of “Animaniacs” comics back in 1996.
In short: he’s got a huge portfolio and knows what he’s doing.
This week’s issue is illustrated by Luciano Vecchio, who followers of the ongoing Spider-adjacent series will recognize as the artist for the Spinstress story in 2023’s “Edge of Spider-Verse” (which includes a Disney-style musical number so good, they got an actual actress who played Princess Jasmine to sing it). He’s also illustrated several issues of 2020’s “Champions,” stories in “Marvel’s Voices: Pride,” and multiple covers across Marvel’s line. Outside of Marvel, he’s also known for illustrating the “Young Justice” comics (the ones based on the TV show) and “DC Super Heroes Origins” stories for multiple heroes. Luciano’s style is often known for his ability to capture the look and feel of cartoon animation designs, but he is also skilled at more traditional comic book art, making excellent use of character placement, posing, and lighting for dramatic effect.
However, this will be Luciano’s first comic in the series. Previous issues were illustrated by Mark Bagley, whose style was well suited for the chaos of multiple Spider-heroes battling swarms of evil bees, or the pain of Peter’s spider-sense ringing nonstop. So while this will be a shift in the overall art style, there’s a lot to like about both artists.
The colorist, Edgar Delgado, has remained the same between artists, keeping the style and coloration consistent throughout the run. You might recognize his color work from comics like “Carnage Reigns” (Alpha and Omega), “Strange Academy: Finals,” or even the “Fortnite X Marvel: Zero War” comic. His use of colors makes the brightly-clad spider heroes pop against the backgrounds, making good use of the comic book color scheme to keep the readers’ eyes drawn to the page and enhance the illustrations with vibrant life.
What’s it All About?
This run began with a new “Spider-Verse” event, featuring, well, an evil bee goddess who tried to turn all the Spider-themed heroes into her minions. But the stakes were high, as not only was she taking control of beloved heroes like Gwen and Spider-Noir, she was even erasing heroes from the web of life, removing them from continuity altogether.
Then that arc ended, but it introduced a new character: Spider-Boy, who’d previously been erased from history so completely that no one remembered he ever existed (including the readers or the entirety of Marvel’s continuity).
Now, the comic is dealing with the aftermath of that event. In recent issues, Peter let his guilt and savior complex get the best of him, so he amped up his spidey-sense to ridiculous degrees. But with that over, now we’re finally getting more information on this mysterious Spider-Boy and his long-forgotten backstory as the comic tries to integrate him into Marvel history.
So it’s got a lot crammed into 11 issues, from a celebration of every kind of Spider-hero to a bit of character-driven chaos, but it makes it all an incredibly fun ride.
What Makes it So Great?
If you’re one of the many readers tired of “Amazing Spider-Man” making Peter just constantly either sad or angry with how much everything sucks for him, then this comic is a breath of fresh air. Spidey gets to have a little fun with his web-swinging, day-saving heroics, but it also focuses on key aspects of the character, like his desire to save everyone, even at his own expense.
Continued belowTo some, just saying “It’s better than the other ‘Spider-Man’ comic out right now” is enough, but that’s not doing the comic any praise or favors. It’s a great comic on its own without needing to be compared to anything else.
After all, Dan Slott has years of experience writing the web-slinger, and he found his groove quickly before once more shaking up Spidey’s world with new characters and concepts.
This run has pretty much everything you can ask for from a “Spider-Man” comic. It has another multiverse event featuring a great array of new spider-themed heroes (including musical numbers from Spinstress, who I sincerely hope gets a song in the next Spider-Verse movie), it has a story examining how Peter’s sense of responsibility can overwhelm him to the point of self-destruction, and it has new additions to the series that it takes the time to explore and develop. And perhaps most importantly: it’s fun, which is incredibly important for any comic, “Spider-Man” maybe most of all.
Of course, it looks great too. Previous issues with Mark Bagley’s artwork have a style that balances heavier detailing with a nice sense of depth and high-paced action, adding to the sense of danger and making the world feel full. Issue 11 is focused more around Spider-Boy, so Luciano Vecchio’s artwork does a great job bringing out the youthful innocence of the character with a softer style with wider, sometimes more cartoonish features that help us connect with him.
All the while, Edgar Delgado’s color work is vibrant and bold, adding light and shadow effects to add depth to the characters and backgrounds while keeping the comic easy on the eyes. The reds and blues of the characters’ costumes stands out nicely in every scene, but often times we get absolute whirls of colors from backgrounds, action, and powers that add to the intensity of the scene without becoming overwhelming. It’s a nice balance that really shows off Delgado’s abilities.
Story, artwork, color work – all of them are top-notch and come together for a great “Spider-Man” comic.
Where Can I Read It?
“Spider-Man” #11 hits the shelves this week, so you can find it at your friendly local comic shop, or online on Marvel.com or Comixology. You can also find the comics collected in paperback, with volume 1, titled “End of the Spider-Verse,” out in stores and collecting issues 1-7.
