Spider-Men #1 Review

Spider-Men #1

Spider-Men #1 Review by Jamie Dunst

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis; Artist: Sara Pichelli; Colorist: Justin Ponsor; Letterer: Cory Petit; Cover Artist: Jimmy Cheung; Variant Cover Artists: Sara Pichelli, Mark Bagley, Humberto Ramos, Justin Ponsor & Delgado

I want to start off with the fact that I don’t read much Marvel.  Well, to be honest, I don’t read any Marvel comics.  I love the characters but just not enough to get the books on a monthly basis.  Having said that, when I heard about this project, I was intrigued.  Spider-Men.  What would it be about?  When it was revealed that it was going to be a team-up of the 616 Peter Parker and the Ultimate Universe’s Miles Morales, I thought it was a pretty cool idea so I decided to check it out and I’m not sorry I did.

Spider-Men #1 variant

The first issue is pretty much the set-up issue as most first issues of a mini-series are.  You get Peter Parker swinging around New York City admiring the view and stopping crime when he sees something glowing in the distance.  After following the glow to what appears to be an abandoned building, we get a confrontation with Mysterio which results in Peter Parker being transported into the Ultimate Universe.  As Peter tries to get his bearings, he observes two guys trying to beat up some guy and so Peter breaks it up.  The victim thanks Peter but says that his costume is in poor taste and it belonged to Peter Parker.  Well, a very confused Peter swings away trying to understand what is going on when he runs into Miles Morales in his Spider-Man costume.  Awkward.

Spider-Men teaser

I have read the occasional Brian Michael Bendis book but what I am most experienced with when it comes to his writing was his first 100 or so issues of Ultimate Spider-Man.  All throughout this issue, I felt the writing was really well done.  I loved his monologue for Spidey as to why he loves New York so much.  It was just a cool opening moment and while some of what he said I thought he had overcome, like being able to talk to girls and the city hating him. (Isn’t he an Avenger?  Doesn’t that give Spidey some credentials?)   Overall though I thought the dialogue and the inner monologue was done quite well and it was everything I would have expected from a Spider-Man book.
 
 

Spider-Men #1 preview

The art was also top notch.  I have to say I skimmed the book before I read it and when I did that, I wasn’t as impressed with Ms. Pichelli’s Spider-Man.  When I read it however, my mind was changed.  I love the composition and how the characters move .  The panels were done in a way that made it easy to read and I think this is the first time I have really seen any kind of detail to Spidey’s eyes which was a neat thing to add.  Also, there were certain panels that made me smile like the panels that Spider-Man is inspecting the fishbowl and suddenly realizing who he’s about to face.  It made me chuckle.
 
 
 

Spider-Men #1 preview 2

Overall I thought this was a great first issue.  I love that the first page of this issue gives you a brief description of who The Amazing Spider-Man and Ultimate Spider-Man are.  I’m very interested in seeing what happens with Peter in the Ultimate Universe.  Who is he going to run into?  How does he get back to his world?  Will there be any kind of ramification in the Spider-Man books after this story is done?  I’m looking forward to fining out the answers.

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