SPIDER-VERSE #1 (THE AMAZING SPIDERMAN 009) | Review

I was gonna start this review with a “How many spiders does it take to screw in a light-bulb” joke…but it ended up sounding stupid so lets just jump on this. Spiderverse! A team-up of alternate Spidermen from across the multiverse, every Spider-man EVER in one comic book. There have been a ton of re-imaginings of Spiderman, now they all come together. Wacky? Absoutely! I thought this was gonna be a cartoonish high spirited fun ride and casual read, but once someone’s neck gets broken…that always triggers a more serious take on any subject. This comic book turned out to be a little darker than I expected, but that ain’t a complaint. From creators Dan Slott, Oliver Coipel, Justin Ponsor comes an unbelievably splendid Spiderverse comic.

What It’s About:

A family of Vampires calling themselves “The Inheritors” are hunting down Spider-Men from different universes. They use a tool known as “The Great Web” which is a connection of extra-dimensional threads/portals which connect each Spider-man from the different Earths, and they use this to track down and hunt them. Why? For food! Out of the members of the Family, we get a more detailed look at Morlun and Daemos and through them, we get to know who the villains are and what are their motives. So all the Spider-men gather to unite in an effort to combat this threat.

 How is it?

 Amazing and intense, and also expect a lot of death. It’s very enjoyable and I can’t wait to read the other issues. This comic book feels like a grand event. First things first though, this is a comic book which will have all the different Spiderman versions that have graced the comic book pages over the years. As I read through, I couldn’t help but feel that this concept was developed for the mega-fans who have read each and every past Spiderman comic book. If you haven’t, you end up feeling a bit lost on who is who or where the hell these Spider-men and Spider-women are coming from. Nonetheless rest assured that the creators took various measures to ensure that new readers wouldn’t feel so left out.

The Story is awesome! I mean we are seeing an Army of alternate versions of Spider-man slowly take shape. This is a comic book dream come true! At first it felt a bit overwhelming because of the scale of events unfolding, but thanks to the primary character, “Peter Parker kawaida” being confused on what’s going on, the reader can relate to this and feel a bit more at ease. With a few light hearted moments and the usual Spiderman puns here and there, nonetheless this remains a very dark story. With every assault on a different Spiderman, you will feel heart break seeing one go down despite not knowing them so well. The creators are not afraid to kill off major characters, so be prepared for that. Story aside, the art work was great! The paneling and layout were nice, and the rough art style was definitely put to good use. Despite the story consisting of a large gathering of characters, the dialogue didn’t feel rushed and disjoint. In fact it was surprisingly amazing how interaction between the various Spider-men was well balanced.

 What Sucked?

 Honestly I didn’t find anything wrong at first because I was so engaged in the story, had to read it a second time just to find the flaws…Are there worth mentioning, absolutely not to me. With that being said;

My Decree:

 No matter how you look at it, however goofy the idea is, it doesn’t matter! Because seeing so many alternate versions of Spiderman in one comic book makes for an unbelievable amount of fun. But fun is not the only element that defines this comic, the drama, the grittiness; this is a plot that is sure to leave emotions running wild. Do yourself a favor and read Spider-Verse part one. With that being said, I’m pumped up to present to you our first…

[10] – A DEITY!!!

Comic Books courtesy of Between the Lines, comic book store at Village Market, Nairobi. CLICK HERE for more 😉