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Web of Spider-Man #1 Review

Web of Spider-Man #1

“Echoes”

Writer: J.M. DeMatteis

Penciler: Val Semeiks

Inker: Dan Green

Colorist: Andres Mossa

“Angels and Devils”

Writer/Co-Plotter: Tom DeFalco

Penciler/Co-Plotter: Ron Frenz

Inker: Sal Buscema

Colorist: Bruno Hang

“The Last Stand of the Fabulous Frog-Man”

Writer: Sean McKeever

Artist: Stephanie Buscema

Reviewed by Gerard Delatour II

As always, this review contains SPOILERS.  Consider yourself WARNED!

Plot Overview

In this issue, we get three stories, in what is promised to be a relatively stable format: an Amazing Spider-Man-related feature, a Spider-Girl story (printed on a lag from Marvel Digital Comics), and a miscellaneous short story.

“Echoes” begins in a mysterious facility in the mountains.  Kaine – the first, imperfect clone of Peter Parker created by Miles Warren – is experimented on by mysterious scientists and doctors.  Kaine attempts to break out, which we are led to believe is a regular occurrence, but as always the drugs in his system incapacitate him and leads to his immediate recapture.  In his “mind’s eye,” he has a metaphysical discussion with manifestations of Ben Reilly, the Jackal, Louise Kennedy, and eventually Peter Parker as he debates to himself the value of his own life and the meaning of his existence.  Kaine ultimately decides that he is his own individual, and that his life is worth living … but for his own, possibly nefarious, purposes.

“Angels and Devils” continues the story of Spider-Girl from the last printed adventure seen in Amazing Spider-Man Family #8.  The May is missing, and April has decided to take May’s place.  Two Mafiosos have taken her to the Pine Barrens to dump her body, believing her to be dead, but she breaks free and makes a run for it.  The men are attacked by Batwing, a character from Kurt Busiek’s Untold Tales of Spider-Man, and May heads back to them a bit too late, taking a crucifix found on the scene.  Meanwhile, the Black Tarantula visits Don Silvio to discuss the escalating gang war.  Back in the Barrens, May is attacked by Batwing, nearly giving in to defeat and death, but comes to her senses in time to sock Batwing and stop him from carrying her off.  April begins her plan to fully replace May, but is attacked by an unseen foe using fire and sonic weapons to disable her symbiote.  May is picked up in the Barrens by a priest (whose name should be of interest to people familiar with the Batwing character).  The issue ends on a cliffhanger, with April being carried off by Fury the Goblin Queen!  RUH ROH!

“The Last Stand of the Fabulous Frog-Man” is a short story starring Spider-Man, the Frog-Man, and another new character.  Frog-Man wants to partner with Spidey, spurned as usual, until a new kid shows up wanting to be Frog-Man’s sidekick.  Yuks ensue until Spidey leaves them to squabble amongst themselves.

The Good

“Echoes” establishes where Kaine has been in the recent past.  We get a quick answer to a somewhat pervasive question about Kaine’s memory:  he knows Peter Parker is Spider-Man.  This wasn’t a big reveal, but I’m glad we got that out of the way.  This is a solid story all the way around, with nice writing by DeMatteis, great art by Semeiks (the best I’ve seen from him, in fact), and – perhaps most importantly – the events carry weight with the main title.  One big complaint about Amazing Spider-Man Family (aside from its budget-cracking $4.99 price) was that most of the content was completely disposable.  That’s not the case with this story, which firmly sits as a prequel to the current arc in Amazing Spider-Man.  It was also good to see certain characters from the past, like Ben Reilly and Louise Kennedy, who didn’t have as long a life as they should have.

“Angels and Devils” also has a nice combination of crisp writing and art.  It was easy to pick up without re-reading the previous issues, which is a big plus.  The gang war story is familiar territory, but it’s somehow fresh here.  The tone of the feature has been a little darker since it “relaunched” as a 16-page adventure, and that continues in this new incarnation.

Overall, the book is also a good value.  It’s $3.99, but you get two full, solid stories.  I counted 18 pages for the Kaine story and 16 for the Spider-Girl feature.  Amazing Spider-Man Family was $4.99 and full of flotsam most of the time, so I’m glad they ditched it for this tighter format.  Hopefully, it stays this way.

The Bad

I liked the first two stories just fine, but the third was a waste of time.  “The Last Stand of the Fabulous Frog-Man” did nothing but take up space – it was only mildly amusing, and I got tired of it quickly.  Thankfully, it was only 6 pages and didn’t jack up the price another buck.

One thing about “Echoes” bothered me greatly while reading it: we don’t know who has Kaine and how he got there.  This could tie into his last appearance, which I believe had him attacking Norman Osborn’s holdings, but we can’t be certain given that it is never stated explicitly.  Even Kaine himself alludes to the fact that this place is a complete mystery.  I would have liked to know for sure, given that this is more or less a one-shot story.

“Angels and Devils” was surprisingly slow for a Spider-Girl story.  DeFalco and Frenz tend to pack in a lot, but here, the pace is slowed significantly.  The Batwing character doesn’t interest me all that much, and represents a sharp left turn given the events of previous issues – it dominates the issue in place of the gang war story, which I felt should have been the focus.  I also found it hard to believe that (a) the Mafioso goons didn’t realize May was alive, and (b) they didn’t bother to unmask her at any point while chaining her up and transporting her out to the Pine Barrens to dump her body.  It strains credibility, which is saying a lot about a feature that includes a girl that can stick to walls and shoot webs, a clone with an alien symbiote, and a mystically-powered South American crimelord talking to an old man powered by a mechanical exoskeleton.

The Ugly

Ben Reilly has the mullet.  I hate that damn thing.  He’s also wearing the “classic” Spider-Man costume instead of his own for some reason.

Final Thoughts

This book has a good story, a slightly mediocre story, and another story that is a complete and utter waste of time.  Still, it’s a nice package that packs enough content to justify the price.

Grade

“Echoes” gets an A-, “Angels and Devils” gets a B-, and “The Last Stand of the Fabulous Frog-Man” gets an F for forgettable.  Given how small that last story is, though, I would give the overall issue a B+.