Opinion: Why Spider-Man would work better as a TV show.

With the future of the Amazing Spider-Man movie franchise steeped in doubt not to mention Sony Pictures failing ability to produce an acceptable Spider-Man movie. One that is capable of reaching or at least matching the levels of Marvel Studio's movies. Maybe it's time that Sony Pictures considered another avenue for the Worlds greatest Superhero to ply his adventures on. The medium of television.

After all it's happened before. Back in the late 1970's there was a live action T.V series of The Amazing Spider-Man starring Nicholas Hammond as Peter Parker/Spider-Man. the problem was at that time there were no recognized Spider villains for Spidey to go up against due to budget constraints and production costs. So in that case they has an under-powered Spider-Man taking on normal criminals and general crime. there were other aspects to the show that made it camp and a bit rubbish. These days however it seems to have garnered a bit of a cult following. You can find a number of episodes today on youtube and who could forget the funky opening credits music or sequences,

 

That shouldn't be a down point though, as Television and most certainly technology has moved on significantly from the days of the 1970's. just take a look at the comic book adaptations that are on TV nowadays, There's The Walking Dead, Arrow, Constantine, Marvels Agents of S.H.E.I.L.D, The Flash. In the coming year we can expect, Agent Carter, Daredevil, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones and no doubt more on the horizon.So why should there be a Spider-Man live action television series? 

For one, the technology is now available to do the character justice, granted the budget would have to be quite big but television is big business today and coupled with the technology at television comanies disposal the production values provide a better visual medium. just look at shows such as Agents of S.H.E.I.L.D. or the Flash. both of those shows regularly display super-humans with fantastic powers on a week to week basis or even Doctor Who where the production budget is relatively modest in comparison. 

The Flash's Blackout

The last Spider-Man movie "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" had production costs and a budget of around $250 mullion dollars, and yet The Flash has no where near that amount and still managed to show a more realistic electrical antagonist in "Blackout" that what we were given with Electro. Blackout even had the more realistic origin, one that closely resembled that comic book origin of Electro as opposed to Amazing Spider-Man 2's adaption of one of Spidey's more deadly foe's.

It just shows that If a show with a hugely less production budget such as The Flash can depict a character with super powers ala Electro then the arguments against a Spider-Man TV show on the basis of costs are in fact moot. For anyone who has seen the Flash episode "Power Outage" where Blackout makes his debut will know what i mean. The other interesting viewpoint is the Flash has a more Marvel'esque feel to the whole show. As you can see from the picture of Electro the production looks over the to top and flashy to compensate for the dodgy story line and hokey origin fo the character. If however The Amazing Spider-Man was a television show could concentrate more on the character development and gave a natural evolution to the characters of the show, this is where the Spider-Man films have severely lacked in the past. including the Raimi movies. 

In fact one of the best adaptations of our favorite wall-crawler was also produced by the CW network and that was The Spectacular Spider-Man cartoon. You know the one right? if not here's a reminder.

If course it would still be an expensive show to produce that's undeniable after all you can't simulate a wall-crawling web-swinger wonder on a cartoon budget, but who's to say that Peter Parker would have to every episode. there could be a number of episodes leading to a huge confrontation in the season finale with side arcs showing Peter struggling with the responsibility of being Spider-Man and trying to live a normal life. a Television show would also benefit the supporting cast of the character giving us the viewer a better understanding of the relationships between them and Peter as opposed to quick intro's and expecting us to then give a shit about them when tragedy happens to them. ala the movie versions of Curt Connors, Harry Osborn, Max Dillon Flint Marko Eddie Brock Jr. all those characters would and could have worked better with more detailed character development. so too could Flash Thompson, Mary Jane, The entire Bugle crew and Aunt May. 

It's not all that far fetched after all it's already being done with certain shows on air. This way it would allow us to better relate to Peter Parker seeing his struggles in daily life played over a few episodes rather than a few minutes in a montage, The fact is a television show would be less restrictive to the character in some ways as it would offer other avenues to explore than on the cinema screen. after all there's only so much story you can tell in a 2 hour slot, whereas Television offers at least 13 episodes. So what would you prefer a 2 hour movie every three years or 9 hours of Spider-Man, every year? I know which I'd prefer.

So what side of the argument are you on? do you feel that a live action Spider-Man show is out of the question? if so why? and lets debate this. why not comment below. or click the button to follow on google+ or follow on twitter @TelFirth for blog updates or additionally like our Facebook Page The Man who Collects Spider-Man

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Review: Scarlet Spiders #1 The Widow

Story By: Mike Costa

Released 11.26.14 Mark Bagley variant

Artist: Paco Diaz

 

            Cover Art: David Nakayama

Publisher: Marvel Comics

 

Cover Price: $3.99

Here we are again with another Spider-Verse tie-in issue, where more AU and regular Spider's are given the chance to shine. One of the most anticipated story lines since the wider Spider-Verse issues were unveiled, was the Scarlet Spider's mini series mainly due to the resurrection of a fan favorite that hadn't been seen in a Spider-Man book since the final days of the clone saga. Ben Reilly.

The premise of the mini series arc is that following the events of Amazing Spider-Man #10, that Ben Kaone, and the ultimate universe's Peter Parker's female clone Jessica Drew, use the dimension crossing portal back to a Home world of the inheritors where it's thought Morlun and his family are creating clones of themselves. 

Although I'm not too familiar  with Mike Costa's previous work,( mainly due to him previously writing TransFormers for IDW) i did find his idea and portrayal of the characters interesting. One of the faucets would seem to be the telling of the story from three differing perspectives giving each Spider a fleshed out feel. It's not a formula that's used to much and it kinda works in this instance and with this particular tale, as it gives the reader greater opportunity to feel affinity with a character that they may not have much previous knowledge of.

What lets the issue down is the art of Paco Diaz, it's fairly inconsistent for my liking and in parts the characters don't resemble each other that much which is a problem as they are Clones of Peter Parker, but don't really look like Peter Parker. so of it took me out of the story that Costa was conveying, hopefully this was gown to time constraints and the art picks up as the series goes along.

The story itself picks up immediately on the other side of the portal we saw the three protaganists jump through in Amazing Spider-Man #10 where they find themselves in a world that's quite advanced from a technological standpoint. This first Issue of the mini is told from the perspective of Jessica Drew (Ultimate Black Widow) hence the title of the book. explaning the events of the issue as she see's them Kaine, seems a bit quite but the characterization of Ben Reilly so far comes across as a very young Peter Parker who's constantly making light of every situation, which feels a bit forced and hopefully Costa will feel more comfortable with the characters as the series foes on.

The team find themselves inside what appears to be a cloning facility or rather a resting area for Clones when they are confronted by this world's Iron-Man Ben Reilly tries to convince Torny Stark to assist the three Spider's in their mission. However he is stunned to find out that Jennix is in charge of this world and has acquired Iron Man's assistance. 

Kaine subdues Stark before he can implement his plan to take the three to Jennix, The Spider's then formulate a plan to enter the Jennix complex by Ben donning the Iron Man suit and pretend Kaine and Jessica are prisoners.

It's a slow paced story based more on espionage given the nature of the mission, but with the way the issue ends i feel we can expect to see action packed issues in this arc's future. whether or not any Spider's make it out remains to be seen. 

The overall score for this Issue I feel is a solid 6.5. The pacing let it down slightly as did some characterization and the art by Diaz. I was slightly disappointed given it's billing as the return of Ben Reilly. 

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Review: Spider-Man 2099 #6

Released 11.26.14

Story By: Peter David

Artist: Will Sliney

 

            Cover Art: Francesco Mattina

Publisher: Marvel Comics

 

Cover Price: $3.99

Finally after 5 previous issue's of Miguel O'Hara slumming it here in good old 2014, issue #6 picks up immediately from the events of Amazing Spider-Man #10. It terms of timeline for the people of 2099 it also picks up a couple of hours from when Tyler Stone CEO of Alchemax appeared to trap Miguel in 2014. 

Thankfully for both Miguel and to the chagrin of Tyler Stone, Spider-Man is back in his correct time and he's brought a couple of friends with him,..........oh and a giant immortal Spider hunting killing monster hell bent of devouring Miguel and his two Spidery companions, Six armed Spider-Man and Steampunk Lady Spider.

following the events seen in  the pages of Amazing Spider-Man #10 Superior Spider-Man along with the assistance of Kaine took down and seemingly killed Daemos of the inheritors, until they discovered to their cost that Daemos had now been cloned and returned.

Miguel, Six armed Spidey and Lady Spider fled that encounter with the corpse of Daemos, hotly pursued by the antagonists clone. Their plan to dissect the body of Daemos's corpse to find answers as to any weakness's that the inheritors may possess. The excellent Peter David drives this portion of the overall Spider-Verse arc along at an insanely fast pace from the outset of the issue as we're literally thrown into the action, with is vidually supplied by Will Sliney, who resumes his artistic duties on the book following Rick Leonardi's guest spot in the last issue. 

The story told in this issue feels quite balanced, in the sense that although the three protagonists get a slight victory over their enemy it's is not without cost and Miguel finds himself having to make a deal with an unlikely ally. which offers up a footin perhaps to other storylines to be explored after Spider-Verse comes to a conclusion........Baring in mind if Miguel survives of course. 

One of the more interesting aspects is Daemos' interactions and treatment of Lady Spider, although he does tend to later regret that with the closing of this issue. there are however down sides as in any tale and yet another Spider does get killed off although i'm sure it's in order to provide another obstacle for our hero's to overcome. but it's the manner of the killing that's getting a bit monotonous, after all you'd think that after seeing a number of the army go down in the same way, that the Spider's would switch it up a bit. After all Spider-Man is supposed to be the kind of hero that can find alternate way's to overcome a foe. 

However there are also moments of humour, such as the trashing  of Miguel's brother's apartment where he lament's "Gabriel will never let me hear the end of this.......for the five seconds or so we have left to live" it's moments like that, where you feel grateful that Peter David is back writing this character again.
  
The overall score for this Issue I feel is a solid 7.0. there are a few surprise's and fun elements but for the main part it's a bit perfunctory although that being said it does perfunctory quite well. 

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Spider-Verse: Who Is The Scion?

If over the last couple of month's you've been reading and keeping up with the events of Spider-Verse. Then one question is going to keep bugging you until the reveal. Just who is The Scion?

In an event such as this there was always going to be multiple players, after all it was billed as Every Spider-Man Ever!!! In cases such as these, some are going to be more important to the tale and overall narrative than the cannon-fodder. There is one player however that is named that, we as yet, have not seen, as far as we know, one that has been referred to only as the Scion. 

We've been told that he (or she, we just don't know.....for sure) is an important player and has a significant role to play, within the story. As stated by Ezekiel in Amazing Spider-Man #10 Peter needs to keep the triumvirant of The Bride, The Other, and The Scion safe. so therefore could they be the Spider's ace in the hole? the key to their own survival perhaps? What we do know is two of the trio have been identified and that Cindy Moon (Silk) is the Bride, and Kaine Parker (Scarlet Spider) is The Other. Interestingly both come from the same universe, Earth-616, the same as our Peter Parker who is labelled The Chosen One. so does the Scion come from Earth-616? or do they come from further afield?

Lets look at the Scion. the definition of the word is meant to mean descendent of a noble family, well this offers up a number of possibilities within the Spider-Verse tale. so without further ado I present a number of candidates that fit the definition of a Scion.

1) Baby Ben Parker (Earth-982)

The case for Benjy Parker is simple. He is the decendant of a notable family. There are also other factors however. Ben has already acquired his Spider-Powers, ahead of the recognized time frame for a mutant. Most mutants tend to become aware of their abilities in their early teens or the onset of puberty.


In the case of Benjamin Richard Parker, this happened when only a few months old. After he's been possessed by the Carnage symbiote of the MC2. That issue was promptly dealt with by Mayday and since that encounter Ben has displayed the traits of a Spider-Person. 


As yet it's unknown just powerful Ben could become but it's arguable that because his powers manfested themselves this early in childhood he could potentially become the most powerful Spider-Man of all. 

another notable fact in Spider-Verse is that we've been shown a number of times that Ben is being kept safe by Cosmic Spider-Man whether that has any meaning i'm sure we'll soon find out. additionally when SpOCK got off the charts reading when monitoring Cindy and Kaine. no other Spider's present gave off such high readings. Ben wasn't there. Of course that's just he is a baby, however those that have seen the cover for Spider-Verse team up #3 will notice that Mayday is accompanied by a Spider in the shadow's could he be a future version of her brother? could he be the Scion?


As with anything in comics it's always possible. By having baby Benjy in the story arc this early could get him into the collective minds of the readers. a way to introduce an older more powerful version of the character without having to go into back story too much. say in a couple of issues we see an older version of Ben then maybe he will be the Scion after all?

2) Karn of the Inheritors (Universe-000)

A bit of a wild card here is Karn. Brother of Morlun and the youngest descendant of the noble inheritor family. which technically puts him in the frame for role of the Scion.

We've seen Karn kill Spiders but we also know that he isn't really into it, not in the same way his other family members are. Karn has been portrayed as an unwilling participant in the culling, seeing it as against his nature to hunt and devour his foes. It's been said that Karn see's himself as a creator someone who tries to build rather than destroy. Now you're wondering that's all well and good but why does it place Karn in the frame for being the Scion? well here's why.

We know Karn, isn't like the other Inheritor's not only in attitude by also in looks, all the others have a similar resemblance to each other whereas the only time we've seen Karn's face was during the back up story in Superior Spider-Man #33 where he is shown to have brown hair and fairly similar features to Peter Parker. Could therefore Karn be Universe 000's Peter Parker? an adopted child of the Inheritors. We know that Karn feels no kinship to his family except to his mother whom he feels responsible for her dying. Also when confronting the Master Weaver the Weaver referred to him as 'The Chosen One' the only other use of that reference is towards 616 Peter Parker.

However he did appear to consume Al-Apec the Spider-God without the use of his spear. could it be then that by consuming Al-Apec's essence that Karn if he is Universe 000's Peter, has become a descendant of the Spider-God whose essence lives on in Karn? we shall indeed see in the coming issues but for me Karn is a possibility for the role of The Scion as much as any.

3) Baby May Parker (Earth-616)

This is a theory that's currently doing the rounds on many fan forums, yep it's a little out of left field but there also some merits to the inclusion of the apparent non existing child of Earth 616 Peter Parker. 

Some of you may recall way back in the 1990's during the height of the clone saga, that Peter's wife Mary Jane was pregnant with their child whom, it was believed to be stillborn to them but to us the readers it was revealed the child had been kidnapped by Norman Osborn for reasons unknown. Could it be that given we've had teasers for the next Spider-Arc in 'Renew your Vows' in which Peter and Mary Jane are pictured with a child, that it's here within Spider-Verse, Peter finds his kidnapped daughter? She is also a descendant of a noble family?  

Again it's worth noting that, the other members of the triumvirate both hail from Earth 616, so could she be the Scion? is this marvel's way of bringing a forgotten character back into the fold?

I tend to look at the last one as a bit of a reach, but again anything is possible and in comics everything tends to link together. Of course it i entirely possible that the identity of the Scion is none of those presented here, and will remain in the shadow's until such time as he or she  is required to step into the limelight. If it's anything like the reveal of Old Man Spidey then Slott would have pulled the wool over our eyes again and it's writing like that that keeps us coming back for more.


So who do you think is The Scion? why not comment below. or click the button to follow on google+ or follow on twitter @TelFirth for blog updates or additionally like our Facebook Page The Man who Collects Spider-Man

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Review: ASM #10 Spider-Verse Part 2

ASM #10 released 11.19.14

Story By: Dan Slott

Artist: Olivier Coipel

 

            Cover Art: Olivier Coipel

Publisher: Marvel Comics

 

Cover Price: $3.99

Wow, if you thought that Spider-Verse Part one had a lot happening and was fast paced then be prepared for part 2. If anything the actions and story continues at break neck speed (Pun intended, buy the issue you'll get what I mean).

The story picks up immediately where it was left in ASM #9 and we join Miles Morales and Jessica Drew of Earth -1610 under attack from the hounds of Verna. When A portal opens and salvation arrives for the two teen spider's in the form of Assassin Spider-Man, Spider-Punk and also Superior Spider-Man, whom Miles mistakes for 616 Peter...well it is, but kinda isn't.....you've read Superior Spider-Man right? ok, then lets continue. The Hounds are dispatched by Assassain and Spider-Punk, who then growl at Miles and Jess to join them or die. 

the intensity of the opening is stated a bit a we find Peter and the other spider's recruited by Spider-UK in their safe haven Earth-13, when they detect the signal from Superior Spider-Man's team. Three teams are formed and they depart to bring the other team back to the safe zone. when they arrive on Earth-616 in the year 2099 Miguel gets a bit distracted by being back home, for the time being at least and Ashley Barton (Spider-Bitch) informs Superior they have guests. 

Peter is a little taken back by seeing Superior but puts it down to the possibility of an AU SpOCK. 

SpOCK is angered that his reading's indicate that with the arrival of the new team that his army is now at risk, as the inheritors are able to detect them now that Silk and Kaine, both being "The Bride" and "The Other" appear to emit stronger reading than the other Spider's. To emphasise this point there then follows the fist big battle of the Spider-Verse as Daemos arrives via the Master Weaver's portal SpOCK orders his team to attack and a couple of Spider's fall one of which is Assassin, which i'm not happy about, the other one was Cyborg Spider-Man. Under Peter's charge all the Spider's then converge on Daemos, with Mayday and Kaine particularly keen to hey at him. but it's SpOCK who takes the inheritor down killing him. 

Old Man Spidey is offering an explanation about whats going on when he suddenly is killed by Daemos who has re-appeared along with his sisters. It transpires that the inheritors apparently clone themselves, in one of many surprises in this issue. Ben Reilly and Kaine along with Earth-1610  Jessica Drew depart via a portal after Ben gets a fix on where Daemos and the inheritors come from. (Their mission is told in the pages of the mini-series Scarlet Spider's)

Silk also departs hoping to lead the Inheritors away from the other Spidet's so they can make an escape, she is followed through the portal by Spider-Woman and SpOCK orders Spider-Man Noir to accompany her (This mission is told in the pages of Spider-Woman #1-4) 

Six armed Spider-Man grabs the corpse of Daemos during the chaos and makes an escape with Spider-Man 2099, as SpOCK earlier stated that withe corpse they can disect it and understand the inheritors weakness. This mission is told in the pages of Spider-Man 2099 #6. 

The other Spider's manage to escape but not before there's a further reveal. which is Old Man Spidey is actually none other than Ezekiel, who first alerted Peter to the existence of Morlun during J M Straczynski's run of Amazing Spider-Man. As he's dying Ezekiel tells Peter that he must keep The Bride, The Other and The Scion safe at all costs. We know that Silk is the Bride and that Kaine is The Other, which begs the question who is The Scion?

The writing here by Dan Slott continues to be First class as with all the action and fast paced story telling of multiple characters it doesn't miss a beat and is easy to follow whats going on. Olivier Coipel's art is as fantastic as ever and it's such as shame that with ASM #11 we'll be reaching the end of his run on this storyline. Personally i think Marvel should move heaven and earth to get Coipel as a regular artist on the title.

The score for ASM #9 was a impressive 9.0 but this issue is better than that so I'd give it a huge 9.5. the start of this storyline continues to amaze and impress, and leaves you craving for ASM #11

Pick it up you won't be disappointed 

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Spider-Verse Character Profile: Kaine

Back in  December 1994 at the start of the clone saga, we were introduced to a mysterious new character known only as Kaine. 

Making a brief appearance in Web of Spider-Man #119 it transpired that Kaine was the first of professor Miles Warren's failed attempts at cloning Peter Parker. The second and first success however was Ben Reilly who made his debut in Amazing Spider-Man #151.


However, Web of Spider-Man was where we first met Kaine. Who was the brain-child of then writer Terry Kavanagh  and artist Steven Butler.


Kaine was initially presented as an antagonist who believed that Ben Reilly was the original Peter Parker and that the Peter who was living in New York was a fellow clone. it later turned out that this was based on information gained from files of Miles Warren, that had been switched by Norman Osborn. Still how was he to know? for awhile even Ben and Peter didn't know who was real and who was a clone. 

Based on the information he'd garnered from the Jackal's files, Kaine set about ensuring that Peter could have the life that he never could, which meant he acted as a sort of guardian Angel of clones. Kaine set about his task by killing Spider-Man enemies such as Doctor Octopus and The Grim Hunter, leaving them with an imprint of his hand burned into their faces. This was known as "The Mark Of Kaine" an enhanced ability caused by the onset of Kaine's cellular degeneration. affecting his spider abilities. The Mark was caused by Kaine's ability to stick to walls, he also possessed quicker speeds reflexes and visions of future events as an advanced version of Spider-Man's Spider-Sense. 
 
In the first instance Kaine is portrayed an as tortured soul. rejected and imperfect he is cast aside as an outcast neither a human nor an acceptable clone, who is filled with bitterness and pain. mainly caused by the degenerative disease that is slowly killing him.

Eventually revealed as a deteriorating clone of Peter Parker, Kaine is set on protecting the perfect clone that he believes is Peter from the Jackal's manipulations, unaware that they all had been manipulated. A form of redemption is realized for Kaine when in the height of the Clone saga, he battles alongside long-time nemesis Ben Reilly against an army of clones created by The Jackal. Although it is during this battle that Kaine is fatally wounded by Spidercide yet another clone. Horrified and momentarily feeling the pangs of fatherly guilt The Jackal manages to save Kaine by placing him in a clone regeneration pod, preventing him from dying.

Kaine spends the next few years trying to find a cure to his degeneration process and is manipulated by a number of people one of which is the villain Raptor, whom Kaine Kills after discovering that a promised cure that Raptor says he has doesn't exist. Kaine during his travels is then pursued by the offspring of Kraven the Hunter who capture and kill Kaine (Believing him to be Spider-Man, with whom Kaine traded places) in a ritualistic sacrifice, intending to resurrect their dead father. At the end of the Grim Hunt story arc it's is shown that Kaine digs himself free of the grave marked Kaine Parker. we learn that The Jackal had once again resurfaced and had resurrected his fallen son. needing him as part of his plot to turn New York into giant Spiders. 

An interesting faucet of Grim Hunt is Peter Parker's acceptance of Kaine as his brother as is his anger when he burns the mark of Kaine into one of the kravinov's. Grim Hunt is one of those story arcs that is polarising. I personally enjoyed the arc and found Jim Kelly's tale an interesting look into the occult. but there are some that feel the story is a bit too self-important. make up your own minds, you can pick up Grim Hunt in trade paperback, in most good comic shops or amazon

After Grim Hunt and Kaine's resurrection at the hands of the Jackal. Kaine had a pivotal role to play within Spider-Island. this was also the arc that reinvented Kaine and cured his long running degeneration disease, Not too mention it's also the story arc that set's the character on his way from villain to.....if not hero, then certainly anti-hero. 

Throughout the story line in Spider-Island, The new Madame Web keeps telling Peter Parker that she has foreseen that he will need to put aside his moralistic vow. and that an event is coming that will see the webslinger take a life Peter is adamant that he will not kill, and that any time he does he'd hang up his webs for good. Madame Web is insistent that she has seen him commit the act. whilst at the end of Spider-Island the truth is revealed and she actually witnessed Kaine's redemption becoming almost complete as it is he who kills the Spider Queen and helps put an end to the plague of Spider infected New Yorkers. 

The Spider-Island arc ends as we see Kaine, who is wanted for murder by the Avengers and various other authorities, make his exit and escape to Mexico, free from the cellular degenerative disease that had plagued him since his inception. With a new lease on life and also a new costume.

Unfortunately though he doesn't quite make it to Mexico. and finds himself in Houston Texas. his conversion from Villain to Hero complete as he embarks on the next phase of his journey. under the guise of The Scarlet Spider. and as such is set to play a major role in the current story arc Spider-Verse. meaning if a cold unscrupulous bitter killing machine can find redemption, friendship and hope in his existence. then there is perhaps some hope for us all.

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Before Spider-Verse, There was "The Other"

Let me take you back in time, it's December 2005 and a potentially huge Spider-Man event is about to start. Sound familiar? Some of you out there may not recall but as Spider-Verse is now underway, some of you may be wondering just what is Morlun's reasoning behind his fear of Earth 616. In Amazing Spider-Man #9 Daemos and Verda of the Inheritors are seen to be taunting Morlun over his lack of enthusiasm to enter the 616 world. we the readers saw for ourselves in Spider-Man 2099 #5 the hesitancy displayed by Morlun as he gazed into the portal and saw 616 Miguel O'Hara, but yet he showed fear over entering the portal and into the 616.

In Amazing Spider-Man #9  AU spider's told Peter he was the chosen one, as he was the only Spider-Man that had faced Morlun and lived. More than that Peter is the only Spider-Man that had killed Morlun, although to be fair Morlun has killed Peter so current score has it at 1-1.

So back in 2005 J M Sraczynski, Peter David and Reginald Hudlin. Along with artwork by Mike Wieringo, Pat Lee and Mike Deodato Jr. collaborated on a storyline that was as large in scale as Spider-Verse is today.

The 12 part arc was multi-crossover event between Amazing Spider-Man #525-528, Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man #1-4 and Marvel Knights Spider-Man #19-22. the premise of the story line was to re-introduce Morlun back into Spider-Man's world following their first encounter back in Amazing Spider-Man Volume 2 #30.

The Other Begins with Peter Parker being haunted by dreams of impending death, his own impending death, and is also plagued by hallucinations of Morlun, during an encounter with The Tracer, Spider-Man suffers a minor gunshot injury to the shoulder and is treated by a confidant Doctor recommended by Captain America. shortly after his treatment the doctor contacts Peter to inform him that his blood work indicates that he is dying from an unexplained illness that is unknown to science. and that it's unknown how long he has left. the next few parts of the story arc follow Spider-Man on his journey to find out how to cure what it is that's causing his body to degenerate. As well as exploring the character relationships between Peter and Mary Jane as they both come to terms with Peter's increasingly likely death. 

This side of the story arc is beautifully emotive and reading it you feel the sense of fear from the characters. Spider-Man has faced death before but usually at the hands of antagonists that he can outwit of put through a wall with his fists, for the first time however here he was facing a fight that he knew he could not win and that seemingly he was going to die. the writing for these opening few issues of the arc was well written as we see the weight of the burden placed on both Peter and Mary Jane, as they struggle to keep a balancing act of what little time they have left together and Peter's sense of responsibility that keeps him continuing as Spider-Man.

There are some issues that really shouldn't have been part of this arc however. by that i mean the apparent non essential issue when Peter Mary Jane and Aunt May got to Latveria, break into Doctor Dooms castle and use his time machine to go back to the day Peter's parents leave him with May and Ben Parker.  That particular issue just comes across as filler and for me doesn't really serve any purpose for the overall arc. 

The other aspects are whilst Peter and the Avengers are trying to seek a cure or at least some knowledge into the illness, Morlun is always in the shadows waiting for the right time to strike

This happens in Amazing Spider-Man #526, whilst out on patrol Spider-Man spies Morlun. Unsure as to whether he is a hallucination of real, Spider-Man is hesitant until Morlun tells him it's time.

What follows is one of the most brutal fights depicted in the pages of a Spider-Man book. Showing why Spider-Man is the hero he is. As even against insurmountable odds he jumps into battle without a thought and battles for his very life. The excellent artwork of this issue provided by Deodato Jr is beautiful the narrative needn't even be on the page as the visuals provide all there is to say about the moment of this battle.The culmination of which sees Spider-Man beaten nearly to death

The final panel of the issue shows a nearly dead Spider-Man bloodied beaten with an eye missing as Morlun Stands over him waiting for Peter to die.

It's during the pages of Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #3 That Peter Parker is declared Dead for the first time in the character's history in any meaningful way. and yet as he lies on the mortuary slab he is still capable of one more heroic feat. 

Morlun attends the mortuary intent on feeding upon the Spider-Totem that resides within Peter Parker. As he stands there Mary Jame spies him and in an attempt to protect her dead husband's corpse, Morlun fends off MJ's attempts and moves menacingly towards her intent of enduring she joins her husband in death. 

A primal scream emanates from Peter's body and it rises, driven by 'The Spider' with the body's last essence of life Peter attacks Morlun and the hunter becomes the prey. 

MJ looks on horrified as Peter devours Morlun who seemingly crumbles to dust. before Peter succumbs to death, but not before a touching and emotional farewell with Mary Jane. the poignant ending of this issue shows Iron Man carrying Peter Parkers body towards Avengers tower wrapped in sheets.

The rest of the story arc then kinda loses it's way a bit after the emotion of what came before, and the rest of the arc centre's on the aspect of Peter's resurrection a couple of issues later. which to my mind serves as a wasted opportunity. at no point does anyone question who or what Morlun was, and how he was able to infiltrate the hospital. In fact the story from this point on appears to be littered with inconsistencies and inaccuracies which take the reader out of the story.

For example there is a moment when for no reason the story moves to Flash Thompson attending an interview at the school where Peter teaches. during the interview Peter's name in mentioned and Flash states he hasn't seen "Puny Parker" since they were at high school. which is clearly a fallacy as Peter and Flash had at that point been friends for a number of years.

There is also the case of Spider-Man's new powers that manifest as a result of Peter embracing the "Other" in the resurrection phase. as it's never made entirely clear whether Peter's new powers such as Stingers and night vision as well as organic webbing are the result of him accepting his metamorphosis from the Other or a result of when he was transformed into a Man-Spider during Paul Jenkins story "Disassembled" a few years earlier in the book Peter Parker Spectacular Spider-Man. 

As such reading "The Other" the reader is left a bit confused about the events that have taken place. It's this disjointedness that has led to "The Other" being classed as a missed opportunity and a blot on J M Staczynski's run in my view. Another inconsistency is why Morlun doen't seek to geed on Jessica Drew who features in this story arc and is just content with killing Spider-Man. after all isn't Spider-Woman now at threat in Spider-Verse?

and that brings us full circle of sorts, as i started this as a brief update as to the reasons as why Morlun is fearful of Earth 616, then again wouldn't you be is every time would visited a particular place you died there?

And so now that part 2 of Spider-Verse is imminent we can hope that Dan Slott doesn't fall foul of the problems that plague "The Other"


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Review: Spider-Verse #1

Stories By: Dan Slott

 

Spider-Verse #1 Released 12/11/14

Skottie Young

 

Robbie Thompson

 

Katie Cook 

Artist's: Humberto Ramos

 

  Jake Parker

 

Denis Medri

 

Katie Cook

 

 

Publisher: Marvel Comics

 

  Cover Price: $3.99

So the first part of the "Spider-Verse Anthology" has arrived. The accompanying book to the Spider-Event of 2014 is the vehicle for introducing us to some of the Spider's that are expected to feature in the ongoing storyline that currently is underway in Amazing Spider-Man.The book released today host's a number of short tales that show us how some of these Spider's get involved with the fight against Morlun and the Inheritors. As is the case of Spider-Verse. not all of the Spider-Men or Women depicted in this book survive, as Dan Slott and the rest of the team show us that Morlun isn't a threat to be taken lightly

1) Enter the Spider-Verse.

Each of the creative teams involved in this book place their own spin (Pardon the pun) into the Spider lore. in their own style. which gives the reader a refreshing look at a many times rehashed tale. the first of these is an intro into the Spider-Verse as told by the Great Weaver giving some explanation as to the role of the web of life and how the strands effect and penetrate all realities within the Marvel Multiverse. This short is written by Dan Slott and Pencilled by Humberto Ramos. I have to say i usually have problems with Ramos's art but in this short the art is a higher standard than usual which makes me question whether a twice monthly title is right for Humberto? still thats a question for another day as his work here is better than I've seen from him for awhile. As for the tale Slott's writing gets the point of it across well and as an introduction it does it's job with out being spectacular.

2) Spider-Clan: The Many

In Spider-Clan we are introduced to a new variation of Spider-Man, one who resides on Earth 2301. This world appears to have a Peter Parker who is a Himalayan bound monk or at least a Tibetan man with Spider powers. Written by current Rocket Racoon helmer Skottie Young with the artistic duties being handled by Jake Parker. We are shown that this Worlds Peter Parker feels a pull to "The Many" he assumes that this is referring to this world's Venom, whom Peter refers to as his brother. God knows what crazy world this is? during a confrontation with Venom who is hell bent on preventing Peter from entering a temple the many show themselves as a team of Spider-Men turn up and ask Peter to join them. 

Being someone who hasn't experienced Skottie Young's writing before I found this tale an interesting departure from the usual fare of the New York City canyons and look forward to seeing this version of Spider-Man playing a role within the overall Spider-Verse arc. Jake Parker's artwork felt a lot reminiscent of Skottie's own but it worked and gave the narrative a unique feel to the characters.

3)Steampunk Lady Spider

For the next tale we are invited back in time to the late 19th century New York where we are introduced to young 'May Reilly' yep that May Reilly or you might know her better as 'Aunt May'

Robbie Thompson's story takes place shortly after a Spider bite has occurred and Earth 803's incarnation of a Spider-person is already in place. this short tale is hard to work out as Lady Spider faces off against the six men of sinestry. to prevent them from acquiring the plans to New York's new subway system for reasons we the reader are not privy to the story resolves with an ambiguous ending but is much like an introductory tale. I do expect Lady Spider to take part in Spider-Verse as she had been named in solicitations and as a means to introduce the character to those who may not have been aware of her then this tale offers some interesting potential for the character, cant wait to see the interaction between 616 Peter and this version of May. 

4) Penelope Parker 

The highlight of this book, was for me this short that was written and pencilled by Katie Cook. the style of storytelling coupled with the artwork was a wonderful take as was the introduction of Penelope Parker and her world. This tale had such an innocent and cutesy feel to it. that i was instantly drawn into the story. the tale itself shows the all too familiar tale on the origin, with a spider bite and discovery of powers. the take on an 11 year old girl discovering she had fantastic powers and had to touch a boy was really funny. and although there was no indication of such i hope that Penelope doesn't end up becoming one of the fallen in the overall Spider-Verse arc.

There is also a couple of other short tales both written by Dan Slott, which are both funny in there own way and also fitting. the first is a one page advert in the style of the old Hostess ads that used to feature in Spider books back in the day. you know the ones where Spidey foils the bad guys with a twinkie or a fruit pie? well he tries it here and lets say it doesn't quite work on Morlun. 

Additionally there is also a nod to the Spider-Man daily strips where That Peter managers to survive an encounter with Morlun thanks to another web spinner.

Overall, I would say that in terms of being integral to the wider Spider-Verse arc this is not an essential book, unless like me you are a completest. but should you be intrigued enough to pick this book up. you won't be disappointed  our score for the book is a solid 7.5

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Review: Amazing Spider-Man #9 - Spider-Verse is here

Story By: Dan Slott

Artist: Olivier Coipel

 

            Cover Art: Olivier Coipel

Publisher: Marvel Comics

 

Cover Price: $3.99

It's finally here. Spider-Verse part 1 kicks off in this issue and now we get to see if the wait has been worth all the hype.

Since March this year, we've been told by the powers that be at Mighty Marvel HQ that something bif was coming to Spider-Man books. we were told to expect Every Spider-Man Ever! Well last Wednesday and after a two month prelude and build up thanks to the Edge of Spider-Verse books we are finally here.

The story is well known by now and the players are all pretty much in place so shall we. First off the art work in this book is stunning, Olivier Coipel is quite simply the best artist to draw a Spider-Man book in quite some time. the visuals presented by the art in this issue really pull you into the story and convey the elements that Slott wishes to emphasize. It's a shame that due to other commitments that Coipel will only be the artist on the first three parts of this tale before deferring to Gianluigi Camuncoli, that's not to say that Camuncoli's isn't a fine artist, it's just he's not Olivier Coipel. although at least it's not Humberto Ramos.

I know Humberto has his fans, but for a story on this size and scale we the reader deserve the creators A game. and Coipel has definitely brought his with him here.

Speaking of A-Games, this first part also sees a return to form for writer Dan Slott. A lot has been written about Slott lately with many feeling that perhaps the writer had lost interest in writing Spider-Man since he took on the Silver Surfer book as well. Others befan to feel like the extra workload meant that there was aslo a lack of consistency in Spider-Man stories being told. 

This first part of Spider-Verse dispels that myth and with interest. Slott's writing in this issue is consistent witty and fun, whilst all the time conveying the sense of foreboding and danger that the Spider's are in as he paves the way for the strong narrative of the book to carry the story along. This one issue has restored a lot of faith from some readers in Dan Slott and he does not disappoint.

One of the many highlights in this issue named "The Gathering" is the site of Spider-Uk's team seeking out Earth 616 Peter Parker and converging on him,  whilst our Spidey and Silk are taking down the Looter and his henchmen. one mention of Morlun is all it takes to convince Spidey to go with his brothers to the "Safe Zone" an Earth where Spider-Man never lost his cosmic powers. these serve to show that as we saw in Spider-Man 2099 #5 that not only is Morlun afraid of Spider-Man of the 616, but Peter is also agraidof Morlun. After all they have both killed each other in the past.

Another of the highlights is the recruitment of Kaine (The Scarlet Spider of Earth 616) as he is being devoured by Daemos (Morlun's brother) we see a number of Alternate Universe Spider's manage to arrive (Just in time) to prevent Kaine's demise. but not before we are given a snippet of foreshadowing in the sense that the Inheritors are aware that Kaine has embraced "The Other" which hasn't ever been referenced since the story arc of the same name a decade ago.

The closing of the book gives us an insight into the family of Morlun in the back up story "The Feast" which is set in Earth 001 where we are shown that the Great Weaver isn't dead as thought in Superior Spider-Man #32 but is an unwilling captive providing the means for The Inheritors to cross the inter-dimensional planes to various worlds to kill the Spider's.

If you have been away from the title then I urge you the time to jump back onboard is now. this issue is pardon the pun Amazing and the start of Spider-Verse is a solid start to a story that had a lot of potential to be an instant classic.

Our Score for Spider-Verse: The Gathering is 9.0

Pick it up you won't be disappointed 

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