Something is very wrong with Spider-Man based on the cover of Savage Spider-Man #1. Announced way back during Halloween, Joe Kelly and Gerardo Sandoval embark on a story of Peter Parker as a monster, not in control. He also looks quite freakish, too. It’s a side story that’s not part of the larger universe, allowing the creators to take chances and go for broke. For the most part, they achieve that — for better or worse.
As the preview shows, this issue opens with Spider-Man hunting a warthog. He’s shouting one to two-word statements about his state and in this scene, he’s in pain, but must survive. Kelly has reduced Spider-Man to a base animalistic level. Enter Baron Zemo, who is trapped on the same island and doing some surviving of his own. There are plenty of threats for both of them to face off against in a story that’s about reacting to the moment.
The plot is very thin, with not a lot going on. Kelly does amp up your interest with Zemo’s ego, but aside from that character work is very limited. There are some answers by the end of the issue as far as what is going on, but this issue is much more about Sandoval’s impressive art. It’s fairly easy to see Kelly is playing with the animal that is now Spider-Man juxtaposed with the proper egomaniacal Baron Zemo, which is honestly a fun idea. It just doesn’t get explored enough here.
And impress it does, from the cool cracked Spider-Man eye lens to the detailing in how the costume tears or ruffles from his movement. The stylized art plays with shadow impressively and always seems to be very in your face. With so many close-ups in the issue, it’s nice to see some mid-range shots that show just how grotesque Spider-Man looks with his many arms and bulbous furry backside.
They certainly nail the savage part.
Credit: Marvel
Sandoval plays well with layouts with slanting panels adding additional layers to the action. There are also some good blur effects and great colors by Chris Sotomayor. There’s a splashy anime feel at times thanks to the bright, flat backgrounds.
Frankly speaking, however, it’s hard to care about what is going on with the limited amount of detail given. The summary page actually is hugely helpful in adding some context since the narrative drops you into a dangerous situation and rarely lets up.
As an art showpiece, Savage Spider-Man #1 is an entertaining read, but it doesn’t do enough to hook the reader in as far as character or story. Something is going on so it’s not simply a blind action fight comic, but we’ll need to wait till issue #2 to get some reasonable answers. If you’re looking for exciting art and a bonafide savage Spider-Man, you’ll dig this.
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