It’s been a while since Spider-Man had more than one ongoing series coming out at once, and I couldn’t think of a better combo to bring their talents to a second title than Dan Slott and Mark Bagley. The two have made comic book history in their own right over the last few decades, and they’re back with an no-adjective Spider-Man series tying into the Edge of Spider-Verse lead-in series. Given how large the Spider-Verse is and its many iterations on the character, we’re likely in for a grand multiverse hopping adventure.
You need to know only two things going into Spider-Man #1. The first is that Green Goblin is now a good guy and is Peter Parker’s boss. Weird, I know. Second, critical characters in the Spider-Verse have been changed into villains who want nothing more than to destroy all spider-themed characters. It’s a bit of an inversion of the premise of Spider-Verse. The latter detail isn’t a significant factor until the last few pages of this issue, which effectively sets up the big showdown that could mean the end of all Spider-Man characters as we know it!
Before it gets too dramatic, however, Slott and Bagley introduce readers to the Peter Parker we know and love. The issue opens with Peter being late for work and just trying to get there as quickly as possible, but Norman calls in a favor to help acquire some stolen Osborn technology. Quickly, Spidey is saving lives and taking out robbers like he’s always done for the last 60 years.
Slott is quite good at slipping in little details via dialogue, like Peter questioning Norman’s words here or there, and generally capturing the high-energy vibe of Peter Parker. He’s having a blast being Spider-Man and even sings in this issue. Slott may have switched to Fantastic Four for a few years, but he hasn’t missed a beat with this series.
Already revealed in the trailer, Morlun plays a considerable part in this issue, setting up a twist you’ll likely not see coming. Morlun is a creature that feeds on spider characters, thus a massive threat to Spider-Man when he shows up. Throw punches and ask questions later, right? Bagley draws the action with a fierceness that’s super fun and will bring you back to your childhood if you enjoyed his work in the ’90s. Morlun is the main antagonist for the middle chunk of the book, and more than one Spider-Man is needed to stop him. Sure, Morlun is a bit tanky and overly powerful, but that’s part of his charm.
It’s hard not to spoil the big twist since it’s possibly the most remarkable element of the issue. One of the more famous alternate Spider-Man characters breaks bad, and another villain may not be as bad, and that spills over into some major losses. The creative team makes a strong case for why this story needs to be told, and on top of that, the setup is a logical sequel to Spider-Verse that doesn’t feel like a retread of past events.
Given the length of this issue, one might expect a little more plot progression. Character reveals, and even a major loss occurs, but the entire issue takes place for over an hour at most. Whether or not the story arc will play out over a few hours remains to be seen, but covering so little ground does make this issue feel a bit stagnant. Still, the action is exciting, and the characterizations are good.
Spider-Man #1 is a good start to a new event-level threat Spider-Man and his amazing Spider-Verse friends must face. Most importantly, Spider-Man makes a case for why it should exist and why more Spider-Man is a good thing, especially with such a large Spider-Verse to explore.
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