There’s something quite magical about Juan Ferreyra’s work on Spider-Man, so when Deadly Neighborhood Spider-Man ended I was a bit sad. I’m sad no longer, as he’s teaming up with Saladin Ahmed on a four-issue series bringing the horror full tilt right in time for Halloween. Can they bring the scares and back up the claim on the cover that it’s the “scariest Marvel book ever?”
Spine-Tingling Spider-Man #1 opens with Spider-Man fighting Spidercide. It’s an epic battle told over four pages, two of which include yet another fantastic double-page layout by Ferreyra. There are some epic fight moves overlaid on the silhouette of skyscrapers that are quite clever. It’s a nice way to punch up the book and insert lots of Spider-Man, which is key given how little he’s in this book.
That’s because most of this book is about Peter being thrown into a nightmare where nobody remembers him. It’s Peter Parker’s terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day, essentially, and the creative team has us on the edge of our seats looking for answers. Unfortunately, there are none in this issue, which makes for a slightly disappointing tease. Ferreyra keeps your attention up all the way through though, including a wild monster on a train.
How cool is this art?
Credit: Marvel
This monster has teeth that stick out from his mouth in an unnatural way. There’s a great full-page splash of just his head that you’ll linger on. This builds towards the cliffhanger that implores a lot of imaginative ways to create a sense of chaos and unease.
Ahmed keeps Peter’s confusion believable as well as loops in key characters from his life. If you’re wondering if this story is in canon, it appears to be, which is a nice touch. Fans of his will like the inclusion of Ahmed on the train at the end, too.
Spine-Tingling Spider-Man is a good first issue, but it reads like you should wait a bit for at least another issue to come out. That said, it brings horror visuals that’ll certainly scare kids and adults alike while thrusting Peter into a nightmare you’ll want to figure out. Your patience will vary though, due to the lack of answers or clues. The hair-raising scenes match the intense action.
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