An unexpected final volume as the Spectacular Spider-Men series was cancelled before volume 3 was released. The Spider-Men continue to build up their coffee spot family while continuing Elemental’s journey of learning to become a hero. Classic Spider-Man villains (and super hero friends) also make appearances if you are burnt out on the new characters being introduced.
The tone of the series is casual and fun, and it is felt in every aspect of the comic with bright colors, cartoonish character archetypes, and soft dialogue. I expected a “villain of the week” story structure, and I was surprised at how long story arcs and characters stuck around. Many character moments required you to remember the previous issues, and subplots seemed to pop in and out of the series to jump off to another story. Greg Weisman also employed a “then / now” story structure, which alternated between the present time and recent past, making the convoluted cast and plot threads even more complex.
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In my opinion, Peter Parker is one of the most challenging modern superheroes to write dialogue for. He needs to be campy, goofy, cringe, while also being charismatic, quick-witted, and cool/trendy. It’s an almost impossible balance that Weisman was unable to capture here. And to give himself more of a challenge, he also needed to create a believable 17-year-old in Miles, which, again, was a struggle throughout the series.
While the overall structure wasn’t the series’ strong point, there were small moments to make it an enjoyable read. The Lizard and the Conners were a highlight. Issue #11 opens with the Spider-Men shrunken down to the size of ants fighting gnomes and fairies in Central Park. THAT’S WHAT I WANTED! There were glimpses of the silliness the series felt built on, but not enough.
The art team was a saving grace for this volume. Edgar Delgado was the color artist for the entirety of volume three, and his colors highlighted all of the vivid primary colors of the Spider-Men and their roster of villains. Von Randall (#11), Emilio Laiso (#12-13), and Andres Genolet (#14-15) all had the opportunity to draw a healthy mix of character moments and action. Their styles meshed well, and I never felt pulled out of the story by a jarring artist change.
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I couldn’t shake the Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends comparisons as I continued through The Spectacular Spider-Men. The series was so self-contained that it felt more like a young adult TV show pitch and not a comic series within the 616 universe (fitting with the final splash page of the series). Speaking of amazing friends, issues #11-15 contain an almost dizzying amount of characters, both superhero and everyday people. To cram all of them in, they had to be distilled down to simple characteristics to keep them distinct, but few had an opportunity to stand out. The crowded cast did pay off in issue #15 with a beautiful double splash page as everyone celebrated at the “third place” coffee shop of the Spider-Men.
With the sudden cancellation of the series, the ending was rushed. It didn’t wrap up the themes and stories of Spider-Men, but instead did a quick panel for each of the characters who appeared in the previous issues.
If you enjoyed The Spectacular Spider-Men series so far, then volume 3 is worthwhile since it is a true continuation of what you would expect after reading issues #1-10. This is a self-contained world with more cameos than you can shake a stick at, so if you prefer your comics to feel more like a TV season, Spectacular Spider-Men will fill that void.
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