This week is a freshly repackaged trade paperback of the twelve-issue run of Spidey. Spider-Man: Freshman Year collects a series originally released in December 2015, featuring Peter Parker in high school with some fresh art by some of the best comics, like Robbie Thompson and Nick Bradshaw. It felt fresh because it crafted its stories as if you didn’t know who the greatest hero ever created. Each issue opened with a handy one-page recap masterfully drawn by Nick Bradshaw to get everyone up to speed. It was light, highly entertaining, and the right superhero story for an audience not usually catered to by Marvel Comics proper. Now, it’s being collected in a handy collection.
This is a great place to start for modern comics readers. Throughout this collection, the story is light and easy to get into. New readers will love it, and the Spidey veterans will dig the new elements Marvel is adding to Spider-Man’s backstory. Gwen Stacy is a great addition as she looks out for Peter during the day and even tutors him on one of his worst subjects (history!). Spider-Man has his powers but is still bullied every day, but he puts up with them to keep his secret identity, well, a secret. There’s also a wide selection of cameos from heroes like Iron Man, Captain America, and Black Panther and a ton of villains. Hell, even Dr. Doom shows up to mess with Spider-Man’s life.
Thompson does a great job getting into the high schooler’s head. The dialogue and narration pin down the anxiety and stress a kid in high school goes through, and it’s bound to make many think of Brian Michael Bendis’s run when he kicked off Ultimate Spider-Man. This is a younger Spider-Man, which is hard to get these days, especially with Miles acting a bit older.
The Gwen Stacy and Peter relationship is possibly the best “new” element of the series.
Credit: Marvel Comics
The collection of artists in this book are fantastic too. They all capture the lanky and very young look of Peter, further making him the underdog. The kid looks like he can be snapped like a twig, never mind face off against the Sinister Six! Artist Nathan Stockman closes this collection out very well, with each villain looking great and the action interesting and fun. The final full-page splash is downright great (those webs tho!) and he even gets a crack at a very iconic panel of Spider-Man’s costume. Spider-Man has a young look that suits his age throughout the collection (colors by Jim Campbell keep the distinctness of the villains nicely separated in the final chapter).
Spidey faces off against the Sinister Six in the last chapter, which seems fitting since he has fought most of them in prior chapters in everything from quick single panels to entire issues. Each baddie gets their moment to shine, and Spidey tries to keep it light. Thompson seems to suggest via the lack of jokes that when Spidey is having a good day, the humor doesn’t come as easily, which is an interesting touch.
This collection also features Thompson’s and Nathan Stockman’s Spider-Man: Master Plan, a lovely, done-in-one tale. Stockman’s art is a selling point for sure, as he renders Spidey in high detail with expressive eyes and excellent agility. This tale has Spidey webbing up common criminals but eventually facing off against Crime Master. It fits in with this collection mostly since it features so much punching. Stockman also does some fantastic stuff with webs as they never seem to look the same in any two panels. Thompson has a great handle on writing in Peter’s voice, making it an excellent pick for this collection.
One drawback is that this series is obviously not in canon, so purists might not be up for it. It’s also very much written for newer readers, but if you need a little extra Spider-Man in your life, this is a good place to look.
If you missed out on Spidey when it was originally released and collected, pick up Spider-Man: Freshman Year if you want to revisit Peter Parker’s early days. A pure and unadulterated Spider-Man experience. Spider-Man: Freshman Year is delightful.
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