Trade-waiting readers can pick up Edge of Spider-Verse: Spider-Society this week, which features four issues and a lot more new versions of Spider-Man. This year is the series’ tenth anniversary, showing fans aren’t even close to finished getting new takes on Spidey. Want to learn more about a cyborg Spider-Man? What’s the deal with Weapon VIII? Can Spider-Byte survive “The Glitch”? While you learn more about these new Spider-People, an ongoing adventure begins with Spider-Man 2099, leading to the Spider-Society series.
Edge of Spider-Verse #1 opens with a story by Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing with art by Travel Foreman. In a story titled “New Toys,” we’re introduced to Earth-72, where a familiar-looking Weapon X Wolverine runs through a snowy forest. Weapon VIII hangs in a tree nearby, and so begins a weird story, sometimes gross and incredibly compelling. This story is truly great and never skimps on edgy, mature content. It’s a tragic tale similar to the Weapon X of the 616, but Peter is the victim in this story, making the tragedy even worse. This story is so good I’d recommend buying the entire issue alone.
Next up is “The Glitch” by Nilah Magruder and Eric Gapstur, which features Spider-Byte. Co-created by Magruder, it’s nice to see this character get another adventure. Gapstur is no stranger to kid-friendly stories, and it shows with this one. Spider-Byte is super fun and endearing. There’s a slightly glossy look to the art thanks to Frank D’Armata’s colors and some interesting streaks of color here and there to convey that this is all happening inside a computer. It’s a fun fight comic sort of tale, and Magruder makes me want an animated series for Spider-Byte pronto.
Closing out the issue is “Prologue” by Alex Segura and Salvador Larroca. A quick five-page tale, this story opens with Spider-Man 2099 fighting Hulk 2099 and then being whisked away to chat with Madame Web. Segura writes a great Spider-Man 2099 with a unique voice that’s very matter-of-fact and natural. The story ends up being mostly a setup for another story taking place in Web of Spider-Man, but it’s a tightly written and drawn tale, to be sure.
I wanna drive up buildings!
Credit: Marvel
Possibly my favorite story in this collection is the opening tale in issue #2. Titled “The Terrible Horror of the Spooky-Man,” Kaare Andrews and Bob Quinn introduce readers to Spider High, which sits on the edge of a cemetery. The new kid is named Gluemy, and he has a crush on a redhead, but the bullies don’t like him one bit. This story is like if Tim Burton took a crack at Spider-Man, and it’s fun, dark, and creepy.
Closing out the collection are two tales and a wrap-up to the Spider-Man 2099 story. “The Hard Road” by Nilah Magruder and Marcus Williams with Eric Gapstur are kicking things off. The art is positively electric in this story, and Raul Angulo and Marcus Williams use great colors. There’s a cartoony vibe that works quite well as we follow Spider-Woman, who fights Hawkeye. The art team stretches the pages well with double-page layouts and nice details like motion blur. There’s an anime feel, thanks to the speed lines used throughout.
Next up, Karla Pacheco returns to deliver another Spider-Rex story with Pere Perez called “The Lizard’s Tale.” Per usual for Karla, this story is goofy and fun. Lizard is the main villain, and he’s seriously pissed off he lost his tail to Spider-Rex. Craziness ensues; MJ is even transformed, and a fight takes place. It’s a very short story when everything is said and done, but it’s fun to see another Spider-Man rogue get his time in the sun.
Wrapping things up is Alex Segura’s lead-in to Spider-Society called “In the Crosshairs.” Backed by artist Salvador Larroca, the story reveals a covert mission by Weapon VIII that goes a bit sideways. Twice. I can’t say I’m a fan of Larroca’s art here, but I do love the idea of Weapon VIII. It’s a pretty standard story of fighting, recruitment of Weapon VIII thanks to Madame Web, and a clear connection to Spider-Society kicking off. Weapon VIII doesn’t get much character work, but he’s more of a machine than a person, albeit he does have to make a choice for himself for once.
Plenty in this collection makes this a must-buy for Spider-Man fanatics. It introduces a bunch of colorful, strange, and downright cool characters and continues the legacy of Spider-Verse in interesting ways.
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