A friend once asked me why the Spider-Verse concept – particularly Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse – took off like it did. I replied that it was because Spider-Man’s origin tends to be the most malleable of all. Peter Parker, Miles Morales, Gwen Stacy, Cindy Moon…all of them ended up being in a place where a spider bite could send their worlds tumbling upside down, so it’s not hard to imagine it happening to you and me. Web of Spider-Verse: New Blood #1 takes that concept and runs full force with it, introducing a trio of new Spider-Men with their own unique flair.
Web of Spider-Verse: New Blood #1 is split into three different stories, with a framing device to tie it all together:
- “The Web-Heart” is written by Mat Groom and illustrated by Luciano Vecchino, with Rachelle Rosenberg on colors.
- Groom also writes “Spider-Prowler”, which is illustrated by Federico Vicentini and colored by Matt Milla.
- “Count Parker” is written by Jordan Morris, illustrated by Sumit Kumar and colored by Dee Cunniffe.
- “Spider-Hulk” is written by Greg Pak, illustrated by Alan Robinson and colored by Yen Nitro.
Marvel
“The Web-Heart” is a great bridging device, laying down the stakes for the upcoming Spider-Verse vs Venomverse. It also brings forth two new intriguing developments: the titular Web-Heart is the center of Life and Destiny, and the purpose of the Spiders is to build a “web of meaning”. In one single page, Groom has underlined why Spider-Man, and the Spider-Verse, resonates with people. It also doesn’t hurt that Vecchio gets to draw and design Spider-People old and new, including the newcomers.
Each one of these new characters get an in-depth story exploring their place in the Web of Life and Destiny. Spider-Hulk is the result of Peter Parker keeing his newfound gamma powered strength after the events of Web of Spider-Man #70; though he now has the power to crush his enemies, his rage ends up costing him dearly. “Count Parker” is a version of Peter Parker who fell into vampirism and is being hunted by Mary Jane Van Helsing (yes, it’s Mary Jane Watson as a vampire hunter.) “Spider-Prowler” follows a version of Miles Morales who lives in an Earth overrun by the Kree Empire.
The three stories all have their own visual flair; Vicentini, who’s drawn Miles during Cody Ziglar’s run on Miles Morales: Spider-Man, provides an anime-inspired, action-packed look while Kumar makes “Spider-Count” look absolutely horrifying with his pale white skin and razor sharp fangs. As for “Spider-Hulk”…it’s a Hulk in a Spider-Man costume, and Robinson has fun drawing it while Pak, no stranger to Hulks himself, goes wild with the concept. My only gripe is that I felt like each story could have used an extra page or two to really dig into these worlds, especially Spider-Prowler’s, but that’s the ups and downs of a one shot. I did love Chris Eliopoulos’ “Spider-Toy” one pager, especially the hilarious ending.
Web of Spider-Verse: New Blood #1 highlights the promise inherent in the Spider-Verse, introducing some new Spiders in the process. Now my intrigue is piqued even further for the accompanying Web of Venomverse: New Blood and Spider-Verse vs Venomverse, especially with Groom at the helm.
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