Books / Comics
Back to his roots — a ‘Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man’ review
In a world saturated with so many stories about web-slinging heroes, does Chip Zdarsky’s ‘Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man’ stand out?
When Spider-Man: Homecoming came out, I made a joke on Twitter poking fun (all in good spirit) at the comical amount of Marvel titles featuring our friendly neighborhood superhero.
Currently, there are several ongoing series that feature Spidey (not all are Peter Parker, mind you) as the titular character. There’s Amazing Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2099, Ultimate Spider-Man, (just) Spider-Man, and a reprint of Astonishing Spider-Man. So the question is, ‘In a world saturated with so many stories about web-slinging heroes, does Chip Zdarsky’s Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man stand out?’
Early this year, Marvel announced that Zdarsky (Sex Criminals, Jughead) will be writing the series with Adam Kubert (Uncanny X-Men, The Incredible Hulk) as artist and Jordie Bellaire as colorist. It’s being published alongside the main title Amazing Spider-Man, working in the same universe and timeline. With the release of Sony’s MCU tie-in film Homecoming, and a new animated series later this year, Marvel wanted new fans to have an easy starting point coming into comics, Nick Lowe said in a cheeky editor’s note at the end of the first story.
There will be spoilers for both the first two issues of the comic and the movie beyond this point. Turn back now if you haven’t read and seen them. Or stay if you’re the kind of person (like I am) who reads spoilers.
A recurring theme in Homecoming is staying close to the ground - being the everyman hero or “your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.” It’s advice that an exasperated Tony Stark gives Peter after a failed self-imposed mission and something that Peter decides to give up a spot in the big leagues for. The new Spectacular Spider-Man embodies this essential part of Peter’s narrative very well. It gives us a going back to his roots story without being bogged down by how far the character has gotten. Peter is still CEO of Parker Industries and funds the Avengers, but that isn’t the focus of this comic. It gives us the young(ish) hero that fights robbers, has trouble interacting with a girl, and fails to keep his movie plans with Johnny Storm. I’m not hating on the main title for being what it is, because some great things have come from Dan Slott’s run, but Zdarsky perfectly captures the quintessential things that make Spider-Man relatable.
It’s hard to judge an ongoing comic’s plot as the arcs are just in their baby stages, but the most interesting part happens not in the main story, but in an additional one called “Spider-Fight.” In it a silent Black Widow goes after our hero in what turns out to be a super secret mission for S.H.I.E.L.D. The goal: to fight him long enough for a strange device to detect his moves as the organization covets having Spidey-senses for their own agents. This little snippet isn’t revisited in Issue #2 and damnit, I want answers. The main plot isn’t anything special yet as Spidey tracks down the mystery of a hacked Stark phone and the big gun, the fake sister plot twist is a bit convoluted to be brought back to be honest. However, I’m willing to give it a chance and am putting the comic on my pull list.
What this series does best so far though is characterization. The wise-cracks and occasional cheesy joke (Better Calls Saul, anyone?) that Spidey blurts out are still on my top five of why I keep coming back for more. Zdarsky knows how Peter’s humor works. It’s like he occupied his identity Otto Octavius style. More importantly, Peter’s interactions with Aunt May, Johnny and all the other characters feel authentic as they, too, are well written. I am especially intrigued by the introduction of comedian Rebecca London. She seems to be fleshed out and not just a romantic interest or a plot device like Liz was in the movie.
Another thing I love about this comic is the art. The colors make the reader feel the light vibe that the book is going for. I was a bit iffy at first about how Peter was drawn, but I’ve seen a lot of versions of him and eventually I get used to each one. Everything else is perfectly drawn that I could flip this thing all day. The first spread with Johnny and Spidey eating lunch on a building ledge overlooking the city merits several looks for how detailed it is.
Overall, Zdarsky and crew deliver. I would say that in a comic book world saturated with stories about Spider-Man, this series is a refreshing take on the wall-crawling web-slinging hero. This is a journey of Peter Parker rediscovering his essence and an essential read for any long time Spidey fan and any new ones looking to find out more after seeing Tom Holland’s portrayal on the big screen. I, for one, cannot wait for the next issue. ■
