JJ Abrams and his son enter the comic kingdom to share their take on Spider-Man. It doesn't disappoint.
According to the editor, Nick Lowe, this project’s been in the pipeline for over a decade. Incredible stuff. Aside from the brilliant artwork of Sara Pichelli and the riveting story that comprises our first issue, the Webs and Words section (letters page) was really interesting insofar as it contained a sneak peek into the backstory of how the concept came together. This book was awesome.
Let’s dive in!
Spider-Man and Mary Jane are atop the Brooklyn Bridge (probably) while Spidey’s copped a whooping from a villain called “Cadaverous”. When I first laid eyes on him, I thought we’d had a Star Wars crossover. He looks a lot like General Grievous and Ultron’s lovechild. Cadaverous wasn’t alone. It appeared as though Spidey mostly received his arse kicking from the gazillion minions at Cadaverous’ command. These dudes look like mechanised versions of Giger and Rambaldi’s Xenomorph from the “Alien” movies. It was mostly the head. Cadaverous stabs MJ in the back and tosses her off the bridge. Yikes.
Cue the sad stuff (cemetery scene where we meet their little one, Ben).
That was all of twelve years ago.
A red-headed Ben Parker.
Although Pichelli’s rendering of a teen Ben makes him look about fourteen years old, he is likely around seventeen. This is my take. Looking at how old he appeared at his mother’s funeral (he looked about five years old) and the fact we’re told this all happens twelve years later, a bit of complex math and we arrive at seventeen. Not a lot of dialogue or captioning later and we see resident bully, Roland picking on a nerd at school. Nek minute, Ben throws said bully through a classroom door and is called up to the principal’s office.
Probably a scene we all wish we could witness in real life. The douche getting slammed. Cliché, but for a valid reason.
Papa Spider makes his entrance.
In this incarnation of our Web-Swinging Wonder, Peter Parker isn’t in his son’s life. We’re not told too much, but he lives at least a plane flight away. No idea what he’s up to, but maybe he’s running Parker Industries? Alchemax? Will we see a cameo from Spider-Man 2099? Unlikely.
Pete takes Ben home and they have an argument about what one should do in the face of a situation requiring one’s help. I am eternally grateful that there was no mention of power or responsibility. In fact, it went in the opposite direction. Pete’s keen on staying out of stuff. Getting involved only complicates your life and “only makes things worse.”
Ben wants out and leaves the car to walk home as his pop continues on to catch his flight. Ben has a run-in with his front door and rips it off its hinges, has weird dreams about his mamma and wakes up on the ceiling. His chubby Aunt May (a new take by Pichelli, probably to reflect a contemporary elderly person with a higher-than-normal BMI and diabetes) gives him access to Pete’s love letters to his mother and a shredded Spidey costume.
Time to clank heads in papa’s old threads!
One arc of this book I’m looking forward to seeing more of is the teen rebel we get a look at named Faye Ito, an Asian punk/emo in a miniskirt with green spray paint on her face. Ben likes her rebelliousness. I see a team-up happening here.
Where we are left and my final thoughts.
This hasn’t been an extensive blow-by-blow but it’s been enough to make you realise that this book is worth your money. It’s Abrams’ first foray into comics and it looks and reads brilliantly. Pichelli’s imagining of Peter Parker is outstanding and that’s probably got a lot to do with him looking remarkably like Keanu Reeves from all his movies. John Wick comes to mind. I can only imagine a really dark Peter bashing the cripes out of anyone who gets in his path. He’s already lost MJ and appears to be losing (or lost) his son’s respect and admiration.
This book can only get better. Its set up is masterful and if I don’t see this reviewed on my current favourite comic-related YouTube channel (Comic Book Palace), I’ll be one sad Spider-Fan.
Excelsior, fellow nerds.
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