Spider-Man is out on patrol during the night, by day Peter Parker attends a journalism internship funded by Tony Stark.
There, he meets with Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy, and the trio are all after the same goal, to have the opportunity to interview Tony Stark. But all of that is disrupted as mutant canine-like creatures are attacking the citizens of new york and it’s up to Spider-Man to stop them….with some help?
Is Peter the only spider person in town? Who is unleashing these mutant canines, and what
Over the past few years, most especially the early 2000s Marvel made a lot of effort to make books that could be marketed to new readers or as Joe Quesada once said: “ new fan friendly”. That was the intent of the Ultimates line, the Marvel Age line, the Marvel Adventures line, and The Marvel Season line, which were all contemporary reimagining of everyone’s favorite heroes in a setting that matched the current status quo of today’s world. And this new slew of Marvel Action books that IDW and Marvel have published as part of their partnership is the latest of new fan-friendly books that reintroduces Spider-Man to a new generation of readers that have spawned in a post MCU landscape.
What’s great is that this first issue skips over the origin story that many readers and casuals tend to know in regards to Spider-Man. Dawson makes it clear that this is an established universe where other superheroes exist much like it’s 616 counterparts, which invites a nice interpretation that draws inspiration from the MCU. What makes this issue work so well is that it takes all of the familiar aspects that people have come to know about Spider-Man in the various mediums and condense it in a way that anyone can jump on board to pick up and read. Dawson has a good handle on the characters of Peter, Miles, and Gwen, they’re all likable and share similar traits to the counterparts that longtime readers have all grown to love. What makes this book more great is it gives a refreshing lense to what we’ve all come to know of the Spider-Man mythos and spins the story in a new light. When Stan Lee created Peter Parker in the 1960s, his job was a freelance photographer, but in the 2000s when Brian Bendis recreates Spider-Man for the new millennium, Peter Parker’s occupation is web design for the Daily Bugle. Within this series, Dawson recreates Parker for this day and age with the goals of being a journalist, which is different yet still falls in line with what has come before. I think what’s most enjoyable is that any middle school, high school student, and college student can relate to Peter’s troubles as an intern trying to hand in a paper on time, let alone trying to keep a good record of attendance and reputation in between it all. Even more interesting is the mystery of how Miles has gained his powers within this universe, which raises questions such as: is it possible that Dawson could draw inspiration from the Bendis origin of Miles? Will she go in a different route? The possibilities are endless at this point.
There are some elements of the comic that stem from the current animated series where Miles and Gwen Stacy are supporting characters that are now also Spider people. It’s interesting to see that not long ago, Miles came into the picture in 2011 as a character from the Ultimate universe while Spider Gwen made her appearance due to the 2014 Spider-Verse event. And ever since their appearance, they have gone on to become characters that have garnered a following that has trickled down into video games such as Spider-Man PS4, and the upcoming movie Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Admittedly, there are some goofy moments in the book that’ll make one wonder how a trash can could hold a large animalistic monster. But it’s the kind of flaw that can be easily glossed over given that this series is aimed at young readers who can jump onto a book that isn’t continuity heavy, which leaves room to explore the rules and boundaries of the world that Dawson, IDW and Marvel are shaping.
Aside from the writing, I feel that the artwork by Fico Ossio is really good! The art style evokes a bit of Mark Bagley early 2000’s vibes in regards to vibrance and gesture movement. Making the book have a flair that will appeal to young readers and older alike. I like the way the characters are illustrated making them look exactly the age that they are and providing some cool visuals to boot! The colors by Pattison and the letter by Shawn Lee are nice and fits well with the tone and style of the book.
I feel that this is a good jumping on point for any young reader that expressed interest in reading a comic, let alone a Spider-Man comic that provides characters that anyone can identify with. Despite the recent passing of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, there is one thing that they were always right about, which is that every comic is someone’s first comic, and I feel that this book fits perfectly with that mission statement. I definitely recommend adding this to the pull list for anyone that has never read a Spider-Man book but wants to just jump in to read one so they can enjoy reading a Spider-Man book in the same way that every other generation has. And I think it’s a nice pickup and read the book for any and every Spider-Man fan in general!
Newsdesk