Spider-Man Family (Vol. 2) #1 (Story 1)

Background

During the Secret Wars on the Beyonder's planet, Spider-Man's costume was ruined. Hearing of a machine that could create costumes, Spidey used the one he thought was it and ended up with a living entity known as a symbiote. It could look like any type of clothing, form its own webs, and increased his powers greatly. But, before it would come to betray him and create his ultimate rival, Venom, Spidey was blissfully unaware of just what it was...

Story 'Homesick'

It's business as usual as Spidey busts up some gun smugglers at a pier, while some local dock workers exchange commentary over it; one of them happening to be Sandman, trying to do things on the up and up for a change. Spidey wraps up the smugglers and sets off for home when the suit goes screwy and pulls him back towards the water. He tries to find it but ends up taking a dip, unknown to him something in an approaching cargo ship is calling out to the alien he wears as a costume.

A soggy Spidey returns home and decides to blow off his date with Black Cat and just hit the sack. While he sleeps, his costume comes to life and makes his way over to him when Peter wakes up, unable to sleep. He puts the costume back on and decides to do some webslinging. He stops a petty crime but finds himself all buzzed up on adrenaline. No way he'll get any sleep anytime soon...at least until his costume forms a mallet of itself and knocks him out with it.

Now in control, the costume uses Spidey's body to cross the city. It crosses paths with the Black Cat, but blows right past her and leaves her confused. The symbiote returns to the pier where the same workers from before are unloading the mysterious crate. The symbiote attacks and provokes Sandman to respond in kind. Sandman gets the upper hand and buries Spidey under some containers, but the Symbiote releases itself and deals with Sandy its own way. Its finally able to get to the crate, which contains a meteor that landed on Earth that comes from the Symbiote's home.

Peter awakens the next day, twice as sore as when he went to bed and none the wiser of his costume's sinister secret.

General Comments

Sean McKeever spins out a classic tale from Spidey's black costume days in good form. Not only does it feel and move like it should belong back in those days, but it doesn't overtly interfere with established continuity. McKeever's strong point has always been character-driven stories, and he even manages to make one about a silent, simple-minded creature interesting. The artwork is good, maybe a little too cartoony in places, but it gets the job done. (That job, conveniently being, tying into the upcoming Spider-Man 3 movie with the black costume AND Sandman).

Overall Rating

4.5 webs. Good story, very well done, and doesn't step all over continuity.