Web of Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #1

Background

During the Secret Wars, Spidey got himself a new 'costume' that turned out to be an alien symbiote. Reed Richards from the F4 had identified it and isolated it at F4 HQ but it had escaped and was 'hiding' in Pete's cupboard where he keeps his costumes.

Story ''Til Death Us Do Part'

We begin with Pete putting on his red and blue Spidey costume but it quickly turns into the symbiote while it is on him. We cut quickly to a street mugging. The muggers go back to some warehouse-type place where thy met up with their leader - he reveals that he had spent time in prison with the Vulture and has created his own Vulture-esque uniform ... except that it's red and yellow. The gang of four all change into Vulture costumes

Spidey starts battling with his costume, trying to get it off him. As he struggles with himself across the city, the Vulturians swoop by. They grab Spidey mid-air and fly off. Our hero spends half his time struggling with himself and the rest trying to escape the Vulturians. He has to be very careful though because his web shooters aren't working (they are organic - part of the suit).

Spidey manages to battle off three of the Vulturians as he also tries to make his way cross-city to the F4 building. As he pulls feathers from the remaining Vulture, the pair of them crash land in a bell tower of a church.

The loud chimes begin to send Spidey crazy and, in turn, the costume as well. It feeds off Pete's thoughts and so when his thoughts are scrambled, the symbiote cannot cope either.

Pete is sure he is going to die as he loses consciousness. His last thoughts are of Aunt May, Harry's baby (his godson) and MJ (in that order). While unconcious, the symbiote unattaches itself and carries Pete downstairs away from the bell - it has developed human feelings!

The story ends with Pete asleep on the floor and the symbiote disappeared. The last line is: 'In a very short while, Peter Parker will awaken and wonder why did it save him? It is a question that will haunt him for the rest of his life!'

General Comments

Web Of.. no.1 is quite a disappointment as the end of a long arc. Questions about the costume were cropping up on an every-issue basis through Amazing and Spectacular ever since the end of the Secret Wars.

Technically, this was a year (24 issues across both titles) ago, although in a weird continuity thing, the culmination of the Secret Wars was examined in the two core books before the actual 12-issue Secret wars series had been printed. Confused?

Anyway... the Vulturians seemed pretty pathetic and gave Spidey no opposition at all, even though he was simultaneously fighting off the costume. Many, many pages are simply of Spidey in the air struggling with himself. It gets tedious pretty quickly.

The art is pretty good in general, although the lack of backgrounds in each panel is quite disconcerting and becomes very dull. The cover is probably the best bit.

The ending is odd and, although it does eventually lead somewhere, for the time being is very unsatisfactory.

Overall Rating

Overall, a bit of a mess. A few reasonable ideas but a disastrous end to a promising arc. Not a good start for a new title.