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jsaunders0027's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
darylnash's review
4.0
Cross-overs are usually a mess, but this one was very well orchestrated and more importantly, a lot of fun. The Inheritors are kind of goofy—steampunk villains that overstayed their welcome—but we’re really all here to see the different Spider-being team-ups anyway. My inner twelve year old loved this.
mafionn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
booknerd93's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
katieb94's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
sodope's review
4.0
The inheritors are looking for all of the different spider-men across the universes, they need to join against this "vampires".
As all of the big events, some of these stories ain't good, as some of them are the most enjoyable stuff in the world.
As all of the big events, some of these stories ain't good, as some of them are the most enjoyable stuff in the world.
trike's review
5.0
I enjoyed this immensely. Which is saying something, because I have a special hatred of comic book crossover events. The reason I liked this so much is down to two things: 1) it’s well-written, and B) it’s contained to just the various Spider-man books.
A not-insignificant aspect of the enjoyment is that the side issues away from the primary story don’t faff around with pointless tangents, as so often happens with these kinds of tales. Staying on track really lends itself to the cohesiveness of the overarching plot. That’s another nice change. But most importantly, the side issues actually have an impact on the main story. Whoever plotted this (Slott?) did a masterful job.
Slott takes a villain, Morlun, from J. Michael Straczynski’s run on Spider-man ([b:The Amazing Spider-Man, Vol. 1: Coming Home|599052|The Amazing Spider-Man, Vol. 1 Coming Home|J. Michael Straczynski|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1505583716s/599052.jpg|585675]), and fills out the character’s backstory, giving him a family and deeper history. As I haven’t read all of the other Spidey comics since Morlun was introduced, I don’t know if some of this stuff was created elsewhere. Regardless, everything you need to know is contained here.
Morlun’s entire family subsists on the lifeforce of “spider totems”, so they hunt down and consume the energy of various versions of Spider-Man (and -Woman) throughout the multiverse. Only now they’re hunting down ALL the versions in the entire multiverse. Cue the epic team-up!
The list is truly impressive, and one forgets how many spin-offs from the original Peter Parker there are. Ben Reilly, Pete’s clone, and all of his variations. Miles Morales. Spider-Gwen. Silk. Spider-Girl. Araña. Spider-Woman. Spider-Wolf. Spider-Monster. Dinosaur Spider. Also from the different eras: 1602 Spider-Man. Lady Spider (1895). Noir Spider-Man (1930s). Spider-Man 2099. Spider-Knight.
By drawing in not just every comic book iteration of Spider-Man but also every media version, from cartoons to TV series to newspaper strips to movies, the cast is truly diverse and epic. The original 1960s cartoon Spidey is here, as is the cartoon Spectacular Spider-Man, and even the wacky 1970s Japanese live-action series Supaidaman, complete with giant robot. Also the sillier versions of Spidey are included, like Peter Porker, the Spectacular Spider-Ham and Spider-Monkey (from the [b:Marvel Apes|5367129|Marvel Apes|Karl Kesel|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1267402752s/5367129.jpg|5434643] limited series, which recasts superheroes as simians).
This leads to one of my favorite moments when the Spider-folks meet up:
Spider-Monkey: A talking pig?! That’s insane!
Spider-Ham: You’re kiddin’, right?
Spider-Man: Okay, that wins. Nothing is topping that today.
It is, in a word, amazing.
With so many to choose from, there is, of course, plenty of cannon fodder. This being a mainstream superhero comic, there’s never any doubt that our heroes will win in the end, nor will they kill any of the primary Spider characters, but that doesn’t mean the huge cast of secondary Spider-Men won’t be devastated. And boy are they. It’s very much a “have your cake and eat it too” situation, as most iterations of the spider totem are full-on heroes, so we get to have heroic self-sacrifice alongside the witty banter. And, because some of the worlds these alternate Spiders come from are dystopias, we get to have some Spider-Men who operate more like The Punisher and Wolverine: willing and able to kill.
It’s just a great concept all around that is expertly employed. And the art is amazing, too.
A not-insignificant aspect of the enjoyment is that the side issues away from the primary story don’t faff around with pointless tangents, as so often happens with these kinds of tales. Staying on track really lends itself to the cohesiveness of the overarching plot. That’s another nice change. But most importantly, the side issues actually have an impact on the main story. Whoever plotted this (Slott?) did a masterful job.
Slott takes a villain, Morlun, from J. Michael Straczynski’s run on Spider-man ([b:The Amazing Spider-Man, Vol. 1: Coming Home|599052|The Amazing Spider-Man, Vol. 1 Coming Home|J. Michael Straczynski|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1505583716s/599052.jpg|585675]), and fills out the character’s backstory, giving him a family and deeper history. As I haven’t read all of the other Spidey comics since Morlun was introduced, I don’t know if some of this stuff was created elsewhere. Regardless, everything you need to know is contained here.
Morlun’s entire family subsists on the lifeforce of “spider totems”, so they hunt down and consume the energy of various versions of Spider-Man (and -Woman) throughout the multiverse. Only now they’re hunting down ALL the versions in the entire multiverse. Cue the epic team-up!
The list is truly impressive, and one forgets how many spin-offs from the original Peter Parker there are. Ben Reilly, Pete’s clone, and all of his variations. Miles Morales. Spider-Gwen. Silk. Spider-Girl. Araña. Spider-Woman. Spider-Wolf. Spider-Monster. Dinosaur Spider. Also from the different eras: 1602 Spider-Man. Lady Spider (1895). Noir Spider-Man (1930s). Spider-Man 2099. Spider-Knight.
By drawing in not just every comic book iteration of Spider-Man but also every media version, from cartoons to TV series to newspaper strips to movies, the cast is truly diverse and epic. The original 1960s cartoon Spidey is here, as is the cartoon Spectacular Spider-Man, and even the wacky 1970s Japanese live-action series Supaidaman, complete with giant robot. Also the sillier versions of Spidey are included, like Peter Porker, the Spectacular Spider-Ham and Spider-Monkey (from the [b:Marvel Apes|5367129|Marvel Apes|Karl Kesel|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1267402752s/5367129.jpg|5434643] limited series, which recasts superheroes as simians).
This leads to one of my favorite moments when the Spider-folks meet up:
Spider-Monkey: A talking pig?! That’s insane!
Spider-Ham: You’re kiddin’, right?
Spider-Man: Okay, that wins. Nothing is topping that today.
It is, in a word, amazing.
With so many to choose from, there is, of course, plenty of cannon fodder. This being a mainstream superhero comic, there’s never any doubt that our heroes will win in the end, nor will they kill any of the primary Spider characters, but that doesn’t mean the huge cast of secondary Spider-Men won’t be devastated. And boy are they. It’s very much a “have your cake and eat it too” situation, as most iterations of the spider totem are full-on heroes, so we get to have heroic self-sacrifice alongside the witty banter. And, because some of the worlds these alternate Spiders come from are dystopias, we get to have some Spider-Men who operate more like The Punisher and Wolverine: willing and able to kill.
It’s just a great concept all around that is expertly employed. And the art is amazing, too.