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A review by billyjepma
Spider-Man: Life Story by Chip Zdarsky, Mark Bagley
5.0
Oh, wow, this was exceptional. I've said this before on here, but I've had trouble getting into Spider-Man's comics, despite loving the character a lot. I know of his major comic plotlines but haven't read many of them. But "Spider-Man: Life Story" makes me feel like I did. It's a lovingly crafted story of Spider-Man from his college years through to old age. Chip Zdarsky starts the story in the 1960s and ends in 2019, and this strategy worked *far* better than I expected it to. Zdarsky covers many of the biggest, most crucial Spider-Man storylines throughout this series, and devoting each issue to a decade of Peter's life gives him a unique opportunity to take significant story risks and unlock some big emotional payoffs.
While the structure of the series, by design, does mean some significant story developments occur in-between issues, Zdarsky never lets the consequences of those developments go unnoticed. Even if Peter's life goes through a major upheaval between issues, we still get to see him grapple with that upheaval and find a resolution to it––for better and for worse. I think what I most appreciate about this story is that it's a love letter to Spider-Man's character and history, but it never glorifies it the way "love letters" so often do. Zdarsky writes Peter as rash, impulsive, and almost always at wit's end. You can feel the weight of the world on Peter's shoulders with every line of dialogue Zdarsky gives him, and even when Peter makes the wrong decision(s), you feel for him. The tragedy and messiness of the character are on full display here, which means it's not a lighthearted read at all. Instead, it's a fiercely gripping and empathetic retelling of a character's iconic history and development that (almost) flawlessly encapsulates why Spidey/Peter continues to enjoy such longevity.
The comic also looks great too, although not in an entirely "modern" way. Despite the series' modern storytelling sensibilities, the artwork (smartly, in my mind) retains the traditional comic book art style that defined the medium in its early days. Mark Bagley's pencil work is excellent, and he captures a beautiful range of emotion and energy in his characters. John Dell and Drew Hennessy's inks are also strong, and they give Bagley's lines impressive definition even in the most hectic of sequences. Frank D'Armata's colors, meanwhile, paint Zdarsky's story in a very classic, appealing palette. While the aging of the characters is a little hit-and-miss (sometimes Peter looks *really* old in later issues, and other times he looks not old at all, for example), it's not a glaring issue and only gave me pause a couple of time across all six issues.
While I'd love to see Chip Zdarsky write more Spider-Man comics, after "Life Story" I almost feel like he doesn't have to. This is as exceptional a Spider-Man comic as I've ever read, and it works as both a stunning thesis statement for the character's iconic status *and* as a compelling examination of how a superhuman's greatest superpower is always going to be their humanity. This is an incredible comic, and I can imagine myself revisiting myself for years to come.
While the structure of the series, by design, does mean some significant story developments occur in-between issues, Zdarsky never lets the consequences of those developments go unnoticed. Even if Peter's life goes through a major upheaval between issues, we still get to see him grapple with that upheaval and find a resolution to it––for better and for worse. I think what I most appreciate about this story is that it's a love letter to Spider-Man's character and history, but it never glorifies it the way "love letters" so often do. Zdarsky writes Peter as rash, impulsive, and almost always at wit's end. You can feel the weight of the world on Peter's shoulders with every line of dialogue Zdarsky gives him, and even when Peter makes the wrong decision(s), you feel for him. The tragedy and messiness of the character are on full display here, which means it's not a lighthearted read at all. Instead, it's a fiercely gripping and empathetic retelling of a character's iconic history and development that (almost) flawlessly encapsulates why Spidey/Peter continues to enjoy such longevity.
The comic also looks great too, although not in an entirely "modern" way. Despite the series' modern storytelling sensibilities, the artwork (smartly, in my mind) retains the traditional comic book art style that defined the medium in its early days. Mark Bagley's pencil work is excellent, and he captures a beautiful range of emotion and energy in his characters. John Dell and Drew Hennessy's inks are also strong, and they give Bagley's lines impressive definition even in the most hectic of sequences. Frank D'Armata's colors, meanwhile, paint Zdarsky's story in a very classic, appealing palette. While the aging of the characters is a little hit-and-miss (sometimes Peter looks *really* old in later issues, and other times he looks not old at all, for example), it's not a glaring issue and only gave me pause a couple of time across all six issues.
While I'd love to see Chip Zdarsky write more Spider-Man comics, after "Life Story" I almost feel like he doesn't have to. This is as exceptional a Spider-Man comic as I've ever read, and it works as both a stunning thesis statement for the character's iconic status *and* as a compelling examination of how a superhuman's greatest superpower is always going to be their humanity. This is an incredible comic, and I can imagine myself revisiting myself for years to come.