What do you think?
Rate this book
Web of Spider-Man (1985) #1-18, Annual #1-2
Essential Web of Spider-Man - Volume 1 by Simonson, Louise, Fingeroth, Danny, David, Peter, Mantlo, Bill (September 14, 2011) Paperback
It's an all-new series starring your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man! Swinging through town in his sleek black suit, Spidey faces new threats - including Magma, the Vulturions, Chance, Future Max and the Smithville Thunderbolt - as well as classic foes like the Kingpin, Dr. Octopus and the Vulture! Guest-starring Dominic Fortune and the New Mutants! Collecting WEB OF SPIDER-MAN (1985) #1-18 and ANNUAL #1-2, and AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1963) #268.
Paperback
First published September 14, 2011
5 people are currently reading
112 people want to read
About the author
Louise Simonson
964 books100 followersLouise Simonson (born Mary Louise Alexander and formerly credited as Louise Jones, when married to artist Jeff Jones) is an American comic book writer and editor. She is best known for her work on comic book titles such as Power Pack, X-Factor, New Mutants, Superman, and Steel. She is sometimes referred to by the nickname "Weezie".
Since 1980 she is married to comic book writer and artist Walter Simonson
Since 1980 she is married to comic book writer and artist Walter Simonson
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
April 18, 2023
I read the comic books Web of Spider-Man #1-21 and annuals #1-2, covering all the issues published in 1985 and 1986, which is more than what's collected in this volume. This became a third concurrent Spider-Man series! These opening years featured debuting Humbug, Chance, Solo, the Beyonder's gold building and a great story with the other 'Thunderbolt. The only reason for a third Spider-title book was money, but hey ho! 6 out of 12.
2014 read
2014 read
July 6, 2025
This one's a real mixed bag for me. The series really suffers from a lack of momentum after the first issue. Issues 2-5 or 6, in particular, are some of the most boring Spider-Man comics I've read. They're missing the urgency, drive, and overall fun you'd expect from a Spider-Man title. Plus, they feel incredibly cheesy, which is surprising for the mid-80s.
On the bright side, things pick up significantly once Peter David starts writing more stories. I especially enjoyed the Thunderbolt character, penned by Michelinie, and it's clear why he went on to get the main Amazing Spider-Man gig soon after. Those later stories are well-written and feature a surprisingly dark ending.
Ultimately, there's some fun to be had here, but also a fair bit of "meh" and even "crap." So, for now, it lands at a 2.5-3 out of 5.
On the bright side, things pick up significantly once Peter David starts writing more stories. I especially enjoyed the Thunderbolt character, penned by Michelinie, and it's clear why he went on to get the main Amazing Spider-Man gig soon after. Those later stories are well-written and feature a surprisingly dark ending.
Ultimately, there's some fun to be had here, but also a fair bit of "meh" and even "crap." So, for now, it lands at a 2.5-3 out of 5.
April 18, 2023
This was the third comic book series surrounding Peter Parker aka Spiderman, the opening of this comic ends the Alien symbiont who was disguised as his new black suit. The black suit pops ups again later on in this volume which showed a far more pedestrian pace in telling a story, some of them I actually read before but not in this sequence.
This volume does contain some excellent drawings that do certainly not suffer from the B/W print and highlight some of the pencilers/artists work which by this time is actually very satisfactory, with the exception of McFarlane's Spideys whose art was just stellar (but they are not in this volume).
Entertaining and the stories get time to breath instead of being wrapped up within one episode and they add to the legend of Spidey.
For me Spiderman & Daredevil are the most interesting characters in the Marvel universe so any time I can lay my hands on such a bundle I will gladly do so and since I enjoyed it so much I did read the comic volume in almost one day, good thing the sun was up and shining and the nature of the Ardennen was glorious.
I really do enjoy these Essential b/w collections the most difficult is actually obtaining them they have become quite costly.
This volume does contain some excellent drawings that do certainly not suffer from the B/W print and highlight some of the pencilers/artists work which by this time is actually very satisfactory, with the exception of McFarlane's Spideys whose art was just stellar (but they are not in this volume).
Entertaining and the stories get time to breath instead of being wrapped up within one episode and they add to the legend of Spidey.
For me Spiderman & Daredevil are the most interesting characters in the Marvel universe so any time I can lay my hands on such a bundle I will gladly do so and since I enjoyed it so much I did read the comic volume in almost one day, good thing the sun was up and shining and the nature of the Ardennen was glorious.
I really do enjoy these Essential b/w collections the most difficult is actually obtaining them they have become quite costly.
March 14, 2012
Just as it's odd to see movies I originally saw in theaters cropping up on AMC and Turner Classic Movies, it's equally strange to find large collected editions of comic books I read and collected as a kid turning up on the shelves of my library or book store.
Case in point--"Web of Spider-Man," a comic that I not only purchased issue number one many, many moons ago but one I had to scour the shelves of my local store to find.
The issue is a pretty pivotal one in recent Spidey-lore, featuring the return of the black costume and Spidey's eventual defeat of it using the sound waves from the bell tower. What most of the adaptations since that time omit is a rather pedestrian subplot and battle with the Vulturions, a group of criminals who have stolen the Vulture's flying tech and are now terrorizing New York City. While the black costume disappears after issue one (at least the alien symbiote version does), the Vulterions hang around for an issue or two. This collection of the first eighteen issues of the comic plus one cross-over issue of "Amazing Spider-Man" and two extended annuals also features such classic Spidey adversaries as Doc Ock, the Vulture and the Kingpin as well as a few newly invented friends and foes, many of whom are largely forgettable once you've jumped to the next issue.
Taking the chance to re-read this early run of "Web" reminds me that sometimes we shouldn't revisit the things we loved in our younger days. They may not hold up to the memories we have of them. That's the case with "Web of Spider-Man." Part of the blame could be a revolving door at writer and artist, leading to an inconsistent feel to this twenty or so issue run. And part of it could be that it was at a time when there was a glut of Spider-Man comics on the market and creatively Marvel didn't have the juice to sustain them all.
That doesn't mean there aren't a few gems in here. As I said before the first issue is fairly pivotal and the last issue collected here gives us some hints of things to come. The best stories are one-offs written by all-around great writer Peter David, one of which involves the Hulk and Spidey's subconscious. However, there were a lot of stories I found myself skimming through as this "essential" collection moved along. This is especially the case in the two "Secret Wars 2" stories included here about the Beyonder turning a building to gold and Spidey having to rescue those inside. This reminded me of why I began to weary of comics at this point in my reading and collecting career--too many tie-ins that weren't creatively justified and seemed more like a cash grab than something being done for story telling reasons.
This collection left me yearning to revisit some of the early days of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko when the stories were all relatively self-contained. I may have to dust off those collections and give them a try.
Case in point--"Web of Spider-Man," a comic that I not only purchased issue number one many, many moons ago but one I had to scour the shelves of my local store to find.
The issue is a pretty pivotal one in recent Spidey-lore, featuring the return of the black costume and Spidey's eventual defeat of it using the sound waves from the bell tower. What most of the adaptations since that time omit is a rather pedestrian subplot and battle with the Vulturions, a group of criminals who have stolen the Vulture's flying tech and are now terrorizing New York City. While the black costume disappears after issue one (at least the alien symbiote version does), the Vulterions hang around for an issue or two. This collection of the first eighteen issues of the comic plus one cross-over issue of "Amazing Spider-Man" and two extended annuals also features such classic Spidey adversaries as Doc Ock, the Vulture and the Kingpin as well as a few newly invented friends and foes, many of whom are largely forgettable once you've jumped to the next issue.
Taking the chance to re-read this early run of "Web" reminds me that sometimes we shouldn't revisit the things we loved in our younger days. They may not hold up to the memories we have of them. That's the case with "Web of Spider-Man." Part of the blame could be a revolving door at writer and artist, leading to an inconsistent feel to this twenty or so issue run. And part of it could be that it was at a time when there was a glut of Spider-Man comics on the market and creatively Marvel didn't have the juice to sustain them all.
That doesn't mean there aren't a few gems in here. As I said before the first issue is fairly pivotal and the last issue collected here gives us some hints of things to come. The best stories are one-offs written by all-around great writer Peter David, one of which involves the Hulk and Spidey's subconscious. However, there were a lot of stories I found myself skimming through as this "essential" collection moved along. This is especially the case in the two "Secret Wars 2" stories included here about the Beyonder turning a building to gold and Spidey having to rescue those inside. This reminded me of why I began to weary of comics at this point in my reading and collecting career--too many tie-ins that weren't creatively justified and seemed more like a cash grab than something being done for story telling reasons.
This collection left me yearning to revisit some of the early days of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko when the stories were all relatively self-contained. I may have to dust off those collections and give them a try.
December 19, 2020
This is Spidey's version of The Most Dangerous Game. Writers must be taking a breather.
July 26, 2021
Got to love it when Marvel adds another Spider-man title. Nice collection of the beginning of this series. Good art and writing. Recommended
December 28, 2020
Meh. Some parts were good, but somehow not the best I have read. It had the feeling of the 80s, with the relationship between Peter Parker and Mary Jane moving towards what we all know.
Maybe a 2 is a bit harsh... Borderline 2/3 stars.
Maybe a 2 is a bit harsh... Borderline 2/3 stars.
December 2, 2023
I bought every single one of these issues off of the stands on the day of release. This title was always like the red-headed stepchild of the Spider-titles, lacking a consistent creative team or approach. I didn't care for most of these issues as an 11-12 year old kid but enjoyed them as an adult for the most part.
Issue 1 was released on Thursday, December 27, 1984. This would be the newsstand/ 7-11 release date. The Direct Market was 3 weeks ahead of the newsstands, at least in Metro Detroit at that time. Your mileage may vary depending on where you lived. It came out the week after Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man No. 100, the events of which lead directly into this issue. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. If/when the Masterworks get to this point, all three titles will need to be merged into one line, as the storylines tend to bleed into one another and will result in an unsatisfying read if you have to jump from book to book to read them. Or, worse still, we will get multiple issue repeated, i.e. Kraven's Last Hunt, across multiple lines. Either way it's a lose-lose scenario.
Issue 10 has a true variant cover floating around out there. I refer to variants as printing discrepancies, not “dealer incentives” where comic shops order extra copies to get a 1:50, 1:100, 1:200, etc., variant to sell above cover price. The copy of issue 10 that I bought off of the spinner rack at 7-11 had a .75 cover price with a .65 price tag covering it. .65 was the cover price on the Direct Market edition. I know because I checked at the time. My best guess is that some Canadian newsstand editions got mixed in and repriced on the distributor level, or they were misprinted with a .75 cover price and then repriced accordingly. The copy shown in this book has a newsstand edition .65 cover price, fueling my theory. This is truly one of the great mysteries at our time. Leonard Nimoy needs to resurrect In Search Of... and do an episode where he gets to the bottom of this.
This issue covers are mostly inventory or “iconic” covers, which is early aughts speak for cover images that have nothing to do with the story inside and could be slapped on any issue at any time. Issue 1 had a great Charles Vess cover which had nothing to do with the story inside, and the covers for 8, 11, 14, and Annual 2 could have appeared anywhere as well.
The chicken scratch artwork that would define the '90s began here, at least for me. Kyle Baker, Marc Silvestri, and even Art Adams (whose early work I despise but I like his modern stuff) emphasized flash over substance. This style of art drove me out in late '89/early '90 and kept me away until a decade or so ago. Bob McLeod's artwork in issue 11 and 12, however, is incredible. He is an underrated and seemingly forgotten great from this era.
The writing is decent if inconsistent. David Michelinie cuts his teeth on the character on this title before assuming the flagship title (Amazing Spider-Man) a year or so later. Peter David also wrote a couple of issues, although issue 7 may have been an inventory story that could have just as easily appeared during his run on Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man.
So while I read and reread all of these issues repeatedly during this time, I don't have much nostalgia for these issues. They simply weren't that good for me to remember them fondly. Having said that, I look forward to the day that I can upgrade and buy Masterworks or an Omnibus of this stuff.
OCD alert! OCD alert! Web of Spider-Man Annual No. 1 is incorrectly placed after issue 9. It was released after issue 6. The logical place for this issue would be after issue 6 and the Amazing Spider-Man No. 268 (crossover issue) and before issue 7.
These Essentials remain a bargain. 500+ black and white pages printed on pulp paper for $19.99 MSRP. Cheaper than a movie ticket and pop and popcorn combo. My only gripes about the line are the lack of page numbers and the lack of cover artist credits. DC puts page numbers on their Showcase Presents line of phonebooks. The cover artists were often different than the artist for the issue, so a dedicated cover artist section on the table of contents is necessary.
Issue 1 was released on Thursday, December 27, 1984. This would be the newsstand/ 7-11 release date. The Direct Market was 3 weeks ahead of the newsstands, at least in Metro Detroit at that time. Your mileage may vary depending on where you lived. It came out the week after Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man No. 100, the events of which lead directly into this issue. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. If/when the Masterworks get to this point, all three titles will need to be merged into one line, as the storylines tend to bleed into one another and will result in an unsatisfying read if you have to jump from book to book to read them. Or, worse still, we will get multiple issue repeated, i.e. Kraven's Last Hunt, across multiple lines. Either way it's a lose-lose scenario.
Issue 10 has a true variant cover floating around out there. I refer to variants as printing discrepancies, not “dealer incentives” where comic shops order extra copies to get a 1:50, 1:100, 1:200, etc., variant to sell above cover price. The copy of issue 10 that I bought off of the spinner rack at 7-11 had a .75 cover price with a .65 price tag covering it. .65 was the cover price on the Direct Market edition. I know because I checked at the time. My best guess is that some Canadian newsstand editions got mixed in and repriced on the distributor level, or they were misprinted with a .75 cover price and then repriced accordingly. The copy shown in this book has a newsstand edition .65 cover price, fueling my theory. This is truly one of the great mysteries at our time. Leonard Nimoy needs to resurrect In Search Of... and do an episode where he gets to the bottom of this.
This issue covers are mostly inventory or “iconic” covers, which is early aughts speak for cover images that have nothing to do with the story inside and could be slapped on any issue at any time. Issue 1 had a great Charles Vess cover which had nothing to do with the story inside, and the covers for 8, 11, 14, and Annual 2 could have appeared anywhere as well.
The chicken scratch artwork that would define the '90s began here, at least for me. Kyle Baker, Marc Silvestri, and even Art Adams (whose early work I despise but I like his modern stuff) emphasized flash over substance. This style of art drove me out in late '89/early '90 and kept me away until a decade or so ago. Bob McLeod's artwork in issue 11 and 12, however, is incredible. He is an underrated and seemingly forgotten great from this era.
The writing is decent if inconsistent. David Michelinie cuts his teeth on the character on this title before assuming the flagship title (Amazing Spider-Man) a year or so later. Peter David also wrote a couple of issues, although issue 7 may have been an inventory story that could have just as easily appeared during his run on Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man.
So while I read and reread all of these issues repeatedly during this time, I don't have much nostalgia for these issues. They simply weren't that good for me to remember them fondly. Having said that, I look forward to the day that I can upgrade and buy Masterworks or an Omnibus of this stuff.
OCD alert! OCD alert! Web of Spider-Man Annual No. 1 is incorrectly placed after issue 9. It was released after issue 6. The logical place for this issue would be after issue 6 and the Amazing Spider-Man No. 268 (crossover issue) and before issue 7.
These Essentials remain a bargain. 500+ black and white pages printed on pulp paper for $19.99 MSRP. Cheaper than a movie ticket and pop and popcorn combo. My only gripes about the line are the lack of page numbers and the lack of cover artist credits. DC puts page numbers on their Showcase Presents line of phonebooks. The cover artists were often different than the artist for the issue, so a dedicated cover artist section on the table of contents is necessary.
June 23, 2015
The essential third string of 80s Spider-Man titles is an abstract of why Spider-Man mattered to me as a kid. Nostalgia aside, there's plenty of brawling, collateral damage, and angsting going on here.
Unfortunately, Web's third string status means a lot of the meaningful character conflicts that drive our guy, Spidey, are resolved in other books. It's not jarring, but it is kind of annoying when something big happens in one issue only to be completely ignored in the next because it was resolved in ...Spectacular... or Amazing...
The art is consistent, if not mindblowing, and the black suit is as badass as I remember. With apologies to the colorists of the world, Web... was produced in the comic book era where color was a marketing tool rather than an essential artistic component, so the only thing suffering from the demands of the Essentials format (black and white, cheap paper) are some of the covers.
All told, a decent read for anyone wanting to learn what Reagan era Spider-Man was all about.
Unfortunately, Web's third string status means a lot of the meaningful character conflicts that drive our guy, Spidey, are resolved in other books. It's not jarring, but it is kind of annoying when something big happens in one issue only to be completely ignored in the next because it was resolved in ...Spectacular... or Amazing...
The art is consistent, if not mindblowing, and the black suit is as badass as I remember. With apologies to the colorists of the world, Web... was produced in the comic book era where color was a marketing tool rather than an essential artistic component, so the only thing suffering from the demands of the Essentials format (black and white, cheap paper) are some of the covers.
All told, a decent read for anyone wanting to learn what Reagan era Spider-Man was all about.
March 15, 2021
This first volume of Web of Spider-Man issues is solid, with some great authors and great pencillers putting forth some stellar work.
This volume contains the first eighteen normal issues and first two annuals of the Web of Spider-Man comic, which ran concurrently with both Amazing Spider-Man and Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man at the time. David Michelinie plots a lot of these issues (and his work is, as usual, phenomenal) and Mike Silvestri and Mark Harris are both standouts in terms of the pencils. The only real drag of an issue, in my opinion, is the second annual issue.
There are a surprising amount of issues here that deal with some decently heavy real-world issues (anti-Semitism, animal rights, and government corruption being some that come to mind off-hand). This is perhaps to be somewhat expected with Michelinie at the helm, but I was still rather impressed.
If you like 80’s Spider-Man, I would recommend picking this up.
This volume contains the first eighteen normal issues and first two annuals of the Web of Spider-Man comic, which ran concurrently with both Amazing Spider-Man and Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man at the time. David Michelinie plots a lot of these issues (and his work is, as usual, phenomenal) and Mike Silvestri and Mark Harris are both standouts in terms of the pencils. The only real drag of an issue, in my opinion, is the second annual issue.
There are a surprising amount of issues here that deal with some decently heavy real-world issues (anti-Semitism, animal rights, and government corruption being some that come to mind off-hand). This is perhaps to be somewhat expected with Michelinie at the helm, but I was still rather impressed.
If you like 80’s Spider-Man, I would recommend picking this up.
December 15, 2011
I was given a copy by my brother, who didn't enjoy it enough to keep it. Reading it it's easy to see why; this is vintage mid-1980s decay of a classic comic characters as they struggled to update themselves for the times while holding onto 25 years of built up continuity at the same time that the comics world was changing. The result isn't terribly pleasing to fans of Bronze or Iron Age comics, because it doesn't fully fit into either category. It's like a 30-something uncle trying to hang out with his 20 year old nephew...trying to be "cool" in the new way while awkwardly holding onto his experience.
April 24, 2019
When Web of Spider Man came out in 1984 it was the third Spider Man title and was the "C" level book in terms of quality. It is much darker than the other titles at the time (Amazing Spider Man & Spectacular Spider Man) and deals vary rarely with super powered villains, rather the title dealt much more with the gritty streets of New York and the criminal side of New York.
I much prefer the other titles, the other writers and the other artists but I do enjoy Spider Man and so this was a solid three star book for me.
I much prefer the other titles, the other writers and the other artists but I do enjoy Spider Man and so this was a solid three star book for me.
August 22, 2021
This collects Web of Spider-man 1-18 and Annual #1 and #2. A solid collection of Spider-man comics from the 1980s beginning with Spidey's battling of the Alien Symbiote in a classic story, and includes the Smithville Thunderbolt story, but also a bit of a crossover with Secret Wars 2. A mix of villains as well as a lot of experimental ideas. While it's a mixed bag, this collection is definitely worth a read if you want Spidey comics with an anthology feel.
October 29, 2014
this collection was better than i thought it would be. i picked it up mostly because i was curious what kind of stories they were doing in the 80's, but i wasn't expecting much. A nice little surprise of a book.
May 20, 2015
This is quite a lot of stories. Peter Parker becomes a hero in his own right. He sees the wrong side of journalism. Oh, and fights a few bad guys. It's also known for having the first hint at Venom. It was an engaging read, and Peter wasnt quite as woe is me as he is in other stories. A good read.
October 1, 2025
A decent collection of Spidey stories, but the whole thing is so all over the place with all the different writers and lack of continuity ... I think this might be the point where I'll start staying on the mainline (unless a crossover event is happening of course) to speed up my progress. I'll never reach the modern era if I keep reading everything, lol. And it might also just not be worth it. PLUS it's getting harder to find Paperback volumes on here to even rate all of the stuff. I definitely won't start rating individual issues. And if I'm in the mood for some 80's stories I can always go back.
I was pretty happy with some of these stories on here and it was nice to see Michelinie write the final issues, so I could already get a taste for the writing of the guy who's going to take over Amazing for quite a long time. I like his style so far. But yeah, Amazing only from here on out, I guess. Though even that will be tough to log here, since the Essential Collections are taking really long to come out.
Edit: Just found out that Michelinie's run goes on until issue 20 and that it was a very ambitious and political story that led to Marvel themselves getting a bomb threat to change course. I'm checking out those remaining two issues, because that sounds wild and it gives me closure on Michelinie's short run. Won't log them here, though. Just found it interesting to note.
I was pretty happy with some of these stories on here and it was nice to see Michelinie write the final issues, so I could already get a taste for the writing of the guy who's going to take over Amazing for quite a long time. I like his style so far. But yeah, Amazing only from here on out, I guess. Though even that will be tough to log here, since the Essential Collections are taking really long to come out.
Edit: Just found out that Michelinie's run goes on until issue 20 and that it was a very ambitious and political story that led to Marvel themselves getting a bomb threat to change course. I'm checking out those remaining two issues, because that sounds wild and it gives me closure on Michelinie's short run. Won't log them here, though. Just found it interesting to note.
July 11, 2024
A truly terrible Secret Wars II tie-in, but gems include the alien costume saves Peter, Vulturions v. May’s hat, Vulture v. Vulturions, Spidey v. Ock’s arms, Ock v. Kate Cushing, Spidey v. Nightmare & Smithville Thunderbolt, Dominic Fortune tries to shoot Shocker, Flash & JJJ explains their perspectives, Black Fox’s fence is murdered, Spidey v. Chance, Joy & Peter roadtrip to Appalachia, Spidey v. Magma, hobo Peter, & Mignola draws Hobgoblin
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 30, 2015
"Web of Spider-Man" is the third magazine to publish solo spidey adventures, after the original "Amazing Spider-Man" and the not as original "Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man". "Spectacular" isn't as good as "Amazing", and "Web of" follows that general decline.
It's not to say that Web of Spider-Man is bad, Louise Simonson and company know that Spider-Man can never be completely terrible. The humanizing concerns of Spider-Man are always there, having to take care of Aunt May, what of his budding relationship with Mary Jane Watson, trying to scrape up money while working as a freelance photographer. We all know the story, but it's still compelling to root for old Petey.
And the action is generally solid. Spider-Man is webbing around, comes across things relatively unawares, often tries to save Manhattan (which is another easy way to keep the audience engaged).
It just seems like that at times there is something missing. That there is a certain lack of sharpness in the stories. On a basic level, it doesn't help that the reader is informed that they missed major story arcs in "Amazing and/or Spectacular Spider-Man", or maybe "Marvel Team-Up". Relatively takes the wind out of your sails. Which is probably by design, "you, 80s comics reader, read this other Spider-Man comic also, buy it now!"
There are admirable attempts to create new villains within the confine of the mag, but I think there was also a tendency to resolve the storylines in relative safety. Like the nagging concerns Peter always has about taking order of his life and not dying either get pacified at issue's ends, or the negativity remains in a polite holding pattern, making it seem like it's not really a big deal.
One storyline, in which Spider-Man physically assaults J. Jonah Jameson because he's upset about Jonah's lies, and yet the storyline is resolved completely in one issue, really makes the reader feel like they're disconnected from the potential reality of this situation. Or a story about Peter Parker disappearing, and a flashback reveals that Spider-Man was lost and had some hijinks with a southern town, it was pretty flat resolution to what seemed like a good payoff.
The first issue in the book "Web of Spider-Man no. 1", implies the problematic safety of the book. It's a strong premise. In essence, in a previous story, Peter Parker figured out that the black suit he got on the Beyonder's homeworld (read Secret Wars if you're curious, it's a much better book!), anways, that suit has a parasite in it.
He thinks he got rid of the parasite, but it got back onto his body. And the Vulturions, these criminals who stole the design for Vulture's suit, take this moment to try and kill Spider-Man. No spoilers, but all of this destructive awesomeness gets resolved in one issue, and it's lame.
It at times feels like a real Spider-Man book written for much younger children, it's an odd mix that doesn't gel for any clear demographic.
"Web of Spider-Man Annual No. 1" similarly mixed generally positive with a little bit of undercreativeness. There's this kid with a dire physical illness who is replacing dying body parts with robot parts. He's trying to win over this girl next door, so he has his robo-inventions steal jewelry. Spider-Man finds out, turns out the the kid knows of Peter Parker since they're both science nerds who at different points went to the same high school.
Anway, all this set-up is fine (actually it's kind of clever), but then we get a generic villain with no characterization who takes advantage of the boy, and the love story gets resolved with minimal nuance. It's an ok story that avoids general greatness.
The last story in the book, "Web of Spider-Man Annual No. 2", is much better, probably because it incorporates a pre-established and solid Marvel entity. Warlock, the robot from the New Mutants, loses his mind and Spider-Man has to try and save him.
There's a much stronger intellect behind what Warlock does, and he and Spider-Man create better random side human characters as a result.
It would've been so easy for these Marvel writers to apply that kind of depth to generic human characters, to not make the audience feel like they're reading non-realistic characters with no duality to their morality. Good people, bad people.
There were stronger moments though. The 1940s spy character Dominic Fortune shows up, and generally is a fun change of pace. Ditto with the Black Fox and his criminal adventures as an older criminal.
The strong moments should have been there more often, but it wasn't terrible. It is Spider-Man after all.
It's not to say that Web of Spider-Man is bad, Louise Simonson and company know that Spider-Man can never be completely terrible. The humanizing concerns of Spider-Man are always there, having to take care of Aunt May, what of his budding relationship with Mary Jane Watson, trying to scrape up money while working as a freelance photographer. We all know the story, but it's still compelling to root for old Petey.
And the action is generally solid. Spider-Man is webbing around, comes across things relatively unawares, often tries to save Manhattan (which is another easy way to keep the audience engaged).
It just seems like that at times there is something missing. That there is a certain lack of sharpness in the stories. On a basic level, it doesn't help that the reader is informed that they missed major story arcs in "Amazing and/or Spectacular Spider-Man", or maybe "Marvel Team-Up". Relatively takes the wind out of your sails. Which is probably by design, "you, 80s comics reader, read this other Spider-Man comic also, buy it now!"
There are admirable attempts to create new villains within the confine of the mag, but I think there was also a tendency to resolve the storylines in relative safety. Like the nagging concerns Peter always has about taking order of his life and not dying either get pacified at issue's ends, or the negativity remains in a polite holding pattern, making it seem like it's not really a big deal.
One storyline, in which Spider-Man physically assaults J. Jonah Jameson because he's upset about Jonah's lies, and yet the storyline is resolved completely in one issue, really makes the reader feel like they're disconnected from the potential reality of this situation. Or a story about Peter Parker disappearing, and a flashback reveals that Spider-Man was lost and had some hijinks with a southern town, it was pretty flat resolution to what seemed like a good payoff.
The first issue in the book "Web of Spider-Man no. 1", implies the problematic safety of the book. It's a strong premise. In essence, in a previous story, Peter Parker figured out that the black suit he got on the Beyonder's homeworld (read Secret Wars if you're curious, it's a much better book!), anways, that suit has a parasite in it.
He thinks he got rid of the parasite, but it got back onto his body. And the Vulturions, these criminals who stole the design for Vulture's suit, take this moment to try and kill Spider-Man. No spoilers, but all of this destructive awesomeness gets resolved in one issue, and it's lame.
It at times feels like a real Spider-Man book written for much younger children, it's an odd mix that doesn't gel for any clear demographic.
"Web of Spider-Man Annual No. 1" similarly mixed generally positive with a little bit of undercreativeness. There's this kid with a dire physical illness who is replacing dying body parts with robot parts. He's trying to win over this girl next door, so he has his robo-inventions steal jewelry. Spider-Man finds out, turns out the the kid knows of Peter Parker since they're both science nerds who at different points went to the same high school.
Anway, all this set-up is fine (actually it's kind of clever), but then we get a generic villain with no characterization who takes advantage of the boy, and the love story gets resolved with minimal nuance. It's an ok story that avoids general greatness.
The last story in the book, "Web of Spider-Man Annual No. 2", is much better, probably because it incorporates a pre-established and solid Marvel entity. Warlock, the robot from the New Mutants, loses his mind and Spider-Man has to try and save him.
There's a much stronger intellect behind what Warlock does, and he and Spider-Man create better random side human characters as a result.
It would've been so easy for these Marvel writers to apply that kind of depth to generic human characters, to not make the audience feel like they're reading non-realistic characters with no duality to their morality. Good people, bad people.
There were stronger moments though. The 1940s spy character Dominic Fortune shows up, and generally is a fun change of pace. Ditto with the Black Fox and his criminal adventures as an older criminal.
The strong moments should have been there more often, but it wasn't terrible. It is Spider-Man after all.
April 30, 2016
Reprints Web of Spider-Man (1) #1-18, Annual #1-2 and Amazing Spider-Man (1) #268 (April 1985-September 1986). Peter Parker finds his alien costume is alive and slowly killing him…and that are just the start of his problems. Peter deals with money woes, being the target of a gang, and goes missing after being caught in an explosion…and it is all in a day’s work for the Web-Slinger. Being Spider-Man is hard, and Peter is up to the challenge!
Essential Web of Spider-Man is written by various writers and illustrated by multiple artists. The comic replaced the previous Spider-Man series Marvel Team-Up which ended with Marvel Team-Up (1) #150 (March 1985). Like all of Marvel Essential line, the issues were printed in black and white.
I loved Marvel Team-Up. I liked when weird, obscure characters got highlighted, and I loved the single issue adventures of Marvel Team-Up…it was the only place where Spider-Man could team with Satana for an issue and then hook-up with Doc Samson. Web of Spider-Man was a good comic but I miss the old comic.
The comic feels like more of the same for readers of Amazing Spider-Man (or Spectacular Spider-Man). While this could be a problem, this is also a very solid period of the Spider-Man comics. Unlike current comics, events in the other Spider titles did effect events here, but you also could just read Web of Spider-Man and generally follow the story. The stories in Web of Spider-Man seemed to favor Peter’s life a bit more than Amazing Spider-Man, but Spider-Man was always Peter heavy (and that is what made the comic).
The artists in the volume also are some of my favorite artists. The stories were pre-Image and most of the artists strived for stylistic consistency. There are a lot of artists working on this volume but if you just flip through it, the art is relatively standard comic art. Once again, this could be seen as a weakness, but it does work her to make some classic ’80s comics.
Web of Spider-Man was starting when I was starting to read comics. Web of Spider-Man #2 was one of my early comics and I can remember reading it over and over again. I have a soft spot for this title, but I do think it holds up (especially when compared to the mess that is Spider-Man today). If you’ve read all of Amazing Spider-Man’s early adventures swing on by Web of Spider-Man for more fun!
Essential Web of Spider-Man is written by various writers and illustrated by multiple artists. The comic replaced the previous Spider-Man series Marvel Team-Up which ended with Marvel Team-Up (1) #150 (March 1985). Like all of Marvel Essential line, the issues were printed in black and white.
I loved Marvel Team-Up. I liked when weird, obscure characters got highlighted, and I loved the single issue adventures of Marvel Team-Up…it was the only place where Spider-Man could team with Satana for an issue and then hook-up with Doc Samson. Web of Spider-Man was a good comic but I miss the old comic.
The comic feels like more of the same for readers of Amazing Spider-Man (or Spectacular Spider-Man). While this could be a problem, this is also a very solid period of the Spider-Man comics. Unlike current comics, events in the other Spider titles did effect events here, but you also could just read Web of Spider-Man and generally follow the story. The stories in Web of Spider-Man seemed to favor Peter’s life a bit more than Amazing Spider-Man, but Spider-Man was always Peter heavy (and that is what made the comic).
The artists in the volume also are some of my favorite artists. The stories were pre-Image and most of the artists strived for stylistic consistency. There are a lot of artists working on this volume but if you just flip through it, the art is relatively standard comic art. Once again, this could be seen as a weakness, but it does work her to make some classic ’80s comics.
Web of Spider-Man was starting when I was starting to read comics. Web of Spider-Man #2 was one of my early comics and I can remember reading it over and over again. I have a soft spot for this title, but I do think it holds up (especially when compared to the mess that is Spider-Man today). If you’ve read all of Amazing Spider-Man’s early adventures swing on by Web of Spider-Man for more fun!
January 11, 2012
I read a few of these issues as they were coming out (is that the mark of getting old, that they're making Essentials out of comics you bought when you were a kid) and I remembered liking them, but I wasn't sure how reality would hold up to memory.
As it turns out? Pretty well. The issues are uneven, owing to changes in writing and art throughout, but there's some great stuff here, early writing by Peter David, inks by Kyle Baker that does interesting stuff to pencillers Mike Harris and Marc Silvestri, some neat little ideas about Peter Parker's private life, etc.
I'm surprised, but I'll probably wind up picking up the second volume if/when it comes out.
As it turns out? Pretty well. The issues are uneven, owing to changes in writing and art throughout, but there's some great stuff here, early writing by Peter David, inks by Kyle Baker that does interesting stuff to pencillers Mike Harris and Marc Silvestri, some neat little ideas about Peter Parker's private life, etc.
I'm surprised, but I'll probably wind up picking up the second volume if/when it comes out.
October 24, 2011
It's all internal monologues and 80s hokum with a liberal sprinkling of the J. Jonah Jameson, Aunt May and the usual gang. Lots of different artists and writers, including the wonderful Ann Nocenti.
March 5, 2013
80s-tastic! The Smithville Thunderbolt is a super-fable to remember.
December 8, 2015
Annual #2 only.
Cute Warlock story.
Cute Warlock story.
December 29, 2019
The Longest Road
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews