The Spectacular Spider-Man, Vol. 1: The Hunger

The Spectacular Spider-Man (2003) (Collected Editions)

by Paul Jenkins, Humberto Ramos, Wayne Faucher

While Peter Parker deals with his feelings over the crippling of one of his friends, his alter-ego, Spider-Man, must deal with the half-human, half alien symbiote, Venom.

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Spider Man, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Comic Book, Science Fiction

144 pages, Paperback

First published December 30, 2003

About the author

Paul Jenkins is a British comic book writer. He has had much success crossing over into the American comic book market. Primarily working for Marvel Comics, he has had a big part shaping the characters of the company over the past decade.

Reviews

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm going to be straight with you.

I love Spider-Man. After giving up comics as a kid, it was Spider-Man that really pulled me back in. Spider-Man in the early 2000s just pulled me back in.

In the early 2000s there were a ton of Spider-Man books,
Amazing Spider-Man
Spectacular Spider-Man
Marvel Knights: Spider-Man
Peter Parker: Spider-Man
and a little later - Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man
(Not to mention Web of Spider-Man which had that wonderful Rhino story).

Anyhow, I've been reading Amazing straight for awhile, and haven't gone back to look at the other runs until now. I think for people who are really interested in that era of Spider-Man it's another decent book to check out. Even though there were so many books going on, each one took its own stab at continuity. It seems that Spectacular Spiderman ties directly to Peter Parker: Spider-man and attempts to do its own thing, outside of what JMS was doing with Amazing.

As far as "The Hunger" goes.

-This is a pretty decent early 2000s Spidey Story
- It is better than what Dan Slott has been doing with Spidey lately
- It's not all about bad guys and battles, it's a pretty thoughtful story looking at the motivations of the Venom symbiote.
- It relies heavily on continuity from all of the other books. Each title has its own string, but if you don't know or understand what is going on in Amazing Spider-Man at this time (right around Unitl The Stars Turn Cold) it might put you off a little bit.

Ramos' art is typical Ramos. Take it or leave it.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Venom is one of my all time favorite villains, but this issue had some retconning that I didn't agree with.

So basically we find out the Venom symbiote needs to feed on adrenaline. We also find out Spidey's spider sense is fueled by adrenaline. So that's why the symbiote wanted to bond with Spiderman all this time, so he could feed on his adrenaline.

Also, we find out Eddie Brock had cancer even before he was bonded with the symbiote. The idea being, without the symbiote the cancer would kill him. Some type of drug Eddie was taking to fight the cancer made him produce extra adrenaline, and that's what drew the symbiote to him in the first place. So the real reason Eddie Brock hated Spiderman so much was because he was afraid Spiderman would steal the symbiote away, and then Eddie would die.

The symbiote gets loose in this volume and starts killing people for their adrenaline, and then attempts to go after Spiderman again. Apparently it's evolving, as now it can speak as well.

Humberto Ramos did the art for this issue, and to me it just didn't fit. It seemed a little cartoony for what was a very dark story at its heart.

So overall, this was a pretty important volume as it revealed a lot of new information, but I just didn't like the changes introduced here.

[David]

Early use of the pejorative "poofter" pretty much doomed any enjoyment I thought might be possible for this book. It's used as a joke. Ha ha. Poofter. That's so funny. Just imagine it was jigaboo or kyke instead. Still played for laughs? Lame.

This book is from about 2000. I hope this shit's a thing of the past.

[Siike Donnelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better than i remembered.

Paul Jenkins is one of my favorite writers. He always narrows in on what makes characters special, especially Spidey. This story had a lot of soul to it. Its a Venom story, but its also a look at Eddie Brock, with some great revelations about his past. Also, this is the story after Green Goblin crippled Flash Thompson. Peter cares for a wheelchair bound, and nearly brain dead guy that bullied him in high school. Interesting that this story with Flash happens in a book when the symbiote wants a new host. Kinda wish they skipped the whole Mac Gargan Venom stuff and just gave the symbiote to Flash soon after this story. Still, there's real heart here and a deeper understanding of what the symbiote truly wants. I highly recommend this story for all Spidey and Venom fans. Great story and Humberto's art is amazing as usual. Been a fan of his since Crimson, which is another book y'all should check out.

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ah so this is the book we find out Eddie has cancer.

The weird retcon aside I really dug this. The outlandish art actually made the fight scenes alot of fun. I liked Eddie here, a broken man, needed some type of help. Peter questioning his actions in a mature way. Overall, very solid spidy/venom story.

[Odo · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5.0

[Shawn Ingle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this more for the art than the story. Ramos' Venom and fight scenes with Spider-Man were fun. The story feels a little rushed at times. Eddie Brock struggling with his illness definitely could have been fleshed out more.

[Luis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed this first volume. I was hesitant before hand because titles such as Spectacular Spider-man, Friendly Neighborhood Spider-man, etc come across more as companion series to the main Amazing Spider-man title and couldn't be truly enjoyed being read as a "stand alone." But Paul Jenkins quickly seems to contradict a lot of the things from the main Spider-man canon (which kind of didn't mind in the end) such as Flash Thompson being a life long friend of his, Flash being attacked by the Green Goblin and being paralyzed. Where none of these things happened in the main title.
So why did I like it? It was a fun story to read. There was a mystery. Venom is back. Peter Parker is a bachelor living in an apartment complex living with other young adults that always seem to be throwing parties. I also enjoyed that Jenkins explored Eddie Brock's catholic roots and his psychology as well as to some extent Venom's. He takes a well established villain and instead of re-inviting him just extends the lore of the character. There were also the interactions between Flash and Peter, that were very touching and endearing.
I would have probably given it five starts but I just can't get behind the art. It feels very amateurish and cartoony. Overall if you want an enjoyable and spider-man story, I would recommend this.

[Ernest Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lot of fans of Venom didn't like this story because they didn't like Venom being portrayed as a monster. But the fact of the matter is, that's precisely what Venom is. Before it was revealed to be a living creature, the symbiote was benign. As it tried to bond itself with Peter Parker, that all changed. This story gives some insight to the relationship the symbiote had with both Peter Parker and Eddie Brock and what they all shared in common that made Venom a constant in both their lives.

[Lillian Francis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some interesting stuff with Venom and Eddie (but not a patch on Cates run that finished this year). I did feel for Eddie.
Art is very stylised, more caricature than comic book, but at least its consistent, and the colours really pop.
Are there better Venom stories out there? He'll yes.
Are there better drawn Spider-man stories? Yep.
I might not read this again but I don't regret reading it.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually really ended up enjoying this book. The caricature-like art style kinda messed with me at first, but it grew on me, especially since I enjoyed so much of the writing—specifically how Spidey described is spider-sense. I also enjoyed how all the characters were written and that, in this series, Peter and MJ are married and that Aunt May knows about Spider-Man. I’m eager to read more.

[Amanda Shepard (Between-the-Shelves) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I still don't know about the art in this one; it feels like everyone looks so young? The story was mediocre, as I didn't feel like a lot really happened. In the realm of Spider-Man, definitely not my favorite.

[Ekenedilichukwu Ikegwuani · Rating 2 out of 5]

not a fan of the art or the story. i don't really like how they've retconned years worth of venom lore

[Extreme Bookaholic · Rating 3 out of 5]

The fight between Spiderman and Venom was awesome!

[Fazun · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5

[Michael Keskeys · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's a lot going here, some major Venom retcons that set about the eventual Anti-Venom storyline. The art by Ramos is a little messy but distinctly his own.

[Guido · Rating 3 out of 5]

Saga de Spiderman y Venom. Listado pendiente.

[Xavier Guillaume · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to be honest, I did not like the animation style of this comic at all. Spider-Man looks like a skinny twig, and his head is weirdly shaped like a slim oval. You know those caricatures they do at the fair or touristy places? That's what the people's faces look like in this version. Based on the facial characterizations alone, I would have given this book a 2/5, but there were other things I did like.

The story with Eddie Brock is a very good introduction to Venom, and the sad and twisted relationship Eddie has with the symbiote. In case you don't know, this alien parasite becomes attracted to Spider-Man, who ultimately rejects it, causing the parasite to attach to Eddie Brock, forming the Venom suit. Typically in the Spider-Man comics, Venom is pure rage and violence, but this book in particular shows the sad, repentant side of Eddie, who can't stand to live any longer. I won't spoil the rest, but the story itself is quite deeply woven, and I do recommend reading this book for that alone. I'm sure quite a few of you would even like the drawing style, but personally, I find it quite ridiculous.

The other thing I really liked was how they included Flash Thompson in the book. In this book, however, Flash is painted as a lifelong friend of Peter, where in other versions Flash is Peter's high school bully, which for some reason they don't really seem to mention in this book. Anyway, Flash is an interesting character, and I like how they included him in the book.

Will I read other Spectacular Spider-Man issues? Maybe, but not right now. I much more prefer the original Spider-Man comics as opposed to this weirdly stylized rewrite version, but if I have the time, I might get to reading the other one.

[Camilo Guerra · Rating 2 out of 5]

No hay un gran aporte a los mitos del hombre araña en este tomo...si uno ha leido la etapa de Stracsinnzky con Romita Jr, esta es ta muy por debajo, aun siendo hermanas en tiempo y en politica editorial...unos monologos interminables de Peter y una historia que la verdad no te atrapa y mas raro aun, el dibujo de Ramos es irregular, en unas escenas es inmenso y el lápiz le queda pequeño y en otras la narrativa brilla por su ausencia...y el color, oh dios mio, Delgado en unas imágenes se ve mas oscuro de lo que se debe y en otras los brillos son muy poco naturales.

[B · Rating 2 out of 5]

I guess this was an OK story, but it's super-anti-canonical. It's not clear why they told a story like that. Basically, it's about how Spider-Man can track Venom because Venom really, really, really activates Venom's spider-sense. Also, Spider-Man is dating some model no one has ever heard of?

And ruins linens, I guess.

The explanation of Venom makes sense but is dissatisfying.

[DefConPrime · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://reviewsreviewsreviews.blogspot...

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 5 out of 5]

As with all of Jenkins’ Spider-Man work, this one is slow and verbose. However, the character portrait of Brock that develops is superb (and has been used by others since).

[Adriana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soy fan.

[James Piazza · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the art style here, it was very unique. And it was a really interesting Venom story, making you truly feel for Eddie Brock.