Webslinger: Unauthorized Essays on Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man

Smart Pop

by Gerry Conway, Leah Wilson (Editor)

The tangled web of vengeance, love, and loss woven by Spider-Man comics and films is explored in this collection of insightful essays by acclaimed writers of comics and science fiction and edited by Spider-Man comic writer Gerry Conway.
A variety of topics--from the superhero's sarcasm to the science behind radioactive spiders--are discussed in essays on "Turning Rage into Responsibility: A Psychology of Loss," "Love Is Selfish: Can a Hero Afford Personal Attachments?," and "Self Identity and Costume Design." The popular rival Green Goblin, the bumbling-yet-influential media, and the part New York City itself plays in stories are skillfully explored, as well as the overall philosophy of mild-mannered Peter Parker and Spidey's relationship with the rest of the characters in the Marvel universe.

Genres: Spider Man, Pop Culture, Fiction, Comics, Anthologies

240 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 8, 2007

About the author

Gerard Francis Conway (Gerard F. Conway) is an American writer of comic books and television shows. He is known for co-creating the Marvel Comics' vigilante the Punisher and scripting the death of the character Gwen Stacy during his long run on The Amazing Spider-Man. At DC Comics, he is known for co-creating the superhero Firestorm and others, and for writing the Justice League of America for eight years. Conway wrote the first major, modern-day intercompany crossover, Superman vs. the Amazing Spider-Man.

Reviews

[Jamison Ousley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, but dated

What can I say? I buy books on sale and get to them at my own pace, so while there are a number of insights about the Webslinger that I enjoyed contemplating, there are a lot of references to the first two Sam Raimi Spider-Man movies and the then-current Civil War storyline where Spider-Man revealed his secret identity. I would say this needs an update, but there probably already is one, and I'll read it 15 years from now.

[Mel G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the essays were duds, but as a whole the book was great. Recommended!

[The other John · Rating 2 out of 5]

I used to read more of this stuff in my youth--essays on popular culture, analyzing or speculating on the movies, comics or TV series of the day. But slowly I graduated to essays analyzing or speculating on the real world--religion, history, politics, sociology. Last week, I was over at the Bellevue library. My daughter wanted to borrow a few books that the had on their shelves.* I took the opportunity to raid their graphic novels and grab some brain candy. Amongst the other books on 741 shelves was this tome, a collection of essays on Spider-Man. Reading it gave me a flash of nostalgia. I didn't savor them like I used to do with those old articles on Star Trek or The Legion of Super-Heroes. But then, I think that's more to do with my current tastes than the quality of Webslinger's contents. Some of the essays were entertaining, some were meh. In the end, I was left with a desire to grab some Spider-Man comics off the shelf. The problem is, I'm in the middle of reading all my Avengers issues. So many comics, so little time...
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*as Seattle residents, we can get a library card and borrow books from the King County Library System, but we can't place holds or get them delivered to the branch of our choice.