Spider-Men: Worlds Collide

Spider-Men #1-5

by Brian Michael Bendis, Sara Pichelli (Illustrator), Mark Bagley (Illustrator)

Presented in a newly designed book-format edition.

Peter Parker comes face-to-face with Miles Morales in a history-making, Spider-Verse-spanning epic!

It’s the first-ever union of the Marvel and Ultimate Universes! But can the wall-crawlers of two worlds defeat Mysterio, the Master of Illusions? What will happen when Miles encounters an older, wiser version of his inspiration, Peter Parker? Or when Peter meets different versions of Aunt May and Gwen Stacy? Then, following the events of SECRET WARS, Miles has a new home in the Marvel Universe — but where is the version of Miles Morales who was in the MU to begin with?! As the mystery deepens, our heroes find themselves targeted by the Taskmaster! Both of Brian Michael Bendis and Sara Pichelli’s amazing, ultimate Spidey sagas are collected in one book!

COLLECTING: Spider-Men (2012) 1-5, Spider-Men II (2017) #1-5

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics, Spider Man, Humor

256 pages, Paperback

Published July 7, 2026

About the author

A comic book writer and erstwhile artist. He has won critical acclaim (including five Eisner Awards) and is one of the most successful writers working in mainstream comics. For over eight years Bendis’s books have consistently sat in the top five best sellers on the nationwide comic and graphic novel sales charts.

Though he started as a writer and artist of independent noir fiction series, he shot to stardom as a writer of Marvel Comics' superhero books, particularly Ultimate Spider-Man.

Bendis first entered the comic world with the "Jinx" line of crime comics in 1995. This line has spawned the graphic novels Goldfish, Fire, Jinx, Torso (with Marc Andreyko), and Total Sell Out. Bendis is writing the film version of Jinx for Universal Pictures with Oscar-winner Charlize Theron attached to star and produce.

Bendis’s other projects include the Harvey, Eisner, and Eagle Award-nominated Powers (with Michael Avon Oeming) originally from Image Comics, now published by Marvel's new creator-owned imprint Icon Comics, and the Hollywood tell-all Fortune and Glory from Oni Press, both of which received an "A" from Entertainment Weekly.

Bendis is one of the premiere architects of Marvel's "Ultimate" line: comics specifically created for the new generation of comic readers. He has written every issue of Ultimate Spider-Man since its best-selling launch, and has also written for Ultimate Fantastic Four and Ultimate X-Men, as well as every issue of Ultimate Marvel Team-Up, Ultimate Origin and Ultimate Six.

Brian is currently helming a renaissance for Marvel’s AVENGERS franchise by writing both New Avengers and Mighty Avengers along with the successful ‘event’ projects House Of M, Secret War, and this summer’s Secret Invasion.

He has also previously done work on Daredevil, Alias, and The Pulse.

Reviews

[Molly™☺ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm very split on this one as the two volumes contained in this are wildly different when it comes to quality, with neither being overly impressive. The first Spider-Men sees an adult Peter Parker travelling to Bendis' Ultimate Spider-Man universe and, forewarning, there are MASSIVE spoilers for that series nonchalantly thrown in here. This is the stronger of the two as it has some lovely character moments that make the rather bland story bearable. However, Spider-Men II sucked the enjoyment right out of me. I found it to be incredibly boring with no real charm to the characterisations or interactions. Miles' supporting cast aren't quite as interesting to me as Peter's, save for maybe Ganke, and I just didn't find myself invested in the action either. Overall disappointing as Bendis' Ultimate Spider-Man run sets a bar that I was hoping this would follow up on.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I like Miles Morales I have a strong preference for Peter Parker as Spiderman. In this collection of two series of Spider-Men, both 5 issues long have both versions visit eachother in their dimensions.
Series 1 was pretty emotional with Peter Parker in conflict with Mysterio and ending up in Miles Morales world where Peter Parker did die as a teenager. He meets this worlds May & Gwen Stacy who both thought they lost their Peter. The rest of the story is used to kick Mysterio's behind.
Series 2 has Miles Morales visiting Peter Parkers dimension. And in Parkers' universe there seems to be no Morales. Except there is not a superpowered version but a criminal connected with Kingpin and scrubbed from any information source so he can live with his Barbara. When she dies he seeks out another dimension to find his beloved Barbara where it not for those pesky Spider-Men.

I enjoyed the emotionsl content from Series 1 but found Series 2 lacking. And yet the two Series make a nice package.

Fun for the fans of Spiderman and tales from the Spiderverse.

[Avery · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the pinnacle of the Spider-Verse in comic form. As a huge fan of the animated movies, as well as just Spider-Man in general, this graphic novel was a must read for me. After collecting the Marvel Premier Collection for so long, I figured that there was no better story to start with than Spider-Men: Worlds Collide — especially with the recent release of Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

While multiverses can get a bit headache-inducing, it is always fun to see alternate versions of our favorite characters teaming up or fighting it out. I really like when Peter Parker and Miles Morales interact, as it reminds me of the synergy that other dynamics duos have (such as Batman and Robin). While there are a few too many characters in this, the relationship between these two mirrored heroes is what solidifies this storyline as a modern classic.

You can clearly see how Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (and its sequels) were heavily inspired by this, addressed in the forward of this graphic novel. However, that information revealed a rarity in the world of page-to-screen adaptations. In my opinion, the film is way better than this comic run. It is better paced, is far more focused, keeps things in the family by just having characters related to Spider-Man in it (as opposed to bringing in and referencing groups like the Avengers), and has a far more unique art style.

To compare this to something from DC Comics; this situation reminds me a lot of Batman: Under The Red Hood (which I will be reviewing very soon). That is another graphic novel that I believe the film adaptation actually did better, mainly because it streamlined the plot and focused the main conflict. The lesson here is to cut out cameos from the Justice League or the Avengers, and focus on the main themes, conflicts, and characters. I know this specific release features two different runs and authors, but that focus would have earned this an extra star.

With that being said, this is still a fantastic Spider-Verse story. I highly recommend to fans of the animated movies, and to all Spider-Man lovers. I personally prefer the stylized films to this, but that should be a viewed as a compliment to the movies, as opposed to a criticism of this graphic novel. Take advantage of the decent price of the Marvel Premier Collection and check out this great web-slinging story.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spider-Man II is a more interesting story than Spider-Men (which had an excellent fourth issue). It focuses on the Miles Morales of Earth-616, an incarcerated man of no particular significance who saves the life of Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin of Crime, doing a strategic stint in prison in order to contact someone on the inside, and becomes his closest friend. The T+ rating is well-earned. Fisk bites off a man's nose in the prison. I can't recall seeing anything that graphic in a comic that isn't labeled "mature readers." The story of this Miles Morales is more interesting than the Miles-Peter Spider-Men team-up, but even that has its moments, especially as they're able to share their insecurities with one-another. It seems a bit convenient that Miles and Peter are among the few who remember Earth-1610 and Earth-616 colliding together in an apocalyptic event, but that's surely an editorial decision. Peter also makes reference to being only a few years older than Miles, which must be related to the Brand New Day arc. I remember reading that we're supposed to be as little as twelve years out from Fantastic Four #1 in 1961 as far as the Marvel Universe goes. Peter even makes reference to Reed Richards having rejecting him from the Fantastic Four way back in Amazing Spider-Man #1, admitting to Miles that it made him cry, which I'm not sure has ever been said of the incident before.

[James Bowman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of two team-ups between the main Spider-Men, Peter Parker and Miles Morales, which surely provided some inspiration for the Spider-Verse films. The first team-up - which took place when Miles and Peter were on different Earths - is by far the better, particularly the moments where Peter met his Ultimate counterpart's supporting cast. The second - which takes place after Peter and Miles were both on the same Earth - is unfortunately a serious letdown compared to the first. It feels more like a draft than a finished story, with the only worthwhile part being the backstory for the 616 Miles. (B+)

[Pirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I honestly have no complaints; as far as comic books go, this was pretty much perfect. A lot of action, without too much confusion as to what was going on, but also a core story to each part that made sense and resolved by the end. I'm more partial to Spider-Men II, I think the emotional journey Miles (and Miles) went through was more interesting. Either way, though, this is exactly what I wanted from a Peter/Miles team up, both before and after the Ultimate universe went poof, so I'm happy.

[Aaron Eichenlaub · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

Spooder-Man

[Aaron Esthelm · Rating 3 out of 5]

TLDR it's a fun little romp that isn't great but I think it's worth it if you've got a few extra bucks and want a fun spiderman story.

it was alright. I drop onto comics on occasion and like to get bigger books to catch me up. this one kinda jumps around a bit. I hoped it would cover how miles got into the main universe and it has parts of that story but not the whole thing. But I'm rating it for what it does have not what it doesn't and what it does have felt incomplete. not a lot of questions answered and a just okay story. enjoyed the spider quips and the interactions. I had enough fun to keep going that's for certain.

[Scott A. Love · Rating 5 out of 5]

This may be my favorite Spider-man series, so far.

[Chad Olson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peter meets Miles then looks for Miles, plus there's Kingpin.

[Gunther Ramysen · Rating 3 out of 5]

DC Compact Comics en de Marvel Premier Collection beginnen toch uitstekende plekken te worden om de wondere wereld van DC en Marvel te ontdekken. Ze bundelen bekende en vaak geweldige comics in een toegankelijk formaat, en ook Spider-Men: World Collide is een leuke kennismaking met een bijzonder stukje van het Marvel-universum. Want het idee achter deze comic is eigenlijk eenvoudig, maar tegelijkertijd bijzonder interessant: wat gebeurt er wanneer je twee Spider-Men uit verschillende universums tegenover elkaar zet? Dat is de vraag die Brian Michael Bendis en Sara Pichelli als uitgangspunt namen voor Spider-Men uit 2012. In deze vijfdelige miniserie komt Peter Parker uit het oorspronkelijke Marvel-universum oog in oog te staan met Miles Morales uit het Ultimate-universum. Twee werelden die plots met elkaar in contact komen en die Bendis in 2017 verder uitdiepte met Spider-Men II, opnieuw een vijfdelige miniserie.

Beide verhalen zijn nu samengebracht in Spider-Men: World Collide. Wat ik leuk vind aan deze bundel, is dat het gevecht tussen superhelden en slechteriken niet zozeer centraal staat. Veel belangrijker zijn de ontmoetingen tussen Peter en Miles. Het zijn twee personages die door deze bijzondere situatie meer diepgang krijgen, omdat ze geconfronteerd worden met vragen over hun eigen leven en over de keuzes die ze hebben gemaakt. Wie zouden ze zijn geworden als hun leven anders was gelopen? En blijven ze ondanks alles wel dezelfde persoon? Die persoonlijke kant maakt de comic interessanter dan een zoveelste verhaal waarin twee superhelden simpelweg samen een grote vijand moeten verslaan. Bendis geeft beide Spider-Men voldoende ruimte om met elkaar te praten en elkaar beter te leren kennen. Daardoor ontstaat er een mooie wisselwerking tussen de ervaren Peter Parker en de jongere Miles Morales. Dat alles wordt bovendien geïllustreerd met geweldige tekeningen van Sara Pichelli.

Haar personages zijn bijzonder expressief en ze weet de superhelden een bepaalde menselijkheid mee te geven. Vooral de momenten waarop Peter en Miles gewoon met elkaar praten, werken daardoor erg goed. Het zijn niet alleen twee figuren in een superheldenpak, maar twee mensen die proberen uit te zoeken wat hun plaats in de wereld is. Toch is Spider-Men: World Collide niet altijd even sterk. Vooral in het tweede verhaal blijven er voor mij soms te veel vragen onbeantwoord en had ik het gevoel dat bepaalde ideeën wat minder goed werden uitgewerkt. Daardoor voelt het geheel op sommige momenten wat minder afgerond dan ik had gehoopt. Maar ondanks die kanttekening blijft het een erg leuke bundel om door te nemen. Vooral de ontmoeting tussen Peter Parker en Miles Morales is een interessant uitgangspunt en Bendis weet daar voldoende leuke en menselijke momenten uit te halen. Het levert geen perfecte comic op, maar wel eentje waarmee het opnieuw erg aangenaam vertoeven is in het superheldenuniversum van Marvel.

[FrontalNerdaty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Peter Parker of the 616 earth arrives in to the Ultimate universe and immediately meets up with Miles, in turn discovering the Peter of the Ultimate universe is dead.
Spider-men 1 - 5 is a light but fun story with a surprising emotional oomph. Peter going to see May/ Gwen was a nice touch and Peter essentially teaching Miles how to make web shooters was good. It’s not a big team up story but what it lacked in action it made up for with good heart. Plus that cliffhanger ending…

… is a bit shit in its reveal. Spider-men 2 was long awaited but ultimately a bit of a letdown for me. Again Bendis goes for heart over action but it’s not as well handled here.
Bonus points for featuring Jessica Jones (a Bendis staple) but overall a lot of opportunities were sadly missed.

Enjoyable but not essentially reading.

3/5.

[Cameron Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

So worth it. The art was very satisfying and left me wanting more. I also loved how they humanized kingpin and (evil?) miles morales. I think they nailed the Peter Parker and miles dynamic and it was cool to see that there were lessons Peter couldn’t teach and that miles could only learn by experience.

Cool message about how at the end of the day closure comes from ourselves and how we often need to create our own closure for difficult events in our lives.

Overall I just want more of the art, spidermen swinging through New York at night was peak.

[Edward Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice trip down memory lane.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very very cool. Really liked Miles Morales, would like to read more

[Steve Howells · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a decent read, always like when Peter and Miles meet up.

[Chris W · Rating 4 out of 5]

First half is excellent and a lot of fun. Second half isn't that great but has some decent parts. 3.75 stars for me

[Bj Shea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Expected more. Bendis is great at writing a teenage Peter but I don’t like the way he writes a grown up Peter. The “Other Miles” subplot was nothing

[Laurence · Rating 2 out of 5]

Picked this up as I read it when I was younger and wanted to see if it held up. Man, it does not. Save for a few sweet moments this is so crap and god I hate how Peter is written as this almost deadpool like character when in the mask with the amount of ‘jokes’ he’s making. The story was a slog to get through too. Only positive was Sara Pichelli’s artwork.

[Benjamin Wahl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seeing the two Spider-Men teaming up is always a delight. Be it in the Spider-Verse movies, the ps game or here. Had a good time. The part that dragged a bit is the Wilson Fisk section. Those where too many pages without any Spider-Man for me. The art is great, the story is fun. I liked when Peter meets aunt May and the others in the first half of the book. Would have wished for more classic Spider-Man stuff. But all in all a solid comic book. I like those new compact editions MARVEL and DC are releasing nowadays.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars

Pretty damn good. Love Miles Morales down, can’t wait to keep reading spiderman comics.

[Tsvetina · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Brynn H · Rating 5 out of 5]

i loved it so much omg this was so much fun and i loveeeee miles i think i want to get more into reading comics now

[Carlos Fernandez · Rating 3.75 out of 5]

Sara Pichelli’s character design is my favorite. Peter’s mask looks so good, something about the small eyes.

The story itself is good and juicy, but the ending didn’t feel like much closure…which is exactly the same thing Peter and Miles talk about a few pages from the end so I can’t be too upset. I also found myself being a bit confused and lost as to how characters ended up in certain places or what it meant in the grand scheme of things.

Still a great book though! If I could, I’d rate it 4.5 stars. The art, pacing, story, and feel of the physical book itself are all premium for sure. I’ll probably reread soon.

[Art van Houwelingen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good Spider-Man fun, with some surpringly heartfelt messages sprinkled throughout that are very close to what Spider-Man is. Would recommend to any fan!

[Yfke · Rating 5 out of 5]

So so much fun. Its like reading abt the animated miles morales and tom hollands spiderman in brand new day.