The early days of Spider-Man like you’ve never seen them before! As the wall-crawler continues to build his amazing rep, he’s making new friends — and plenty of enemies — across the Marvel Universe! Electro harnesses the power of New York City! Kraven hunts…Peter Parker?! And Scorpion stings — with a twist in the tale! But when master of sound Klaw makes some noise, the Black Panther lends a hand! And as Spidey gets a taste for team-ups, who better than living legend Captain America to stop by for a lesson in heroism? While Spidey is busy making pals, Peter could find a new BFF of his very own: Flash Thompson?! But fun time is over when the Sinister Six strike! Can a lone Spidey defeat his most powerful foes all at the same time?
I liked this one better than the first. WAY less Peter Parker stuff, way more Spidey.
I've always said that comics are really more like soap operas than they are action flicks. More evil twins, more weird relationships, more eyepatches than explosions and saving the universe. Normally, I'm fine with a little extra stuff going on out of costume. But because this series is a bit of a re-tread, the Parker stuff isn't interesting. I mean, how many times can we watch Peter Parker fall in love with Gwen Stacy?
But the other thing, the art is really fantastic. The style is different, distinct, and it really works for Spidey. And some of the layouts are super cool. It sounds like gimmicky bullshit, but having the Scorpion show up, and using the segments of his tail as panels to show what's going on, that really worked. The art in here really uses the medium. The motion, the storytelling, all of it is really added to by the art, and I might even say that this is a case where the writer has to keep up with the artist, which is awesome to see.
If you've never read a Spider-Man comic, this might be a pretty decent starting point. You have to know NOTHING to get into this series. Seriously, you can know zero about Spider-Man and climb aboard this one. I think it's the book that Marvel is going to be really glad they put out when the new Spider-Man movie hits, and I think this is the book I'll point people towards when they say, "Pete, you're a dweeb who gets into this bullshit. What Spider-Man books can I read now that I saw the movie? Or, more likely, what Spider-Man comics will you tell me to read, and then I'll never read them because I don't really want to because I still can't accept the fact that I like superhero movies and am just not a big fan of comic book movies?" I'll sigh internally and recommend Spidey.
I don't know how this book gets such great reviews. Peter gets bullied, Spider-Man gets called a villain, Spidey is mocked for being late to fight Galactus and all the other supers tell Spidey to help clean up. Along the way Peter gets conned into helping his bully and then the bully tries to sabotage Peter's big test - in front of the watching teacher who does nothing. Topping all this off the villain appearances and fights are just right out of the classic Spider-Man stories, dumbed down a bit but still obviously nothing original here just copy and paste comics. Very disrespectful to the readers no matter the "target" age. #sigh
The classic adventures continue in this second volume of "oldies" style Spidey!
These were a series of one off's with a vague arch running through the volume. The arch being the assembly of the Sinister Six and of Peter tutoring Flash and Gwen for tests in school.
I totally get this is more of an all ages group, and I think from that perspective it probably works well. It has some snappy dialogue and cool action scenes. However, I don't know if Thompson and company have enough here to really warrant a series like this. I think this type of thing has been done in the past, and with a bit more substance to it. I appreciate the effort to update the classic adventures, but to me, it felt really unnecessary.
However, this is of course coming from a dude in his mid 30's so of course its not for me. I would recommend this for younger readers who haven't had much, if at all, experience reading classic Spider-Man stories, or stories when Peter Parker was a high school kid. It may feel fresh and exciting for new readers.
If you enjoyed the first volume of the series, this one is largely more of the same. Basic, kid-friendly, self-contained stories (although there is a nice little arc involving Gwen and Flash) set during Peter's early days as Spider-Man.
The first issue is one of the highlights. It involves a (pretty rad) team-up with Black Panther, there's a brief little cameo from the Spot, and it features some of the sharpest comedic writing in a series where sharp comedic writing is one of its strong suits. The blank word balloon gag actually made me laugh out loud.
The series' second artist, Lima Araujo, is retained for the first issue of this volume only. Nathan Stockman takes over for the remainder of the book, and I love the way this guy draws Spider-Man. He does some fun work with his layouts too... but it's too bad that he can't draw faces to save his life. Peter looks downright creepy in the final panel of his first issue. Thankfully, they play to his strengths; and the stories feature more Spidey action and less Peter drama than the previous volume.
Another highlight of this collection is the team-up with Captain America, where he goes to bat for Spidey against JJJ (who is inexplicably given a Hitler mustache). I also lol'd at one panel from this issue that has since become a reaction face meme.
All in all, this is inessential but solid stuff if you're a Spider-Fan. 10-year-old me would have loved it.
I really enjoyed this series because after all of the crazy stuff that has happened in Spider-Man stories over the years it went back to basics. These were fun stories that didn't try to trick things up too much. Unfortunately, this is the last book in this series since the title was cancelled.
I also really like the highly detailed pencil style of the art, and it is a unique look when compared to all of the other comics I read. I'm interested in seeking out more stuff drawn by Araujo & Stockman.
i’m currently in the process of reading all the various spider-man related comics out there, and i have to say, hands down “spidey” has been my favorite so far. there’s something so perfect about the characterization and art styles and just they way everything works together in these that just makes me feel like a kid again reading them. highly highly recommend this to anyone who loves spider-man already or is only now getting into it.
I'm not usually one for retellings of old stories or retcons of characters' pasts but this fresh look at Spidey's teenage years had so much heart and such great art that it was absolutely irresistible. I had a blast with this one and recommend it to anybody who's struggling to recognise the Peter Parker of old in Dan Slott's current run on Amazing...
Another solid edition, comparable in quality to volume 1, but with an improvement in artwork and action. (I'm sure part of my biased appreciation is from seeing the similarly-themed "Spider-Man: Homecoming" on the previous day.) Special guest stars Black Panther and Captain America add a nice touch of mentoring in their respective stories. Marvel should really consider continuing this series.
Even better than the first volume! The plots come all together, resulting in a story that is surprisingly touching (which is maybe the first time I've said that about a book that includes Galactus!). The artwork reminded me a lot of Tim Sale, which is a good thing, because this early-years look at Spidey hit all the nostalgic bones while telling a confident, grounded story.
Robbie Thompson delivers some nostalgia heavy lighthearted fun as, just like in the early days, Peter's relationships are the best part of the book, whether its Gwen, Flash, Aunt May, or Cap & Black Panther. The villains are all here but they are an afterthought. The same can be said for the art, which is too simple. Overall, a solid look at a simpler time.
Cute. It's almost entirely about Peter Parker's emotional state. Almost all of the superhero-ing seems incidental to his feeling so not belonging and so on.
If it had been paired with a stronger work-life arc, it would have been excellent.
Newly reimagined, and awesomely written Spider-man stories, with the old school classic humor the original series started with! So great, sad they only dos twelve issues! It would have been a great ongoing!
Easy to get into, with simple classic storytelling and a solid cast of characters, each issue its own tale, but building into a whole. No complex continuity or crossovers, just fun comics - of course it was cancelled. This is why we can't have nice things.
I really love this series. It's exactly the style I want. It seems like maybe it's over now. I hope not, but if so, it does have a nice conclusion. Definitely worth reading these two volumes.
Una gran conclusión para esta reinvención de los primeros días del cabeza red. La última historia es un claro ejemplo de la "suerte Parker", si todo le va bien a Peter, hasta el punto de que Jameson le ayuda, es que algo muy malo le va a ocurrir, como que seis de sus más siniestros villanos decidan unirse. Pero también forma parte de la "suerte Parker" es que nunca se rinde.
I enjoy reading Robbie's Spidey so I read the Spanish version to practice Spanish. I would read and translate a page or two then check how close I was in the English version I also had out from the library.