Marvel's Spider-Man: City At War (Marvel's Spider-Man: City At War

Marvel’s Spider-Man #1

by Dennis Hopeless, Michele Bandini (Illustrator), Clayton Crain (Cover Art)

Collects Marvel's Spider-Man: City At War #1-6.

Experience the amazing adventures of MARVEL'S SPIDER-MAN! Showered with worldwide acclaim, the blockbuster game has everyone's spider-sense buzzing! Now, relive the emotional and shock-filled story that spins favorite characters, including Mary Jane, Aunt May, Norman Osborn, Otto Octavius and Miles Morales, into an all-new and unexpected web of drama, spectacle and classic Spidey action in the Mighty Marvel Manner! After years of seeing Wilson Fisk escape criminal prosecution, the wisecracking web-slinger finally has the opportunity to team with the NYPD to help arrest his fearsome foe. But how will the mysterious Mister Negative's ascent to power bring Peter Parker's civilian life and Spider-Man's superhuman world crashing together? Includes all-new story moments never seen in the game - and bonus behind-the-scenes content!

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Superheroes, Spider Man, Graphic Novels, Video Games, Graphic Novels Comics

141 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 29, 2019

About the author

Dennis "Hopeless" Hallum is an American comics writer from Kansas City, Missouri who has written for Marvel Comics, Image Comics, Dark Horse Comics, Boom! Studios, Arcana Studio, and Oni Press.

See also under Dennis Hallum

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

A faithful adaptation of the fantastic Spider-Man game. A lot had to be left out though to condense this down into 6 issues. Bandini's art is great. So are the colors by David Curiel.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three stars seems mean for this, but hear me out.

Condensing the 20+ hour story of Marvel's Spider-Man into six issues was always going to be a tough ask. Dennis Hopeless does a good job of it, for the most part. He hits all the major beats, manages to fit in some of the best jokes (Did you leave your clothes on my kitchen floor?) and still retain a lot of the emotional investment that the game managed to instill in the characters.

But if you've already played Spider-Man, you're not going to get much else out of this. In fact, it makes some of the omissions more blaringly obvious - the Sinister Six are all defeated off-panel, or just plain forgotten about, for example, and a lot of the pathos behind the Mister Negative story is lost due to the limited page space.

The art's great, despite my complaints. I've sung Michele Bandini's praises over on X-Men Gold, Captain Marvel, and Amazing Spider-Man, so I'm glad they're getting the spotlight they deserve. The pencils are sleek and smooth, David Curiel's colours really pop, and there's a beauty to the fight scenes that I don't often see. There's an especially memorable splash page where Doc Ock's arms cut the page into panels that really stood out to me as well.

The series doesn't really offer up anything new if you've already played the game. And if you haven't, this isn't the right way to experience the story for the first time. But it is a good introduction to what Marvel seem to be committed to expanding on, with two new mini-series already announced, so I'm chalking this one up to a necessary evil that does its best and looks good while doing it.

[Guilherme Smee · Rating 4 out of 5]

O jogo do Homem-Aranha em seu Gamerverse da Marvel foi muitissimo elogiado não apenas pelo seu roteiro, mas pela possibilidade dos jogadores de se balançarem pelos arranha-céus da cidade de Nova York de uma maneira bastante realista. Esta história em quadrinhos adapta a história dos videogames por Dennis "Hopeless" Hallum e pela nova estrela da Marvel, a desenhista (ou seria o desenhista?) italiana/o Michele Bandini. O interessante destas narrativa é que cada uma das seis edições e, portanto dos seis capítulos da história, são contados do ponto de vista de um personagem diferente: Peter Parker, Mary Jane, Miles Morales, Tia May, Dutor Octopus, Norman Osborn, e assim vai. Além da arte primorosa, lembrando os traços de mangás, mas não sua narrativa, Dennis Hallum oferece um vislumbre diferente da relação entre Peter Parker e Miles Morales, em um universo em que suas origens estão realmente conectadas, diferente do que aconteceu no Universo 616 e Universo Ultimate, em que os dois participavam de realidades diferentes. Um quadrinho bastante bem feitinho e divertido, mostrando que quasdrinhos de games podem ser interessantes sim, basta encarregar bons artífices para desenvolvê-los. Assim como Injustiça: Deuses Entre Nós, Homem-Aranha: Gamerverse tem esse dom.

[Maikel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basically het verhaal van de eerste game, maar met een aantal veranderingen waar ik niet per se fan van was. Je krijgt het verhaal wel een stuk sneller mee dan met een game van ±20 uur, en het geeft wel wat invulling achter de schermen bij een paar personages naast Peter Parker, dus dat was wel leuk. Ik weet niet wat ik van MJ vind in deze variant, maar MJ is altijd wel een beetje hit or miss. Ben benieuwd hoe ze gaat zijn in de tweede (derde) game

[Matthew Mcguinness · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this concept of Spider-Man to be worthy of the Marvel Universe. I really hope that more comics will be written for this spider-verse. My favorite component was the inter action between Peter Parker and Mary Jane. This is probably my favorite Mary Jane yet to be written. She is a kick-ass modern girl with a steady job that fits her personality perfectly. It be hard for her not to have been changed by being Spider-Man's girlfriend. Not to enjoy the thrill of the mystery and the fight for justice. She would want to be part of that action, and this is the best way she can be, without super powers.
I want to see more about this spider-verse's villains, and heroes, and the friends of Peter. Doctor Octavius transformation was a stroke of brilliance. The reasoning for needing the robotic arms and his need for revenge made me race through the story.

[Alfredo Torres · Rating 1 out of 5]

Realmente esperaba una continuación de la historia o historias aparte. No un resumen de la historia principal. Básicamente es un resumen de cierta parte de la historia por hoja y al hacerlo salen preguntas y algunas otras se responden fuera de las viñetas. El dibujo falla un poco también siendo un tanto simplón donde es el hombre araña quien más detalles tiene mientras que el resto no. Las portadas y variantes son lo mejor en cuanto a trazos y colores se refiere. Una historia que es mejor conocerla en su versión de PS 4.

[Ashe Catlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whist I wouldn't say this was a must have for someone whose played the game, it is quite a nice edition. The start is quite rushed though, the first issue alone, introduces 4 villain's and 4 supporting characters. It's all a bit rushed, same can be said with the second issue, thankfully after that it calms down and takes it's time telling the story.

There was a lot of focus on Mary Jane in this, I don't it was a bad thing just wished they stopped trying to make her Spider-Man's partner and developed her as she is. Not everyone needs to be Lois Lane and it mostly creates a damsel in distress situation, though I'd much rather have this version than the game it much more digestible. Miles also gets a bit of spot light but his arc isn't as solid, he goes from being Spider-Man's fan boy, to telling Pete to piss off and then helping Pete and his aunt. The last bit didn't have anything in between it was literally him telling Pete to shove it and then the next issue "Oh Hi Pete, I'm here to help" not even a throw away line explaining what happened in between.

Like I already said it's a bit rushed, the story is exactly the same as the game so keep that in mind. Only one villain really gets to shine, which I'm grateful for. The Sinister Six are introduced and then quickly disappear, being mentioned towards the end but never explaining what happens to them, which is a little odd but does make sense as they weren't important in the game either. They were marketed that way but aside from the introduction, they quickly split up and got beat up as fodder, so I'm glad they decided to skip it in this.

I will say the final issue was an easy 5/5 for me, it had a really heartfelt moment and wrapped the story up nice. You got to feel some of the emotional weight from Pete's actions as well, which was truly fantastic. As a whole I think this story is worth a read, it's no masterpiece but it's fun little story.

[JJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Marvel's Spider-Man: City at War seems like a no-brainer. Spider-Man has a history of fantastic comics -- I've read hundreds and hundreds of them -- so why not make the best Spider-Man game of all-time into a comic series?

Unfortunately, City at War is a pale attempt at replicating what worked in the game that crams too much into two few issues, features distractingly poor character art that looks plastic and clashes with the environments and action scenes, and manages to tell a mostly incoherent story.

Marvel's Spider-Man was a game that felt LONG. There were multiple villains that could have carried a game by themselves, lots of set-up for the future of the universe, and slow, quiet moments where you learn more about the characters and their relationships. But in a meager six comic issues, there just wasn't enough room to tell that story. We lose most of the quiet moments and building tension, routinely join action scenes right in the middle with no build-up or context for how they started, and zip right along to a rushed conclusion that feels totally unearned because we barely got to see how the characters feel about each other.

City at War is the equivalent of watching one out of every three episodes of a TV show and expecting to have the same appreciation and understanding as if you watched the whole thing.

It's not offensively bad -- I know from playing the game that the underlying story is quite good, the non-character art is solid, and the behind-the-scenes bonuses and cover art gallery are solid. But make no mistake: City at War is not good. It has no discernable reason to exist beyond trying to make a quick buck off of fans of the game or people curious but who can't play it. Just play the game and feel free to ignore this comic series completely.

[Matt Beardmore · Rating 1 out of 5]

Genuinely abysmal. This is the first comic I've read where I actively hate it, yet it should've been so easy to adapt! I haven't spoiled anything in the comic, but there are spoilers for the game. That being a sentence should indicate the quality of the storytelling here, considering it's meant to be an adaptation of it, but alas, that is something I do need to clarify.

It doesn't include Harry AT ALL!!! That is Norman's ENTIRE MOTIVATION for making the Devil's Breath!! You're removing the one reason that the story takes place to begin with!!! It also completely brushed over Peter and Otto's relationship so seeing him become Doc Ock meant absolutely nothing, because you only saw him two times before he changed. It wasn't gradual like in the game either, it was just instant. There was one really cool age with Otto, and like, that was it? Nothing about the art or shot composition spoke to me at all.

I felt absolutely nothing reading this, and it has not convinced me to check out the other comics with Insomniac's Spider-Man.

At best, it's a worse way to experience the masterful plot of the original game.
At worst, it massacres it beyond belief to a point it's barely recognisable.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story really suffered from being too short. It's not necessarily the writer's fault for being restricted to six issues while trying to adapt a lengthy video game story, but it doesn't help that several pages were devoted to things that didn't happen on screen in the game. For example, there are pages devoted to delving into Miles, building his backstory with extra scenes, which would be great if the page count was longer. But getting inside the heads of nameless and faceless Sable agents was less necessary. Mostly, this adaptation really relies on the reader having previous knowledge on Spider-Man and especially the game itself. Scenes happen out of order and often with little to no build up or explanation. Backstory and villain motivation are glossed over, as are the relationships between Peter and those closest to him, such as MJ, Otto, and Aunt May, which causes several emotional moments to fall flat in this adaptation.

It's worth a read if you're a fan of the playstation game, but honestly, it comes up short as a cohesive story.

[Mykhailo Gasyuk · Rating 4 out of 5]

За мотивами популярної консольної гри. Сюжет у коміксі обрізали, саме цікаве залишилося у грі, тому комікс можна було б вважати наскрізь вторинним супутнім товаром, мерчем, якби не вміння авторів зберегти та підкреслити емоційну сторон�� історії.

Сама історія виглядає як уривки бійок з міні-босами і додатковий шар діалогів, яких, можливо, у грі не було зовсім. Що робиться - зрозуміти можна, але якщо кортить більшого, то купляй, читаче, іграшку.

Намальовано дуже якісно та яскраво, соковито, динамічно. Щоправда, костюм Людина-Павук змінює лише один раз, на відміну від гри.

Отримує четвірку від мене за те, що неочікувано вдало у комікс перенесено драму. Від комікса за мотивами гри за мотивами коміксу такого не очікуєш.

[Kyle Berk · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good companion piece to the game.

It fills things in where something may have been desired in the game but also leaves stuff out that was in the game. I think that comes mostly from the strengths of the two mediums. Such as this story plays out across 20 or so hours of game vs six 23 page issues.

I think it’s best read after playing or watching the game but some might find it to be a good stand in for the game if they don’t do games.

All around solid comic that’s at times too fast paced for its own good but has good writing and art to offset that.

[Andrew Corsini · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's hard to mess up a Spider-Man comic, as the quippy, feelgood character is best suited to the fast-paced comic format and his gallery of villains leave the writer/ artist with limitless opportunities to interest the reader. There's not much weighty philosophy to Spider-Man like there is to Batman or Superman, so the comics have a trademark brevity that makes for an easy read. It just so helps this comic includes characters from one of my favourite comic-book films, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, such as Miles Morales. A quick and good read.

[Fawaaz Mohamed · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never got to play the Spider-Man game on PS4 but I did get to read this book, which pretty much summed up what the game is even about. I found this comic to be enjoyable and showcases who Spider-Man is. This quirky hero with a comedic side, but also knows when the time for fighting comes. Definitely not the most popular comic to read, especially when it is coming directly from a game, but the comic isn’t all too bad. Its more of a midnight comic to read when you can’t sleep. The book isn’t bad but I’ll recommend it to any and all Spider-Man fans.

[Kris Ritchie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Have to agree with other reviewers, if you have played the game you could skip this volume entirely and go to the next one which will have an original story.

If you have played the game, you will definitely feel like some pieces are missing from the story. All-in-all I think there were maybe 5 pages of added material, so not missing anything new.

That being said, if you did not play the game it's not actually a bad story.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was surprised by how easily I devoured this book. I had reservations because it was based on the video game (which I know nothing about), but this was honestly one of the best Spider-Man books I’ve read in a while. I loved how Doc Ock was written, how Mary Jane was written—well, how EVERYONE was written. Compelling and engaging, with both Miles and Pete (though just an origin for Miles), I couldn’t put it down. I’m definitely going to check out a play-through of the game on YouTube.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this adaptation of the game. Great art and interesting alterations. Of course, it did feel a bit rushed in the last couple of chapters and while I don't think it could fit in 12 issues, I wish they had expanded to maybe 8 to 10.

Still, I've playes the game twice and watched a playthrough and now read it in comic form and this is a fantastic Spidey story for the ages.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fun miniseries. I love how many characters were involved, and the pacing was well-done. This definitely could've been longer based on how much I enjoyed it, but it wrapped up neatly at the end. I would honestly love to see more short arcs like this if it meant they were always so well-done.

[Adam Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This graphic novel was a basic recap of the Spider-Man game for Playstation 4. The game was great and thus the comic was great, but I'd really love to see more from this universe in comic form before Marvel decides to grace us with the next game (which I assume will be on PS5).
Play the game, read the graphic novel. Classic Spider-Man.
Strong recommend.

[April Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the video game, and I enjoyed the new content in the comic book. The artwork is high quality and eye-catching. On the downside, if you haven’t played the game all the way through, you’ll probably be a bit confused in a few sections due to storyline cuts that were made to fit in the most critical parts.

[C Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

This adaptation is true to the spirit and key points of the main story from the Spider-Man video game, but the game itself is far more nuanced and developed. Overall, this graphic novel presents a fun way to review the story in a single sitting after completing the game over a longer period of time.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

COLLECTING: MARVEL'S SPIDER-MAN: CITY AT WAR ISSUES #1-6

This is the start of Marvel's Gamerverse comic line, based on the recent Spider-Man PlayStation video game. I liked it more than I didn't like it, however I do think the plotting was rushed because they were trying to use only six issues to tell all of the story told inside the video game.

Final rating = 3.5 stars

[Melody Soundy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the insomniac games as this was a good adaptation but unfortunately I refuse to review until Marvel stops ignoring the suffering in Palestine and meets the demands of the boycott. Spider-Man is another character who would hate what 🇮🇱 are doing right now.
Marvel needs to do better.
🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉

[Trinity F · Rating 3 out of 5]

As far as comic adaptions go, this one was pretty good, however I did feel as though there were a lot of the plot from the video game that was skipped over, and also a lot of fight scenes and smaller plot lines missing.

Nonetheless, it was fun to read and recapped the video game nicely.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good but very quick read; I think trying to fit the whole of the PS4 game in to a 6-part series was ambitious and rushed at times. Good to see some snippets of perspective from other characters though.

[Marble · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t like this series but I also didn’t hate it, when I first heard it I saw it marketed as sequel to the city that never sleeps expansion from the game, imagine my disappointment when it turned out it was an adaptation of the game! Great art though.

[Penelope · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the game, and reading this book makes me want to play it all over again, the artwork, Peters thought bubbles,the storyline perfect spider man comic and im excited to see more of the gamer verse. Also loved the concept art bit at the end.

[Mason · Rating 3 out of 5]

A retelling of the 2018 game's story suffers from not being able to go as in depth but it's still a solid story. The best parts are the new additions like extra scenes with Miles and MJ talking with May near the end. And, I enjoyed the art style. The PS4 suit is gorgeous as ever.

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you've played the game, here's the story in graphic novel form.

[John H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most video game-based comics that I've read suck, but this one is pretty good!