Spider-Punk: Battle of the Banned

Spider-Punk

by Cody Ziglar, Justin Mason (Artist), Jim Charalampidis (Colorist)

Anarchy in the Spider-Verse! Hobie Brown is the head-spiked Spider-Punk — all set to protect Earth-138 with his ax in hand and his chaotic band of punk rockin’ heroes backing him! But even though the Norman Osborn of Hobie’s dimension is dead, will the chaos he created be too much for Spider-Punk and gang to handle? What secrets lie under the community center that Spidey and his crew call home base? And why is Taskmaster crashing the party to stomp out Spider-Punk? It all ties back to one thing, and Hobie had better figure it out fast! Prepare for an arachnid adventure like you’ve never seen before! Kick it!

COLLECTING: Spider-Punk (2022) 1-5

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

120 pages, Paperback

First published March 21, 2023

Reviews

[Diz · Rating 2 out of 5]

What would happen if you asked some TikTok kids to make a comic about punk culture? That's about what you get in this comic. The punk is only surface level. Also, it's quite irritating to read because characters don't have conversations with each other. They just take turns quipping.

[Johnny Nigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nazi Punks F#3! OFF!

[Larakaa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gotta love me an anti-fascist, anti-capitalistic Spider-Man and friends.

[Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

So many Spider-centric titles, amirite? We've been in (out, and edge of) the Spider-verse and participated in Spider-geddon. It's been a refreshing flex for new writers to dig into new ideas. This series follows one of the recent favorites and fleshes out Earth-138. It's a universe full of the rebellious punk spirit and it's Spider-Man is none other than....

Hobie Brown?

No, not the current 616 universe's Prowler (and no, not Miles Morales uncle brought over from the Ultimate Universe). It's a fresh take on and focus on the punk spirit with all the brashness you'd expect to see in a punk 'band' of superheroes. Imagine all the creativity they tried with Spider-Gwen (or Ghost Spider..or whatever she's called now) only done better. This is fresh. It's focused. It even leaves you wanting more. Here's to hoping they don't go back to this character TOO much and ruin a good thing.

Bonus: Riotheart > Ironheart - Riri in any universe is great, but this one? awesome...
Bonus Bonus: Ta$kmaster geared up to look like a member of the Misfits. Yea, that's right. Wow.
Bonus^3: Cody Ziglar will be writing the new Miles Morales series (2022) Be ready!

[Oscar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty cool comic! 3.4 🌟

[Jim Ef · Rating 3 out of 5]

5.7/10

A bit silly and quite fun. The best thing is the friendship between the members of the gang. When it comes to the plot, i can't say that it kept me in the edge of my seat. It was ok.
The art style was more on the cartoony side. Helped with the silliness but i think i would prefer something slightly different.

[Fraser Simons · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much more fun and interesting than most of the stuff I picked up on peoples’ top comics last year. But this does suffer from a few things—most predominate? the world makes little no sense. I’m guessing this was a spider-verse spinoff, because it acts like explaining what the world is like has already been communicated.

It makes up for this by being expressly antifascist and has great art while doing it. At no point could I concretely say I knew what the factions were and how they functioned in the world at large. Norman Osborn was a president, guess he died? It looks and feels post apocalyptic, but is it? Music seems to be a much bigger deal, but I don’t know why. It’s very much a just nod your head and roll with it thing. Which is fine, but not amazing.

[AL :) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovedddd the artstyle and the character design, i just didn't think the storyline was really intressting tbh... it was just oneliners and punching? Idk

[Evie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seems like a metaphor for 'capitalism... (sorry, I had to say it)

In Earth-138, Hobie Brown becomes Spider-Man, while Norman Osborn becomes the president and rules with a harsh police force. He also teams up with Ta$kma$ter, an intriguing villain representing the dark side of capitalism. Under their oppressive regime, society is plagued by injustice and inequality.

I really enjoyed the presence of other characters who join forces with Hobie, like Mattea Murdock (aka Daredevil Brummer of Philly), Captain Anarchy (a variant of Captain America), and Kamala. They bring their powers and youthful spirit to fight against the fascist regime.

This Spider-Punk comic is an interesting story that combines humor and rebellion, prompting readers to think about themes such as the abuse of power, freedom and the struggle for justice. Overall, it's a captivating comic that encourages reflection on these thought-provoking ideas. I read this comic after watching the ATSV movie, and I must say it's one of the best Spider-Man comics I've read so far :))


PS: Yo, can we talk about how he uses his guitar as a weapon? He’s the best.

[Chelsea 🏳️‍🌈 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't remember the last book from the Big 2 that felt like a 5 star read to me.

This is everything I love about comic books. Hobie Brown is such a freaking cool character and this book made sure he was well rounded! He's not just a bad ass character inspired by the rebellion of punk rock stars, he's a great friend, teammate, and has emotions. He thought defeating the big bad guy (Osborn) meant Osborn's effects would just fall away and this story centers him realizing there's more to the fight.

The cast of characters was awesome! Not only were they diverse, it was cool seeing such bad ass alternate versions of Ironheart, Ms. Marvel, Cap, Daredevil, and Hulk. Honestly, Mattea was kind of my favorite and the Daredevils issue was awesome! I would love to have an animated film based on the Spider-Band because they were so much fun to watch!

Aside from this being a comic that focused on the heart of heroes fighting for the people (surprisingly this is becoming rarer from what I've heard about other releases), this comic is actually funny. The humor was well written, the characterization made me want to know more about these characters, and the character designs were fire! 🔥

Definitely a recommend from me and I'm glad to see Hobie's just as cool in the comics as he was in the film!

[Dieudonné Lola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Je viens officiellement de finir mon tout premier COMICS.
Ce fut une aventure enrichissante (il sont trop chou à mettre des mots en rouge pour rajouter du dramas)
Spider Punk est je suppose un bon choix de lecture, mais ce qui m'a perturber c'est que en plus de faire référence aux autres multivers (normal), il y a d'autre œuvre. J'etait un peu perdu mais ça m'a pas empêcher de sur kiffer l'histoire.
Hobbies il est grave cutie, l'humour est sympa mais pas transcendant (mais je m'attendais à un peu plus de trash.)

Attention : il n'a pas le même charadesign que dans les film mais c'était vraiment fun de découvrir les spiderpotes.

[Matteo Mazzotta · Rating 4 out of 5]

is it well written? no. is it corny? yes. but he is my special boy and i love him (and watching hulk beat up cops)

[A Fan of Comics · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit out of tune.


Hobie brown and his spider band are here to rock (and save the day). After a couple of goons try to kick the team out of the neighborhood, hobie and his buddies go on tour to see who is really behind all this chaos. It’s a fun series if you want a new perception on Spider-Man, but I feel like some of the “punk” theme is a little over done. The first two issue kinda drove me crazy with the dialogue. But overall it was a fun read. Liked the characters they had in the team, the art and designs were great. Maybe reading the spider verse series it’s tied to first is better, but I would say this is for people who just really like seeing different versions of the character.

[RatGrrrl · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel wretched about not loving this, but oof!

I will lay my cards on the table and say I am a Millenal of a certain age that makes me question whether this was a case of me reading this as the writer's being 'hello, fellow kids' to eleven or if I am now 'old [Genderqueer] yells at comic'. I genuinely don't know and I am seeing wildly different reactions to this, so I'm going to be very clear that this is all very much my subjective opinion about my experience.

At the end of the of the day, enjoying and feeling something positive about art (that isn't intentionally bigoted, harmful, or hateful--[to those who haven't earned that hate through their actions]), or just having a significant emotional reaction is great. There's no need to be a dick about something you don't like, so I'm really going to do my best to talk about why I didn't like this comic.

I don't have a huge exposure to Spider-Punk. I do love my punk, did the sixteen year old insufferable punk purist phase, playing the three chords and did most of the shouting in a local punk band, and got an offer to play rhythm for and practiced with a bigger, older local barn that played festivals, played America, and stuff, but I was a baby, a very, very neurodivergent and extremely anxious baby, so that didn't happen, which is a blessing because I definitely would have had a heart attack and/ or made an absolute tit of myself. I loved playing in the Spider-Punk skin in the game, despite the whole working with cops to surveil the city as viewpoint unlocks... and thoroughly enjoyed Hobie in Across the Spider-Verse when his accurate views weren't being made to look insufferable and wrong.

So, I was really excited to actually get into some Spider-Punk that came out in the Spider-Verse wave...

My issues can be succinctly summarised as this comic is too punk to function.

There are so many elements I love, the Hot Topic universe is fascinating blend of awesome, awful, and cringe (both complimentary and derogatory). Some of the aesthetics and characterisations are wonderful, while others are less so. The Misfits Crimson Ghost Ta$kma$ter is just glorious, but how they didn't have him say, "I ain't no goddamned son of a B$¿!" is a crime. I can't decide if the Osborne Venom head mechsuit Krang thing was good or not, but it did feel like a lot of hats on one severed head. Punching Nazis, racists, and fascists is great, but just calling people those things without accurately displaying actions and ideologies is actually not good.

Nazi Punks Fuck Off! is a bloody good title and slogan, but the song actually had lyrics and was saying something. That's where the comic falls apart for me. It's all aesthetics, and, granted, a lot of punk, especially the Sex Pistols, Malcolm McLaren, Viviene Westwood, side of things, but punk and has a meaning and a message. This really takes all that aesthetics and sloganeering and uses it the same way as the general superhero, military, and technological jargon thrown around in other comics made by ridiculous megacorps that literally factor doing military propaganda and making the 'progressive/ transgressive' elements easy to edit out for more authoritarian markets into their budgets and creative processes.

I just don't think they did anything interesting with the concept and aesthetics, beyond a few cool designs and character choices. Also, the dialogue was too much for me, so I mostly skimmed all the banter and non-essential plot stuff because I just couldn't.

I don't want to yuck anyone's yum, and we can all have fun with some corporate-approved rumpus, sometimes it's all we got, I just wish I could get on board with this, and that it was more what I enjoy about comics. But not everything is about me, so yeah, ymmv and know this is a real marmite/ vegemite moment--you'll likely love it or hate it.

[Guilherme Smee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eita Punk-Aranha fajuto! O que acontece quando uma grande empresa capitalista quer se apropriar de movimentos legítimos e populares, mas principalmente alternativos e undergrounds? Certamente acontece um bela desfiguração. Eu não sou um grande especialista em punk, mas já li alguns livros sobre o movimento e certamente, além do visual, esse Homem-Aranha Punk das histórias em quadrinhos da Marvel, não tem nada de punk a oferecer. O próprio Aranha-Punk de Aranhaverso é muito mais bem desenvolvido em suas pequenas aparições do que esse que ganhou 120 páginas para se mostrar e pouco trouxe de relevante. Além disso, a trama dessa HQ serve muito mais para apresentar versões "punks" de Capitão América, Hulk, Ms. Marvel, Coração de Ferro e Demolidor, do que desenvolver mesmo Hobbie Brown, o Homem-Aranha Punk. No fim das contas, as histórias do Punk-Aranha ficam na mesma medida que as da Gwen-Aranha: muito visual, pouquíssimo roteiro.

[Tyler Mickelson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing is really the only word that comes to mind. It's like the walked into Hot Topic to do their research.

Sure the Ramones and the clash are awesome but it's like marvel just googled popular punk rock and picked the top two bands.

The storyline was extremely boring, I resisted the urge to give up several times. However, I am glad that I kept going because one of the only redeeming qualities I found was the GG Allin reference towards the end. That was a nice little surprise that I am sure the marvel heads certainly didn't catch.

To be fair I stay away from the big two in comics because I don't like the vanilla story lines. I am always bored, and left disappointed.

The artwork for the most part was well done but still very typical for Marvel.

Storyline 1/5 stars
Artwork 3/5 stars
GG Allin reference 5/5 stars (Still not enough to save this trash)

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 round up cause the concept is good and the design is pretty great.

But the story felt shallow. Punk as a movement is more complex then cussing and fighting and being anti-establishment. I didn't need nuance, but I would liked something that showed a greater understanding.

[Connor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was interested in this after seeing the new spider verse movie. It’s ok. Honestly didn’t seem to be the same character from the movie. The whole world for me seemed less punk rock and more what an old man who doesn’t knew better thinks is punk rock.

[Nova · Rating 5 out of 5]

wish this was an ongoing so bad

[Maigan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not crazy about the art style inside, but the pure idea of a little punk spider running fighting for the little people fills me with such immense joy. I'm definitely in for more issues of this.

[Josh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just not very interesting

[Sarah Laudenbach · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Failing is part of the journey, brother. Tears too. Both are good for ya, but we gotta earn them. The release. We'll cry in celebration, in frustration, in joy once we tear this administration down once and for all."

Ziglar's Spider-Punk is exactly what you'd want from a Spider-Punk comic: authenticity, and no-holds-barred punk attitude. Battle of the Banned is openly and unashamedly about marginalized people coming together to beat the shit out of Nazis, fascists, racists, and capitalists, in no uncertain terms. Most issues of this run had punk songs very clearly associated with them, which was awesome for setting the tone (#1 had Nazi Punks Fuck Off, #2 finished with Blitzkrieg Bop, etc.), and Ziglar clearly did his research into the punk scene. I'm so thrilled with this run.

My only criticism of Battle of the Banned is, quite frankly, that it's too short of a run. There's way too much packed into only five issues, and so many plot details and characters could've been expanded on with a longer run. No spoilers, but the major plot twist at the end of issue 3 could've set up an entirely new arc's worth of Spider-Punk content, but instead, they wrapped up the plot in two issues. There was so much potential there, and I hope they go back and let Ziglar write more of Hobie's story.

Also, a bunch of little things I loved about Battle of the Banned that aren't getting enough attention: Hulk keeps his AirPods in while he's fighting, Captain Anarchy is openly queer and kisses his boyfriend, "Hulk crush all cops!", and perhaps my favourite bit of all, Hobie Brown is a massive, awkward nerd despite being a cool punk. That's truly keeping the Spider-Man spirit alive in every iteration, and I love it so much.

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this more than I did. The character concepts are delightful, but the story seems to be a stumble from one fight to another. I'd have liked more downtime, more mundanity. Not just bickering about Spider-Van, but maybe packing, road snacks... some rehearsals? I'm probably alone in that.

Sometimes the action was hard to follow, and I went back a few pages to find the background image that explained, say, how Riri got her power suit back.

The character feels a little toned down, too. Is it me? Still, it's funny that Hobie's power chord has become like Voltron's Light Sword, the ultimate fight-ender.

[CJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've got mixed feelings about this comic. I really like the alternate universe it's set in, with all the punk rock motifs and the twist on traditional superheroes, like Captain Anarchy instead of Captain America. But it felt like the comic was holding back a bit. It seemed like there was supposed to be a lot deeper themes given that it takes place in an alternate fascist version of the United States. So maybe not unsurprisingly it feels like it got toned down at some point along the creative process. The dialogue was pretty cringey too. There was a lot of "Hella fam, right on, right on". It seriously felt like it was written by people who have no idea how young people talk these days. Overall, it wasn't the best comic I've read, but there were some cool ideas that, even though not perfectly executed, kept me interested until the end.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Art work was awesome, really loved the art style and the colours that were used throughout were stunning! I unfortunately just didn’t vibe with the story line or the dialogue with this one! Still love Hobie and do love the avengers (or the band) that are shown for this spider-verse, it was cool to see something a bit different! Also, this is the first Spider-Man comic I’ve read that had Ms Marvel as part of the team, so it was nice to see her character in action!

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first Spider-Man comic and man was it freaking fun! Hobie was one of my favourite characters from Across the Spider-Verse so I was happy to get to learn a bit more about him and his world. Was the plot revolutionary in this? No. Did I still love it? YES! The style and characters were freaking awesome. I love that Captain America is Captain Anarchy in this 😂

#IndigoEmployee

[Soph Swin · Rating 4 out of 5]

concept is realized so well- the spider-band dynamics are a blast!

[Vimarie Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

love love love the art in this

[nico]

i love the art style

[Jakub Szameto · Rating 2 out of 5]

The art-style is astonishing. That’s why I picked it up. Characters are cool too. But that’s basically it. The story is forgettable, the characters have no personality and the dialogue is corny as heck.