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Spider-Man's Tangled Web (Collected Editions) #4
Spider-Man's Tangled Web, Vol. 4
The Rhino and the Grizzly embark on an excellent adventure; Typeface meets his ultimate adversary: Spellcheck; J. Jonah Jameson faces his biggest foe -- himself; and a group of foreign exchange students take an ill-fated tour of the Daily Bugle. Plus Spider-Man meets MTV and fights a sentient beach.
176 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2003
3 people are currently reading
57 people want to read
About the author
Ted McKeever
203 books31 followersTheodore Paul McKeever is an American artist known for his work in several comic book companies. McKeever has written and also fully painted many comics. He is known for his distinct graphic style.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 8, 2017
End of the road for Tangled web, leaving on a light note.
- Alphabet city (Mckeever) - 1: supposedly humorous, this story falls far off the mark. An anal-retentive moron calling himself Spellcheck wants to "grammatically assist" another ridiculous super dude (Typeface) who fights throwing letters to felons. About as fun as a rainy sunday.
- Call of the wild (R. Morrison/Mahfood) - 3: Grizzly is on parole and wants to stay out of prison. Reinsertion is not so easy when your neighbor is Rhino. Fun enough if not unforgettable.
- Behind the mustache (Wells/Haspiel) - 3,5: J.J.J. stars in this one. We can see the Daily Bugle's boss as a kid, teenager, young adult, situations we're not accustomed to and interesting because of that. His vitriolic humor is a killer.
- 'Twas the fight before Christmas (Cooke) - 2,5: Another X-Mas story for Cooke, as beautiful as the first one but as tedious storywise. Cute but only that.
- The system (Walsh/Dose) - 4: two cops try to deal with the legal consequences of Spiderman's involvement in an arrest. More police procedural than the others, this one stands out from the lot. Alberto Dose's art is reminiscent of fellow argentinian Carlos Sampayo, clearly not the worst influence ever.
As often the case in these kind of series you can find as much good as bad. Not bad on average but with too much standard deviation to be viable on the long run.
- Alphabet city (Mckeever) - 1: supposedly humorous, this story falls far off the mark. An anal-retentive moron calling himself Spellcheck wants to "grammatically assist" another ridiculous super dude (Typeface) who fights throwing letters to felons. About as fun as a rainy sunday.
- Call of the wild (R. Morrison/Mahfood) - 3: Grizzly is on parole and wants to stay out of prison. Reinsertion is not so easy when your neighbor is Rhino. Fun enough if not unforgettable.
- Behind the mustache (Wells/Haspiel) - 3,5: J.J.J. stars in this one. We can see the Daily Bugle's boss as a kid, teenager, young adult, situations we're not accustomed to and interesting because of that. His vitriolic humor is a killer.
- 'Twas the fight before Christmas (Cooke) - 2,5: Another X-Mas story for Cooke, as beautiful as the first one but as tedious storywise. Cute but only that.
- The system (Walsh/Dose) - 4: two cops try to deal with the legal consequences of Spiderman's involvement in an arrest. More police procedural than the others, this one stands out from the lot. Alberto Dose's art is reminiscent of fellow argentinian Carlos Sampayo, clearly not the worst influence ever.
As often the case in these kind of series you can find as much good as bad. Not bad on average but with too much standard deviation to be viable on the long run.
September 13, 2024
The last volume definitely packs a punch. Alphabet City is funny. Call of The Wild is pretty okay and predictable but works only because of Mahfood’s art. Best part of the book is last 3 Stories - Zeb Wells’ Behind the Moustache is an antithesis to his I was a Teenage Frogman from the previous vol. Darwyn Cooke’s ‘Twas a Fight Before Christmas is okayish but the last one - The System by Brian P Walsh shines and how!
March 12, 2016
Ted McKeever's story, easily the best in this collection, along with the second and third stories, keep this from having an abysmal rating. I acknowledge that I am a reader who is not an adolescent. However, I look at this title as 1 which collected unusual voices and a bit more artistic adventurism than other Spider Man titles. Leave the long Christmas story for the children, and the only people who would enjoy the double issue Sandman tale would be those who enjoy making fun of the music that teens enjoy, or at least some teens anyway.
April 23, 2023
While I still enjoyed the concept, I did not really enjoy this final volume of Tangled Web. Most of the issues were either bad or just okay, and the only issue I actually enjoyed was not enough to save the whole volume. Not a great end to a good run!
Alphabet City - Ted McKeever
My least favourite in the collection. Typeface is okay-ish as an antihero but the whole Spellcheck schtick was really, really boring. Basically, a guy sees Typeface and decides to offer his services as a sidekick to constantly correct Typeface's grammar while he tries to defeat baddies. Not fun. The art style was interesting to look at - not something I would go for but the punk style fits Typeface.
Call of the Wild - Robbie Morrison & Jim Mahfood
A very early 2000s about Grizzly finding out that his new neighbour during parole is Rhino. Lots of internet cafés and a silly catfishing plot underlying a buddy comedy. It was okay but rather forgettable.
Behind the Mustache - Zeb Wells & Dean Haspiel
Deep dive into J Jonah Jameson's psyche and the root of his obsession with Spider-Man, in a way. I was not a fan, the humour was dated and we don't really get an explanation as to why Spider-Man of all heroes. According to this comic, JJJ should hate literally every masked hero. Not for me. Haspiel's style here reminds me of Rob Guillory, but less fanciful.
T'was the Fight Before Christmas - Darwyn Cooke and J. Bone
Great art, best of this bunch hands down, with the caveat that I am a big fan of this retro/Archie style. Another Darwyn Cooke Christmas issue, but in my opinion much better than Open All Night. It is a mix between Christmas Carol and Die Hard, so it is quite fun to read but it feels a bit too long and ultimately pretty forgettable.
The System - Brian Walsh and Alberto Dose
Fantastic line work, really pretty to look at. I think it could have shined even more with a different colourist (usually like Buccellato's work, just not this time around!). My favourite issue in this collection, it offers a look into what happens at police departments when they have to retrieve criminals from Spidey's webs. Solid issue all around.
The whole Tangled Web series is full of hits and misses, but I have thoroughly enjoyed the concept and I am sad that I have come to the end!
Alphabet City - Ted McKeever
My least favourite in the collection. Typeface is okay-ish as an antihero but the whole Spellcheck schtick was really, really boring. Basically, a guy sees Typeface and decides to offer his services as a sidekick to constantly correct Typeface's grammar while he tries to defeat baddies. Not fun. The art style was interesting to look at - not something I would go for but the punk style fits Typeface.
Call of the Wild - Robbie Morrison & Jim Mahfood
A very early 2000s about Grizzly finding out that his new neighbour during parole is Rhino. Lots of internet cafés and a silly catfishing plot underlying a buddy comedy. It was okay but rather forgettable.
Behind the Mustache - Zeb Wells & Dean Haspiel
Deep dive into J Jonah Jameson's psyche and the root of his obsession with Spider-Man, in a way. I was not a fan, the humour was dated and we don't really get an explanation as to why Spider-Man of all heroes. According to this comic, JJJ should hate literally every masked hero. Not for me. Haspiel's style here reminds me of Rob Guillory, but less fanciful.
T'was the Fight Before Christmas - Darwyn Cooke and J. Bone
Great art, best of this bunch hands down, with the caveat that I am a big fan of this retro/Archie style. Another Darwyn Cooke Christmas issue, but in my opinion much better than Open All Night. It is a mix between Christmas Carol and Die Hard, so it is quite fun to read but it feels a bit too long and ultimately pretty forgettable.
The System - Brian Walsh and Alberto Dose
Fantastic line work, really pretty to look at. I think it could have shined even more with a different colourist (usually like Buccellato's work, just not this time around!). My favourite issue in this collection, it offers a look into what happens at police departments when they have to retrieve criminals from Spidey's webs. Solid issue all around.
The whole Tangled Web series is full of hits and misses, but I have thoroughly enjoyed the concept and I am sad that I have come to the end!
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January 14, 2025This final collection of Tangled Web brings this surprisingly strong anthology to a close before it overstays its welcome.
This fourth volume offers a lot to enjoy, especially for fans of cartoony comic art. The obvious highlight is Darwyn Cooke's return to Tangled Web with a Christmas-themed adventure. Cooke is a comics legend for good reason. His art (with finishes by J. Bone) is highly expressive with impeccable comedic timing. While he wears his influences on his sleeve (with heavy reference to Kirby and Romita), his style is uniquely his own and iconic.
Cartoonist Jim Mahfood also receives a spotlight in this volume. His work repelled me as a young reader but as I've read more of Mahfood's indie stuff (such as Stupid Comix), I've come to appreciate his brand of off-the-wall humor. Mahfood draws two stories in this volume. The first, "Call of the Wild," is an crude but strangely charming tale of C-list villain Grizzly adjusting to life after prison and searching for love on a dating site. The second, "Fifteen Minutes of Shame," satirizes MTV and celebrity culture of the early 2000s. While very "of its time," the latter story outshines the former thanks to writer Zeb Wells' ability to complement Mahfood's wacky drawings with biting one-liners. As someone who grew up in the era, I got a kick out of its commentary, although younger readers may miss its references. "Fifteen Minutes of Shame" easily joins the ranks of the funniest Spider-Man stories.
The other Zeb Wells story in this collection features J. Jonah Jameson as he visits therapy and works through his family trauma. Despite a few humorous moments, "Behind the Mustache" annoys me by falling into the trope of giving supporting cast members an abusive father as a lazy way to build depth. Later stories overwrite this backstory to make JJJ's relationship with his father more nuanced and compelling. It doesn't help that I struggle to see the appeal of Dean Haspiel's cartooning in this comic.
Another story with cartooning that doesn't quite work for me is "Alphabet City" by Ted McKeever. The premise of a spellcheck-obssessed hero teaming up with similarly grammar-themed hero Typeface is ludicrous enough to be fun. But I felt a disconnect between McKeever's goofy script and his scratchy, dark artwork. And the script itself is full of jokes that left me scratching my head. This story is nonsense and falls somewhat flat for me.
The only story that aims for realism in this collection is "The System." This comic explores how the legal system picks up the pieces when Spider-Man webs up criminals with a note and not much incriminating evidence. Writer Brian Patrick Walsh explores this idea with a surprising amount of depth for a single issue. Alberto Dose's art provides detailed rendering and adept character acting to sell the exploration of superheroics in a real work setting. Overall, this is a solid story to close out the title.
All things considered, Tangled Web has a remarkable hit rate as an anthology book, which tend to be mixed bags by their nature. It's fun to see creators work on Spider-Man adjacent stories who are otherwise uninvolved with the character.
This fourth volume offers a lot to enjoy, especially for fans of cartoony comic art. The obvious highlight is Darwyn Cooke's return to Tangled Web with a Christmas-themed adventure. Cooke is a comics legend for good reason. His art (with finishes by J. Bone) is highly expressive with impeccable comedic timing. While he wears his influences on his sleeve (with heavy reference to Kirby and Romita), his style is uniquely his own and iconic.
Cartoonist Jim Mahfood also receives a spotlight in this volume. His work repelled me as a young reader but as I've read more of Mahfood's indie stuff (such as Stupid Comix), I've come to appreciate his brand of off-the-wall humor. Mahfood draws two stories in this volume. The first, "Call of the Wild," is an crude but strangely charming tale of C-list villain Grizzly adjusting to life after prison and searching for love on a dating site. The second, "Fifteen Minutes of Shame," satirizes MTV and celebrity culture of the early 2000s. While very "of its time," the latter story outshines the former thanks to writer Zeb Wells' ability to complement Mahfood's wacky drawings with biting one-liners. As someone who grew up in the era, I got a kick out of its commentary, although younger readers may miss its references. "Fifteen Minutes of Shame" easily joins the ranks of the funniest Spider-Man stories.
The other Zeb Wells story in this collection features J. Jonah Jameson as he visits therapy and works through his family trauma. Despite a few humorous moments, "Behind the Mustache" annoys me by falling into the trope of giving supporting cast members an abusive father as a lazy way to build depth. Later stories overwrite this backstory to make JJJ's relationship with his father more nuanced and compelling. It doesn't help that I struggle to see the appeal of Dean Haspiel's cartooning in this comic.
Another story with cartooning that doesn't quite work for me is "Alphabet City" by Ted McKeever. The premise of a spellcheck-obssessed hero teaming up with similarly grammar-themed hero Typeface is ludicrous enough to be fun. But I felt a disconnect between McKeever's goofy script and his scratchy, dark artwork. And the script itself is full of jokes that left me scratching my head. This story is nonsense and falls somewhat flat for me.
The only story that aims for realism in this collection is "The System." This comic explores how the legal system picks up the pieces when Spider-Man webs up criminals with a note and not much incriminating evidence. Writer Brian Patrick Walsh explores this idea with a surprising amount of depth for a single issue. Alberto Dose's art provides detailed rendering and adept character acting to sell the exploration of superheroics in a real work setting. Overall, this is a solid story to close out the title.
All things considered, Tangled Web has a remarkable hit rate as an anthology book, which tend to be mixed bags by their nature. It's fun to see creators work on Spider-Man adjacent stories who are otherwise uninvolved with the character.
August 17, 2025
None of it’s stunning, but some of the stuff here is good enough and the rest is inoffensive.
The best ones here are Darwyn Cooke’s (unsurprisingly), and Wells’s character study of JJJ; and the last story is so aggressively and obnoxiously 2000’s it almost circles back around to being charming.
The best ones here are Darwyn Cooke’s (unsurprisingly), and Wells’s character study of JJJ; and the last story is so aggressively and obnoxiously 2000’s it almost circles back around to being charming.
July 20, 2019
Not as good as the previous volumes of this fun series were. Sort of "this was commissioned, we have release this and then fold" feeling. But still a decent volume.
March 26, 2016
Some of the best and worst of the Tangled Web series here. Always great to see Darwyn Cooke writing again. Call of the Wild and Behind the Mustache are great stories, but the rest are less than impressive, and the final 2-part from Peter Parker: Spider-Man seems out of place... and it's just a dumb story. Tangled Web was a great series, but I think this was a good place to end the run.
August 14, 2008
I nice collection of tales involving those people whose lives are touched in some way by Spider-Man. Particularly like the story with Grizzly and Rhino.
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May 19, 2017It was funny. I do like comics.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews