Food.
So begins Spider-Verse.
Slott brings in his magnum opus – every Spider ever. The
character moments are the big draw, and how the different Spiders interact.
The artwork by Olivier Coipel is spectacular, and befitting
the mega event.
SPOILERS FOLLOW………….
First, we see another episode of ‘Morlun kills another
alternate universe Spidey’. This one is unique in that excepting the
similarities to early days Peter, it seems humanity has moved to the moon.
So, ends Spider Moon-Man of Earth 449.
Coming back to Loomworld of Earth 001, we see the Master
Spinner, whom the Inheritors captured and is using to detect and kill the
Spider-Men of the multiverse, being goaded into bringing back Morlun from 449.
Daemos ridicules him in that he is purposely avoiding the
616 universe (where our Peter lives) and after he leaves, decides to travel
there himself while his sister Lady Verna has acquired some pets of her own,
including an alternate world Silver Sable, Kraven and Fireheart.
Speaking of Earth 616, Silk pays Peter a visit and as they
respond to a police call, she tells him that their animalistic attractions mean
that one of them must move away from New
York. Apparently, the ‘attraction’ has grown stronger
recently and is drawing Silk’s every sense towards Peter.
Thankfully, a stolen Spider Tank (yeah, one of those from
Superior Spider-Man’s time) and former Spider soldiers prove a welcome
distraction.
That is until a Spider convention takes place.
Jessica Drew (Spider-Woman), Anya (Spider-Girl) and Miguel O’Hara
(Spider-Man 2099) all arrive to help out and talk. Not to mention Spider-UK,
MC2 Spider-Girl and Spider-Ham getting in on the action.
Some bewildering moments after, Peter is convinced by the
MC2 Spider-Girl (his daughter in another universe) that this isn’t a trick and
when he learns that Morlun is on their trail, he is the first to understand the
severity of the situation – telling everyone to go back through the portal to
whatever ‘safe place’ they’re staying at.
Though I take issue with Spider-UK using Spider-Ham’s real
name Peter when fighting with the criminals. Secret identity, anyone???
Meanwhile, at Mount
Wundergore, where the New
Warriors reside, Kaine and his group are getting their asses kicked by Daemos
and it is revealed that the Other now resides in Kaine.
But before Daemos can kill him, Old Man Spider , Bruce
Banner Spidey, Alt universe Ben Reilly and Spider-Gwen arrive and save him,
though they lose Bruce in the effort.
It appears Spider-UK is coordinating the team of Spiders,
and our Peter gets another shock (just like Kaine) when he sees Gwen and Ben
alive.
The Cosmic Spider-Man of that world (Earth 13) reveals that
his abilities pose a credible threat to the Inheritors but are useless outside
his universe.
Over at the Ultimate Universe though, Miles Morales and that
world’s Jessica Drew get attacked by Lady Verna and her ‘pets’.
The biggest selling point of this story is the interactions
between the different Spiders. Most of them are roads not taken for the main
universe Spider, while others are totally different people who have taken up
the mantle. Apparently, Peter has visited the MC2 universe before – which is a
little sad given I expected more from his realization that he had a happy
family life with children in one universe.
The annoying things were Kaine and Peter in quick succession
being gobsmacked by Ben and Gwen. I know that it’s a realistic reaction, but
overuse is never a good thing.
Also, there seems to be a disconnection with the Superior
Spider-Man miniseries, though it does seem like there are two teams – Spider UK’s
and SpOck’s.
In the backup, the Inheritors place their spoils on the
dining table infront of their father, Solus while they wait for Morlun to
return from his current conquest. It’s a nice contrast between the different
Inheritors and their ideologies regarding the hunt.
We see Spider-Banner brought back from 616 by Daemos and
then Morlun’s ‘spoil’ finally speaks up, saying that while they have the power,
the Spiders will always battle for it is their responsibility. It seems Morlun
has really personalized the hunt (calling his food by name isn’t a good sign)
even as they dig into their meal.
SPOILERS END………………..
Slott manages to make a story comprising of multiple
Spider-Men (and women) start well, and the artwork is a refreshing change from
before.
The interactions are the main draw here, and while there is
some repeatability, and heavy continuity use, most of them work well.
So, I give this 8.0 out of 10.
+The character interactions
+Some great artwork
+The threat is made very credible
-Some repeatability
-Heavy continuity use distracts
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