Amazing Spider-Man #8 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

OK, I'll admit that I totally teared up a bit when Spidey told Kamala that she was doing great, as one teen hero to another one.

In fact, this whole issue was pretty great.  Sure, it's kind of a dopey ending, with Clash (more on him in a minute) and Kamala realizing that the Kree hadn't actually sanctioned Minerva's mission (since she didn't have any actual Kree henchmen on hand) and Spidey pretending to call the Kree to spook her.  But, it was fun in an innocent way.  I mean, every outing doesn't have to be a life-and-death struggle.  It reminded me of issues like "Amazing Spider-Man" #267.  I wasn't a huge fan of that issue when I first read it, but it had the same hokey charm that this issue has.  (Slott just pulls it off a bit better than DeFalco did, to be honest.)  Moreover, I loved seeing Clayton again.  Although Peter doesn't fully acknowledge it here, I do feel like he really owes Clayton.  As I said in my review of "Amazing Spider-Man" #1.5, he pretty nonchalantly ruined Clayton's life when he exposed his identity to the public.  Giving him a job (something that Clayton couldn't get with his record) seems the least that he could do.

The "Edge of Spider-Verse" story is decidedly less innocent than the main story.  Daemos, one of the brothers of Karn and Morlun, gets into the action, killing off Spider-Girl's parents and boyfriend.  It's pretty grim, particularly when May ends it swearing to break every vow she made to her father and pledging to kill Daemos.  But, it also raises an interesting question.  Most of the characters whose lives we've seen ended or ruined so far aren't really characters that we'd expect to see again.  The closest have probably been the Marvel 1602 Spider-Man and the Exiles' Spider-Man 2099.  However, Spider-Girl is a pretty well established character.  She did appear in her own series, even if it was short-lived.  Daemos does a number on her life here, and it makes me wonder if we really aren't going to see the events of "Spider-Verse" ret-conned in the end.  We still have the fact that Otto disappeared from "Superior Spider-Man" #19, setting up the events of "Spider-Verse."  It seems like the event has to end with Otto returning to where he left, implying that everyone else (like May) would also return to where they were.  I guess we'll see.  If not, Slott is definitely breaking a lot of china.

*** (three of five stars)

Spider-Man 2099 #5 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

*** (three of five stars)

Summary
On Earth-98210, Miguel tells his teammates in the Avengers -- Captain America, Captain Marvel (Genis-Vell), and Wolverine -- that he feels like he's being stalked.  Cap reminds him that the Avengers will stand by him if someone comes after him; on cue, Avengers Tower's internal alarms sound.  The Avengers prepare for battle as Morlun blasts into the room.  Logan stabs him through the chest with his claws, but Morlun shrugs off the attack and hurls him like a rag doll into Cap.  Genis-Vell attacks next, but Morlun drains his cosmic energy from him.  Announcing that the others were appetizers and that Miguel is the feast, Morlun attacks Spidey, draining him completely.

On Earth-616, "our" Miguel suffers a sudden headache, falling off a helicopter that a bunch of thieves are using to escape a bank heist.  Miguel manages to recover in time to fire off a Web-Line onto the helicopter, stopping his fall.  He climbs onto the copter, makes short work of the thieves, and lands the copter on a rooftop (noting to himself how primitive the technology is).  He webs up the thieves for the cops and departs, wondering about the sudden pain that he experienced; he describes it as feeling like he had died.

Back on Earth-98120, Morlun sees "the future Spider-Man" observing him from a circular window into that dimension, but said Spider-Man bolts when he sees that Morlun sees him.  Morlun announces that he has to make a stop before visiting this Spider-Man and disappears before a revived Logan can land a claw on him.  Cap and Logan take Genis-Vell to the sick bay and discuss how they're going to chase down Spidey's murderer.  Cap says that they'll have to do some research, but Logan notes that he feels like they'll never see him again; Cap admits that he's glad.

On Earth-6375, the "future Spider-Man" is revealed to be the Exiles' Miguel O'Hara.  Expositing to his girlfriend, Mary Jane, Miguel reveals that he first learned of Morlun (and the "others") during his days in the Exiles, but never actually met him.  He tells Mary Jane that they have to leave, but she continues to ask questions, this time about the headband that he's wearing.  He tells her that the headband is part of Exiles' tech, allowing them to get in touch with him; he's been using it to see other Miguels, to build strength in numbers.  However, he realizes that he may have led Morlun right to him with the headband.  Mary Jane asks why Morlun kills Spider-Men and Miguel admits that he doesn't know; he just notes that there are barely any Miguels left.  Mary Jane asks where he's going and he tells her that Morlun died on Earth-616 so he might be afraid to go there.  Mary Jane (pretty damn logically) asks why Morlun was still alive if he died and Miguel again admits that he doesn't know.  Mary Jane insists on coming with him and Miguel agrees.

Back on Earth-616, Miguel tries to convince Tiberius that it's a bad idea for Alchemax to be vouching for super-criminals like the Scorpion on work-release programs.  Tiberius notes that New York has nowhere to put said super-criminals and the prisons where they are being held are thrilled to have them off their hands.  An exasperated Miguel suggests building a jail just in time for Liz to overhear.  Surprised by Liz's interest, Miguel notes the positive PR that they would get.  Liz announces that she likes the idea, particularly since Parker Industries just failed in trying to do the same thing.  (She also notes that "super-powered monsters have made [her] life miserable enough.")  Tiberius agrees that the idea has potential and proposes next steps.  Just as Liz compliments Miguel on the idea, he has another attack.  On Earth-96099, Morlun has just killed a teenage Miguel and, as his father opens fire on Morlun, he kills the father as well.  Exiles Miguel also suffers an attack, feeling the murder over the headband.  Mary Jane tries to get him to take off the headband, but Miguel notes that it allows him to know where Morlun is.  Miguel opens the portal and prepares to enter, hoping that it takes them straight to the Earth-616 Miguel O'Hara.

At Alchemax, Liz puts Miguel in the elevator and tells him to head to the doctor's office on the 21st Floor.  After the doors close, Miguel has Lyla scan him and she notes that he's showing extreme signs of stress and that his liver isn't in good shape.  She asks if he's been drinking and he snaps that it's not his liver.  When Lyla acknowledges that he's not feeling this way for any medical reason, he surmises that it's Spider-related, since, "whenever [his] life goes to Hell, it's always Spider-related."  Heading for the roof (since the doctor would unlikely be able to help), he changes to his costume in time for Exiles Miguel's portal to appear.  However, at that moment, Morlun arrives and kills Exiles Miguel as he steps through the portal.  "Our" Miguel recognizes Morlun from history books, but notes that he's supposed to be dead.  Miguel is stunned by the pain coming from such a close attack, but taunts Morlun.  Morlun doesn't step through the portal, and Miguel notes that he looks afraid.  The portal closes and Miguel realizes that he has to find Peter Parker. 

The Review

This issue is solid, but, at this stage, we really need to start getting some basic information about "Spidey-Verse."  We still don't know why Morlun is alive or why Silk leaving her bunker has suddenly but him and his siblings into overdrive.  I get that the "Edge of Spider-Verse" stories are supposed to tease us into getting more interested in the event, but I'm starting to find myself more annoyed than intrigued.  It's not David's fault, since he's just forced to write a tie-in issue, but it definitely annoyed me throughout the issue.

The Good

1) It's interesting that Miguel has his own series of doppelgängers.  So far, Aaron Aikman, Ashley Barton (Spider-Girl of Earth 807128), Spider-Man UK (Billy Braddock), and Gwen Stacy (Spider-Gwen) are the only Spider-Men that don't seem to be a version of Peter Parker or a relative of a version of Peter Parker.  To be fair, it's not like we've had an exhaustive presentation of the backgrounds of all the Spider-People that we've seen so far.  But, for the most part, the majority of them have had a specific connection to Peter Parker (as even Spider-Gwen does).  However, in this issue, we learn that Miguel has his own versions of Spider-People (at least three that we see).  Moreover, the Miguel O'Haras aren't all just future versions of Peter Parker's Spider-Man, since the Miguel O'Hara of Earth-98120 appears to be a contemporary of Logan and Steve Rogers.  It raises the question if he's equally a "prime" as Peter is.  I'm not sure if it's going to be the focus of "Spider-Verse," but it's an interesting question that I'd love to see Slott and David tease out a bit.

2) Using the Exiles' tech to connect the Miguels is a really brilliant twist.  I'm actually not really sure what tech Otto is using to get in touch with all the various Spider-Men, but my guess is that the Exiles' tech that Miguel is using here makes a lot more sense.

3) Why is Morlun afraid?  Is it because it's Earth-616 or does it have something to do with "our" Miguel specifically?  Color me intrigued.

The Unknown

At this stage, I've got two sets of "Unknowns:"  one related to Miguel and one related to "Spider-Verse:"

1) On Miguel, I realized that I'm not sure if Miguel knows that Peter is in control of his body again.  That question will resolve itself fairly shortly, given that Miguel is heading to meet Peter.  But, it could definitely lead to an interesting conversation when they first meet.

2) In terms of "Spider-Verse," I'm still not really sure where we are with Morlun.  I took a look at the issues so far under the "Spider-Verse" banner.  I'm pretty sure that Morlun was responsible for the killings in "Amazing Spider-Man" #7 and "Edge of Spider-Verse" #3-#4 and Karn was responsible for the ones in "Edge of Spider-Verse" #1 and "Superior Spider-Man" #32-#33.  (The other siblings appear in "Amazing Spider-Man" #7 and "Superior Spider-Man" #33.  No one dies in "Edge of Spider-Verse" #2 or #5.)  But, as I mention in "The Review" section, we still don't know why Morlun is alive or why he and his siblings are all racing to kill Spider-Men.  I've enjoyed these preludes to "Spider-Verse," but, man, it's time for it to start.

The Unclear

Miguel seems to have been aware that Morlun was hunting Spider-Men, which was why he was using the headband to rally other Miguels.  But, we don't learn how he discovered Morlun's activities.  My guess is that this question should really be part of "The Bad" as an oversight, but I'll leave open hope that David might address it at some point.

The Bad

The Exiles Miguel's scenes are pretty clunky, with the really torturous amounts of exposition.  I get that he's got to cover a lot of space here, but, at some point, I really just wanted Mary Jane to stop talking.

Edge of Spider-Verse #5 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

This issue reminds me of the Spider-Gwen issue, though Way doesn't exactly reach the same heights.

Like Latour, Way hints at the fully formed world where Peni Parker resides.  For example, we learn that Peni had been segregated from her family before becoming SP//dr, evidenced by her questions to "D" about her father (and predecessor as SP//dr) and the fact that she'd never met her Aunt May and Uncle Ben.  But, we're not given all the information, leaving us only with some sense that she lived at some school for potential meta-teens that reminds me of Kazuo Ishiguro's "Never Let Me Go."  D himself opens up the possibility of a world of superheroes with whom SP//dr interacts.  Does this world have an Avengers?  It remains to be seen.  Moreover, Peni's aunt and uncle are working for some sort of organization, but we don't have a sense if the government or a company (like Oscorp) runs it.

But, Latour managed to get us excited about these unknowns while still giving us what we needed to know about Gwen to appreciate her.  Conversely, we have a pretty basic lack of understanding about SP//dr.  Rather than just a radioactive spider that bit Peni once, this radioactive spider is the one in charge, choosing its host.  But, it's unclear why SP//dr seeks out a specific genetic structure or if Peni's family is the only one with that structure.  We also don't understand what motivates Peni.  It feels like she's just doing her duty, without any real sense of agency or responsibilities.  She might be trying to honor her father, but we're only left to infer that; Way doesn't do anything to make that clear.  

In other words, I enjoyed the sense of mystery that came with Spider-Gwen, but we at least had the basic facts that we needed to understand her.  We don't really have that with Peni.  She feels like a cog in a wheel that we don't really see.  If this issue was the first of a three-issue mini-series dedicated to her, we'd have plenty of time.  But, Way had to recognize the limitations of a one-shot a little more than he did here.

** (two of five stars)

Amazing Spider-Man #7 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

This issue was pretty solid.  We're still inching slowly to "Spider-Verse," but I found myself enjoying one last story before we dive head first into that event (as much as I'm actually excited about it).  My thoughts are scattered, because it's late on a Friday and it wasn't exactly a banner week at work.  So, I thought that I'd just list them, in no particular order:

- I love Ana Maria making the point that someone should've made to Peter years ago, that "great responsibility" doesn't mean "all the responsibility."  Word.  It's hard to believe that Peter just now realizes that the fire and police services can actually handle routine problems, like ringing alarms, attempted robberies, and small fires.  But, better late than never.

- I love Spidey and Ms. Marvel together.  I'm glad that Gage has Spidey take on board Kamala, telling her that "this sort of super smash-up" is his specialty.  As the original teen superhero, he'd be an asshole if he told her to sit on the sidelines while the adults fought.  Plus, their interaction is just adorable.  Her barrage of questions about Carol is hilarious, but Peter's response is even better:  "Yes, there was a date.  Let's leave it there, okay?  That's what she did."  Amazing.

- Minerva's plan makes total sense.  Seriously.  Usually, super-villains have totally hare-brained schemes, but stealing an Inhuman still undergoing terrigenesis to use his/her "still-maleable genes" to undo the Kree's evolutionary dead-end totally works for me.

- Spidey has a history with the masked henchman?  I can't wait to discover who it is.  Hopefully it's not Hydro-Man, but someone obscure, like Ox.

- The most interesting part of the Captain Spider-Britain back-up story -- besides Morlun killing Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends -- is the connection to the ongoing plot of "New Avengers."  By connecting the stories, we're definitely given some evidence that the rumors that Marvel is building to a major collapse of the space/time continuum next summer isn't too far off base.

- Speaking of Spidey and his Amazing Friends:  ouch, Dan Slott.  Don't mess with the '80s, bro.

*** (three of five stars)

Edge of Spider-Verse #4 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

To quote Will Ferrell, "boy, that escalated quickly."

Chapman gives us the most off-beat and unexpected installment of this mini-series, delivering a cannibalistic and sadistic version of Peter Parker.  I can't say that it's fun to watch "Uncle Ted" abuse "Patton Parnell" or Patton later using a mouse as his gateway drug to cannibalism.  But, I definitely found myself surprised that no one's ever previously done this story, given how much it makes sense that Peter had a pretty good shot of becoming a cannibal thanks to the spider that turned him into Spider-Man.  (Chapman lets us know that Patton had the sadism in him well before the spider bit him.)

Chapman keeps the reader guessing throughout the issue by adroitly playing off his/her expectation that Patton is going to be like Peter.  With each unexpected development, I found myself fighting against the pull of the story, figuring that Patton would somehow overcome these urges to become a hero.  It's only when Morlun appears at the end to stop him that you find yourself really accepting that Patton wasn't our Peter.

Speaking of Morlun, we do get confirmation here that it was Morlun that's appeared in previous versions of this series.  He's apparently not as dead as he seemed to be the last time that we saw him, though Slott is going to have to explain how he's now managed to cheat death twice.  But, we still have plenty of time for him to do that.  Now, it's time to enjoy the fifth and final Spider-Man.  After Patton, I feel like everything's on the table with this one.

*** (three of five stars)

Edge of Spider-Verse #3 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Aaron Aikman is no Spider-Gwen, but Weaver is definitely onto something.

First, Aikman is interesting because he turned himself into Spider-Man; it wasn't an accident, as it's been for the other Spider-Men that we've seen so far.  Unfortunately, characterization isn't Weaver's strongest suit.  Aikman and his love interest Kaori feel hollow throughout the issue.  In terms of dialogue, Aikman utters bromides to himself such as, "Alone, I stand against the rising tide, and as I live, all evil shall fall."  (I totally say that to myself every morning in the mirror; it really helps motivate me for the day of evil-smiting before me.)  In terms of motivations, Kaori is little more than a plot device.  Weaver takes her beyond even the clichéd role of a grieving mother willing to do anything to help her child and turns her into a monster who abets her obviously possessed daughter's plans to turn dozens of kidnap victims into cyborgs.  In other words, Weaver doesn't really do anything here to make either character all that likable.

Moreover, the plot is still a little unclear.  Kaori's daughter Hannah met some sort of extra-dimensional terror named Naamurah during her years in a coma, and Naamurah traveled into our dimension when Kaori successfully awakened Hannah.  We never learn why Naamurah wants to use the cyborgs to conquer the world, and Weaver doesn't do anything to explain her connection with Morlun (if it's him that appears at the end of the issue).

However, Weaver does create a rather interesting setting, infusing the book with a certain manga sensibility.  Although Aikman is Caucasian and the city where he lives appears to be New York, this corner of the Spider-Verse definitely seems to produce high-tech marvels beyond those that we see even in "our" universe.  You get a sense that more is possible there than in our universe, since this Spider-Man has technology on par with our Iron Man.  (Imagine what "their" Iron Man has.)  Moreover, Weaver does a great job using the secondary aspects of the design to pull you into this world.  The use of the Marvel Comics trading cards to introduce the villains was genius, and their allusions to issues of comics detailing the stories of this universe were definitely successful in making you wish that you knew more about it.

Ultimately, Aikman would have staying power if someone else was writing the character, though Weaver should definitely be left in charge of design.  We'll see how Aikman fares in "Spider-Verse."

** (two of five stars)

The Superior Spider-Man #33 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Whereas previous issues published under the "Edge of Spider-Verse" banner have done little more than introduce us to the various Spider-Men from the Multiverse, Gage actually moves the plot along significantly in this issue.

First, we learn that it's Morlun's brother, Karn, that we've seen hunting the Spider-Men for the last few issues, not Morlun.  I wasn't 100 percent clear on that in the main story; I thought Karn might just be another name that Morlun used.  But, the back-up story makes it clearer.  Moreover, Gage reveals that Karn has numerous siblings, including more obvious vampire ones that we meet here, named Bora and Brix.  In fact, he's from a whole family of people that hunt the Spider-Men, or, as they call them, Spider-Totems.  This revelation shakes up Otto, since he realizes that they have to wipe out the entire family before the Spider-Men are going to be safe.  He also realizes that Assassin Spider-Man and Spider-Girl will help him commit the genocide that he needs to commit to be free.  Gage also wisely reminds us why Otto is so invested, that he can't return to his time lest he lead Karn straight to Anna Maria.

Perhaps most importantly, we learn in the back-up story that Karn is seeking atonement for his sin, namely his lack of the love of killing.  Centuries ago, this "failing" resulted in him hesitating in killing the Master Weaver, as he was apparently destined to do, and his mother dies in his place in trying to do so.  (We don't learn why he was destined to kill the Weaver.  We just know that his brother, Daemos, fails in his attempt and that the Weaver calls Karn the "Chose One.")  Although his "sin" is clear (if you buy it), I can't say that his "atonement" makes much sense.  For reasons that seem a stretch, Karn is thrown into the Multiverse to kill Spider-Men.  The helmet placed on his head to keep his family from seeing his face is somehow attached to the Master Weaver and his ability to sense Spider-Men; each time Karn kills a Spider-Totem, it opens a portal that could send him home.  I seriously don't know what I should think about this part.  On one hand, it's nice to get this sort of insight into Karn's motive.  We're not going to have to wait until the last issue for some big (and ultimately unsatisfying) reveal explaining it, as we had to do with "Original Sin."  But, it just seems so...clichéd.  It's essentially Hermey the Elf from "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" meets Scott Bakula from "Quantum Leap."  Plus, the mechanics don't make much sense to me.  Why the random portals?  Why not tell him that he has to kill x number of Spider-Totems and be done with it?

Along a similar line, the mechanics of Otto's activities in this issue also don't make much sense.  Otto creates a device to reverse-engineer Karn's ability to drain the Spider-Men's powers, intending to drain him of the stolen power instead.  The only small catch is that it doesn't work.  Otto manages to shake off the loss, and he suddenly announces that a few adjustments will result in it hiding the Spider-Men's signal from Karn.  Really? I'm not really convinced, from an engineering perspective, that a device meant to reverse the flow of a certain type of energy could easily be turned into one that would preclude that type of energy from being tracked.  But, I guess I'm supposed to go with it.  It's not too hard to do so, to be honest, since Gage almost immediately calls into question how effective it is -- even if it does work -- by revealing that the congregation of Spider-Men make them easily trackable to Karn and his family.

In other words, we get a lot thrown at us in this issue.  In the end, it feels like too much, like Gage was under the gun to hit as many marks as he could.  Moreover, despite the information dump, it still isn't clear to me what the plot of "Spider-Verse" is going to be.  Is it really just Karn killing enough Spider-Men to make it home?  That feels a little...formulaic.  I'm giving this issue a three, since some of it -- mostly Camuncoli's great battle scenes -- felt like a four and some of it -- especially Karn's unbelievable motives -- felt like a two.

*** (three of five stars)

Edge of Spider-Verse #2 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

I don't like Jason Latour at all.  Seriously, sometimes I worry that he'll find my blog and feel bad about the things that I've said about him.  I pretty much constantly accuse him of ruining titles.  "Winter Soldier."  "Wolverine and the X-Men."  They're both titles that I enjoyed before he took over writing responsibilities, but I wound up dropping both of them shortly after his debut.  (Actually, Marvel canceled "Winter Soldier," but I would've dropped it if it had stayed in the line-up.)

However, I'm glad to say that he'll finally find something nice here, because, OMG, I LOVED THIS ISSUE.

First, the concept is amazing.  Actually, so many aspects of the concept are amazing.  Gwen Stacy is in a band called the Mary Janes front (of course) by Mary Jane Watson.  A spider bites Gwen and gives her powers; she becomes Spider-Woman.  Peter Parker feels insecure after she saves him from Flash Thompson and creates a formula to give him powers, turning into the Lizard.  He dies in Gwen's arms, telling her that he just wanted to be special like her.  She realizes that she has to honor his death by accepting the responsibility that come with her powers.  Amazing.  It's all amazing.

But, the part that makes it amazing is that it's not just a cut/paste origin story.  Gwen isn't a science geek trying to honor her uncle after she indirectly winds up responsible for his death.  The Green Goblin doesn't throw Peter off the Brooklyn Bridge.  It's not the same.  Latour allows Gwen to be different from Peter, but it a way that honors the mythos of Spider-Man.  She learns with great power comes great responsibility because she wants to make Peter's death mean something.  Her father serves as her Uncle Bean because he's a police officer that can teach her what she needs to know about facing her fears.  Peter's death weighs on her.

(I have to say that I had trouble focusing on the later part of the issue, because the revelation that Peter became the Lizard was so mind blowing.  Peter never had to face high school without his powers in our universe, so we never know what he would've down as the Age of Marvels unfolded around him.  It's a question that I never considered, but it unfolds in parallel to the story that Slott is telling in "Amazing Spider-Man:  Learning to Crawl," where another teenage genius decides to use his smarts to become something "special.")

Moreover, Gwen has her own problems.  Just like Peter back in the day, she's trying to find a way to balance the things that are important to her in her civilian life -- like her music -- with the responsibilities that come with her costumed identity.  She also faces the scorn of JJJ, Jr., because, hey, somethings don't change.

Also like Slott in "Amazing Spider-Man:  Learning to Crawl," Latour brings Gwen into the present.  It's hard to think of Gwen beyond the nerd wish-fulfillment figure that she represented when she debuted in the 1960s.  But, Latour is making exactly that point.  It's not your mother's Gwen Stacy.  This Gwen Stacy had a more modern childhood, leading her to be a bit more audacious than the original one.  She's a little more like Peter in that regard, fast with the quips and the snark like a kid raised in the Internet era would be.  In this way, Latour gives us the right amount of adolescent rebellion while still getting across the fact that she's a good kid.  It's why putting her in a band and college is such a great idea, because it's not only forcing her to chose between her civilian identity and her Spider-Woman responsibilities, but also between traditional and non-linear paths.  But, she's recognizable by her good heart.  The original Gwen saw through Peter's awkwardness to see something inside Peter that she loved and this Gwen Stacy is no different.

Also, Latour leaves us with the feeling that Gwen inhabits a fully realized world that we just haven't seen yet.  Beyond just the back story involving Peter, we also learn that Matt Murdoch is the Kingpin's lackey, sending the Rhino to kill Captain Stacy and "help" Spider-Woman in ending his crusade against her.  We have no idea why he would want to help her, but it can't be good.

Finally, the art is great.  Rodriguez is the right person for this gig.  Gwen is fluid like liquid, with a grace that seems impossible to catch on paper.  But, Rodriguez also gets across real emotion, like the sadness that Gwen's hunched shoulders convey as she holds Peter or the shock on Captain Stacy's face when she reveals her identity to him.  I haven't even mentioned her costume.  Usually, these sorts of new character costumes are too over the top, but, in using a pretty simple black-and-white base, Rodriguez has created something really eye-catching.

I just...yeah.  I just can't believe that I'm reading a book about Gwen Stacy and she's not a fossilized relic from the 1960s or a bad ret-con victim.

I've rambled enough.  BUY THIS BOOK.  Even if you're not collecting "Spider-Verse," BUY THIS BOOK.

Gwen Stacy is dead.  Long live Gwen Stacy!

***** (five of five stars)

Edge of Spider-Verse #1 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

My only exposure to Spider-Man Noir has been from the "Spider-Man:  Shattered Dimension."  His parts of the game were probably the coolest, so I have to say that I was excited to see that he was going to play a prominent role in the "Spider-Verse" event.  This issue wasn't exactly disappointing in that regard, but, in terms of the story itself, it wasn't exactly easy to follow.

It took me two readings to realize that Mysterio wanted Peter's blood to gain Spider-Powers.  At first, I thought that Mysterio was actually Morlun, so I was confused why he'd want to steal Peter's blood rather than drain his energy (or whatever it is that he does).  When Morlun appeared at the end of the issue, it became clear that Mysterio wanted the blood for his own reasons.  But, Hine doesn't do us a lot of favors in terms of clarifying what Mysterio wants to do with it.  We know that he and his assistant spent some time in the Amazon and, given their knowledge of Ansani, it stands to reason that Mysterio wanted to gain Spider-Powers in the same way that Ezekiel gained his powers.  Mysterio makes an off-hand comment about Spidey's blood running through his veins, but that's all the confirmation that we really get.  Moreover, the nature of Ezekiel's blood connection to the spider-totem was never made all that clear.  It seemed to have more to do with the letting of his blood at the temple in Peru than the injection of the blood of someone with powers.  That leaves me right where I began, confused about Mysterio's intentions.

Regarding the larger story, we don't really make any progress here, other than Spider-Man Noir joining Otto's team.  At some point we're going to have to learn how Morlun is still alive and why he's decided to take on the Spider-Men all at the same time.  But, I'm assuming those revelations are going to appear in the issue that Slott's writes.  In terms of this issue, it's a perfectly fine story, but Hine could've done a better job of making it more accessible for folks without the requisite Spider-Man Noir or Ezekiel background.

(NOTE:  We later clarify that the vampire here is Karn, not Morlun.)

*** (three of five stars)

Superior Spider-Man #32 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Slott definitely stars off "Spider-Verse" with a bang, showing us Otto's actions during the period of time when he disappeared in issue #19.  At first, I thought that we were just going to be treated to a fun romp through the 2099 world, and the brief appearances from the Specialist and Venture were exciting if disappointingly brief.  But, this issue does have "Edge of Spider-Verse" emblazoned on its cover, so it was clear that it had to tie into that plot somehow.  The good news is that Slott brilliantly uses Otto's attempt to return to his own time as the device for introducing Morlun's rampage throughout the Spider-Verse.  After encountering the fourth dead Spider-Man, Otto stars to wonder why so many Spider-Men are winding up dead and begins assembling an army to take on the mysterious assassin.  It feels totally organic, and I have to applaud Slott for thinking of such a great way to get this story rolling.

Since "Spider-Verse" is just starting in this issue, we're still left with a lot of question.  For example, we still don't have any idea why Silk's release from Ezekiel's bunker kicked off Morlun's rampage.  Moreover, we know that Otto's activities here happen in the past, and it seems likely that he leaves the army at some point, since he does re-appear in issue #19.  However, Slott does cast some doubt on that.  First, we see a dead "Civil War" era Iron Spider in this issue.  This Spider-Man is presumably not an alternate-universe version of Peter Parker, but a past one.  Assuming that Peter hasn't died in the present due to the murder of a past self, Slott at least floats the possibility that Morlun's actions (and, therefore, possibly Otto's) are somehow not affecting the present.  As such, we could be looking at a world where Otto had a different experience than this one in the original continuity, returning in issue #19 as normal.  However, now, he might exist outside the time stream, setting up the possibility that he survives his eventual death in issue #31 since it's his original issue #19 self that dies.  (Oy, my head hurts.)  At any rate, Slott is clearly going to have to give us some sort of explanation.  Either we're dealing with a different Otto or we need to know why Otto returned to the present and then promptly forgot about Morlun murdering the Spider-Men of the multiverse.

Even with these questions, it's definitely a fun issue.  Slott has always been great at juggling a lot of characters, and the joy of this event is going to be seeing all the Spider-Men interacting.  Otto meets the Indian Spider-Man in the main story and a Logan-trained assassin Spider-Man in the back-up story, and I find myself hoping that someone with a better knowledge of the various Spider-Men is keeping track somewhere.  So long as Slott remembers to have fun throughout this event and not have it devolve into an attempt to check all the boxes, I think we're going to have a great time.

(NOTE:  It laters become clear that the vampire here is Karn, not Morlun.)

**** (four of five stars)