Comic Book Review – Amazing Spider-Man #9
Amazing Spider-Man #9
Writer: Dan Slott
Artist: Olivier Coipel
Color Artist: Justin Ponsor
Letterer: Chris Eliopoulos
Spider-Verse is here! And it is off to a great start. This event has been years in the making as it is said to include every Spider-Man ever. I can’t say that I ever thought that I would see all the spiders pictured on the cover in the same issue as one another and have it make sense. Peter Parker, Miles Morales, Jessica Drew, Miguel O’Hara, Ben Reilly, and Anya Corazon are all there. Believe me, it happens.
Had I not been keeping up with all of the Edge of Spider-Verse issues (both the mini-series, Superior Spider-Man, and the back up stories in the past two issues of Amazing Spider-Man) I would have felt a little overwhelmed with the number of spiders in this issue. Because I read those issues, I felt like I knew most of the characters and felt better knowing what each spider has been through up until they all gather. This issue does a good job of getting all the spiders together, in one place, with the exception of a few. So the pacing for this issue seemed a little fast at the start and then slows towards the end. And I’m not sure how I feel about that.
I love that the spiders are all so different. Their dynamics between each other are going to be great as this arc progresses. They have all lived such different lives and faced very different trials making them into the Spider-Men and Spider-Women they are today. I like the way the characters are written so individualistically, both in their mannerisms and speech. Dan Slott knows what he’s doing. I am definitely looking forward to the inevitable confrontation between the Amazing Spider-Man and the Superior Spider-Man. The tone of this issue is very dark and ominous. The stakes are high and I do not think everyone is going to make it through this event alive. Between the great writing and fantastic artwork, I am super excited for the rest of this event.
The artwork is flawless. Olivier Coipel’s pencils are absolutely fantastic and Justin Ponsor’s colors work so well with them. The variety of the swinging poses impressed me because an issue with as many spiders as this one has; there are only so many ways one can draw poses of a person swinging. Also I loved the attention to detail on the costumes of the alternate-earth spiders. Some of the changes are drastic and some of them are subtle but ultimately you know which one is our Peter Parker. It is so nice to see some of the spiders in this issue like Ben Reilly. The way Coipel beautifully draws characters like Jessica Drew makes me wish he did more monthly stuff, I am so glad he is on this book.
The back-up story is very important because it shows the reader what is happening among Morlun and his family while all the spiders are gathering. It’s interesting to see the story from the villains’ perspective.
Rating: 6 (out of 7) – Solid story paired with AMAZING artwork, though the pacing does feel a little inconsistent at times. Definitely looking forward to see where this little event is goes.
