Spider-Man: City at War #6 Review

“He’s always been better with you.”

Spidey versus Doc Ock with Aunt May’s life in the balance! Even if he wins, he loses!

WRITER: Dennis “Hopeless” Hallum

PENCILS: Michele Bandini

INKS: Michele Bandini; Elisabetta D’Amico

LETTERER: VC’s Travis Lanham

COVER ARTIST: Clayton Crain

VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: David Nakayama (Sinister Six-Doctor Octopus Variant); Tim Tsang

PRODUCTION DESIGN: Nick Russell

ASSISTANT EDITOR: Martin Biro

EDITOR: Mark Basso

SPIDER-MAN created by STAN LEE & STEVE DITKO

STORY: Hanging on to life, Spider-Man is carried in to the F.E.A.S.T. shelter and treated. When he comes to, Mary Jane inspires him to tackle Doc Ock thinking as Peter, not Spider-Man. Peter uses this to make a new suit and face off against his former mentor. Spidey wins and obtains the anti-serum. Returning to F.E.A.S.T., he is told that Aunt May is about to die. If he gives her the serum now, they won’t be able to make more to save all of New York. May and Peter have a heart to heart and he tearfully lets her go. Three weeks later, Miles reveals to Peter that he, too, has spider-powers.

THOUGHTS: Clayton Crain delivers a stunning final cover, featuring Spidey’s Anti-Ock suit. He wisely chose a white background to make the costume stand out more, compared to the game, where the final battle takes place at night. Sadly, no 8-bit variant cover this time. It looks like Crain won’t be resuming cover duties on the upcoming Spider-Man: Velocity and I’ll be sad to see him go. He provided some striking covers, capturing key game moments.

Well, here we are, the end of the line. This is a hard comic to critique. The PS4 game is phenomenal, perfectly capturing what it feels like to be Spidey, be it swinging through the city, fighting bad guys with acrobatic flair, using your science skills, or having to balance your personal life with super-heroing. The story builds and builds and you feel every bit of that when you reach the climax. It’s heart-wrenching.

Hallum has a nigh-impossible job trying to capture that and distill it into six issues. Some stuff was probably easy to lay by the wayside, being more exciting in a game then drawing it out in a comic. Miles and MJ stealthing around doesn’t exactly make for exciting reading, same with endless warehouse battles that don’t move the plot along.

The issue opens with Spidey barely alive after last issue’s beating given by Doc Ock. Miles takes on the job of providing commentary out loud as to how Spidey is still alive and how crazy New York and his life have gotten. It gets the exposition job taken care of, giving MJ a chance to have some character beats with Spidey and Aunt May.

It’s these moments of near loss that let Peter and Mary Jane continue to reconcile, with MJ not correcting Miles’ belief that she’s Spider-Man’s girlfriend. It’s her love and faith in Peter that inspires him to be greater and use his scientific mind to find a way to best Octavius. I loved the inclusion of the “Go get ’em, Tiger.” from Spider-Man 2.

Just as good was the added scene between Aunt May and Mary Jane, including May’s revelation to MJ that she knows Peter’s secret, too. It gives May that one extra moment to shine before her end and show she’s not oblivious to what’s going on around her. What’s more, she gives Mary Jane her blessing, letting her know that she makes her nephew better. Bandini gives MJ a look of subtle elation at May’s words that really sells the moment.

Bandini really shines when Spidey, clad in his Anti-Ock suit, confronts Doctor Octopus. He draws it just as well as the Advanced suit and makes the most of the fight scene in the space he’s allotted, with a cool two page spread that lets Ock stretch out and capture the scope of their epic battle.

It’s hard not to think once again of Spider-Man 2 during the fight, especially with how far gone Ock is made by the neural interface. Its destruction is the key to their battle and Ock’s defeat, but there’s no redemption here for this version of Otto. Bandini portrays Peter’s determination and pain equally well, along with Otto’s anguish. Yuri Lowenthal’s performance echoed in my head as I read the dialogue. It;s a difficult moment for Peter, seeing his hero fall, but the worst is yet to come.

With Spidey having recovered the anti-serum, the doctor tells him that  it will take a day or two to mass-replicate it and using even a portion of it now to save one life means they won’t have enough to use to save the rest. Thus, Insomniac and Hallum give us the ultimate Peter vs. Spidey conflict-save Aunt May or save the city. True to the game, May reveals to Peter finally that she knows and that she and Ben are proud of him. Bandini sells Peter’s grief as he puts the good of the many before the good of May. It’s a bold move to kill her off, but being a separate universe lets the change stick without fear of her being an actress planted by the Green Goblin. The whole final act is heart-wrenching and it’s hard to separate that emotion from playing the game when reading the comic.

Hallum wraps things up quickly, espousing how great role models and parents who care truly make heroes as Peter, MJ, and Miles lay May to rest next to Ben. Three weeks later finds Peter moving in to a new place with MJ definitively calling him her boyfriend, much to my happiness (probably Chi-Town Spidey’s, too). It’s no shocker that Miles has developed Spider-Powers after receiving a bite last issue, and the story closes with him making the revelation to Peter, who lets Miles in on his own secret.

As stated at the top, this is a tough issue to judge. The original story is one of Spidey’s best and the most important parts of the climax get carried over to this comic. It does feel truncated and rushed, but my perception may be skewed by the fact that I’ve played the game a few times now. Bandini does an excellent job portraying the action. While his characters have no problem conveying emotion, at times they can feel a bit basic and smooth somehow. Still, his portrayal of the final battle is top-notch, bringing his own style to some iconic moments. I’m looking forward to seeing what Hallum does on his own when he continues the story in the next mini. He added some extra depth where he could, which was appreciated. Overall, I enjoyed this series, but it still pales in comparison to the game, coming off at times like an illustrated Cliff’s Notes. If you haven’t played the game, you should definitely find a lot to love about this new universe.

MY GRADE: B

JAVI’S HUH?: Why is Sable helping carry Spider-Man into the shelter? When last we saw her, she was chasing MJ and was not a friend to the Wall-Crawler. How did she find him? When did she join his side? Ah, adaptations…