MARCO SPEAKS SPIDEY: Spider-Boy (2023) #1 REVIEW

The Spider-Man family continues to grow and now Spider-Boy gets his own new series after coming back to the world, basically. It seems like he has mostly been forgotten, but that is not stopping him from getting some action. He’s making friends, revealing his identity to others, facing off with psychotic baddies, throwing parties for himself and making really bad jokes. It’s all in a day’s work for a Spider-Man… or Boy.

OFFICIAL MARVEL COMICS DESCRIPTION:

Published:

November 01, 2023

Writer:

Dan Slott

Penciler:

Ty Templeton, Paco Medina

Cover Artist:

Humberto Ramos

SECRETS OF SPIDER-BOY REVEALED! Spinning out of the pages of DAN SLOTT and MARK BAGLEY’s monumental SPIDER-MAN run – here comes the spectacular SPIDER-BOY! After the events of THE END OF THE SPIDER-VERSE, Spider-Boy’s secret history as Spider-Man’s sidekick was nearly forgotten forever. But now those mysteries will be revealed while they embark on exciting new adventures…TOGETHER!

PROS:

• The jokes stole the show with this issue. If you thought the OG Spider-Man was corny, you’re just going to love the humor of Spider-Boy. And while his one-liners can be a bit cheesy, it actually works because it ends up becoming a crucial part of the narrative. Eventually, you’ll see how humor was such an important point of bonding for Spider-Boy and his friend, Eli.
• Madame Monstrosity as a villain is very effective because she is just the right amount of crazy. But the villain that really stands out now is the Hellifino, who we discover is actually the former friend of Spider-Boy. Hellifino is a combination of an elephant and a rhino and it looks really intimidating. ‘Nuff said.
• The art team should get a standing ovation for this issue because they captured perfectly the youth and fun of a character named Spider-Boy. The title just simply looks and feels the way it should and I am looking forward to the next issues of superhero action. I also really love his character design, and his powers and abilities work well with how he is portrayed visually.
• Related to my previous point, I also find it very interesting how Spider-Boy is literally a monster, and that will continue to create high tension between him and the public. Just like Spider-Man, Spider-Boy will have to work extra hard to win over the media and the public. Right now, it is not just a matter of doing what superheroes do. He has to win the hearts and the trust of the civilians. It is a good thing he has Spider-Man as a mentor, and a guardian angel, watching over him always.
• The bonus tale that features Squirrel Girl teaming up with Spider-Boy is another quirky, strange and fascinating adventure. It appears that Spider-Boy will have a good time hanging out with the younger members of the Marvel Universe.
• Ultimately, the strength of the comic book will be seeing how Spider-Boy and Spider-Man continue their almost erased relationship together. It will be quite interesting to see how Spider-Man acts as an older brother or even a father figure to Spider-Boy. But already, the energy of Spider-Boy is so contagious, and readers are in for a treat in the coming weeks and months, because he is instantly such a loveable character.

CONS:

• While the art was very impressive, the fight between Hellifino and Spider-Boy was just cut too short. But now that Spider-Boy is planning to save his old best friend, we might see yet another clash between the two before they fix their relationship.

FINAL GRADE: A

Overall, this is such a fun take on another member of the Spider-Man family. It is so entertaining seeing how the OG Spider-Man tries to control and handle the younger apprentice… and how Spider-Boy jokes right back at Spider-Man with references to how he had the whole world’s memories erased about him. Shade is definitely being thrown somewhere. A civil war is brewing and I am all in for it! This kid has a bright future for him and it looks like he is ready to carry the weight of the Spider-Man universe moving forward. We know that Spider-Man will never ever be truly gone for good, but when he does have to go for a while, the world is in good hands, for sure.