Spine-Tingling Spider-Man #0 Review

 

Writer: Saladin Ahmed

Artist & Colorist: Juan Ferreyra

Letterers: Joe Sabino & Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: Juan Ferreyra; Greg Land & Frank D’Armata; Peach Momoko

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $9.99

Release Date: September 13, 2023

 

His complicity in the death of his Uncle Ben compelled Peter Parker to a life of service. Lately, other nightmares have plagued him: his inability to save everyone from a burning building and his failure to forge a future with Mary Jane. Now, a song haunts him. But why? And what does it mean? Let's thwip into Spine-Tingling Spider-Man #0 and find out!

 

Story

Has a song ever stuck in your head and refused to leave? No matter how catchy the tune or fun the lyrics, did it annoy and distract you? If so,  you'll understand what Peter's going through in Saladin Ahmed’s story. In Peter’s case, it’s no “Pump Up The Jam” or “Ice Ice Baby.” It starts like a sweet lullaby and then bespeaks acts of violence and cruelty.

 

As Spine-Tingling Spider-Man #0 continues, the song grows in power. It haunts Peter's days and transforms his dreams while prying his sticky fingers off their tenuous grip on reality. It makes it so he doesn't want to sleep. One evening, awakened and unsettled, he frightens a woman he's pledged to protect. It's another signal that he must discover what's happening to him—and who is causing it—soon.

 

The eighty-five-page episodic story unfolds as Peter helps his neighbors, battles robots, and traces incidents to their source. Peter may get lost in the web as he searches, and not all strands lead to the nexus. Along the way, his nightmare adversary will threaten Aunt May and remind him of his failure with Mary Jane.

 

 

Art

Spine-Tingling Spider-Man #0 begins with a dream. Colors and shapes emerge from the mist. It shows Peter as the world sees him. As he fights to take control, it reveals who he truly is. Then his eyes open, bathed in a universe of light. Yet he rises in a dimly lit bedroom.

 

Evenings in Juan Ferreyra’s panels evoke film noir, with tilted camera angles and glowing lights that color evenings with a smoky resonance. By day, Spider-Man swings above the streets and battles robots so fast that he blurs and spins a web of light. Detailed penciling and rounded shapes give way to thick inks and rough edges. Pencils or markers color an eerie dream world as Peter spies structures that mirror those in New York City.

 

Panels descend on scarlet strands, heralding their Infinity Comic origins in Spine-Tingling Spider-Man #0. Or they wander through the mist, showcasing Joe Sabino and Joe Caramagna’s dark, uppercase dialogue in white balloons. Listen for slashing knives, a monster's hisses, and Peter's thwips. Should you get lost, his dream will guide you, with big red letters scrawled by an unseen hand.

 

 

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Caught in a waking nightmare, Peter Parker navigates a dreamscape woven by fears for those he loves and strives to protect. Spine-Tingling Spider-Man #0 is a mesmerizing journey, devoid of the goblins, lizards, and the familiar flamboyant felons Peter often fights.

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.