Spine-Tingling Spider-Man #3 Review

 

Writer: Saladin Ahmed

Artist, Colorist & Cover Artist: Juan Ferreyra

Letterers: Joe Caramagna

Variant Cover Artists: Alessandro Cappuccio & Rachelle Rosenberg

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: December 20, 2023

 

Stripped of his identity and powers, Peter boarded a train to Hell ruled by a murderous conductor. When the train stopped, Peter escaped and entered a lonely house. He rescued J. Jonah Jameson, Aunt May, and Mary Jane from a torture chamber. They even recognized him! Has Peter Parker's nightmare finally ended? Let's thwip into Spine-Tingling Spider-Man #3 and find out!

 

Story

After Peter frees them, anger consumes their faces. His friends chase him through the mansion. Yet their movements and voices seem wrong. Peter kicks a banister supporting the railing and holds on as the staircase collapses.

 

Watching his friends die doesn’t faze Peter in Spine-Tingling Spider-Man #3. He searches the house, suspecting who he will find. He finds Mysterio bound and tortured like his friends. The master of illusion claims others forced him to create Peter’s nightmare. But this house has not revealed all its terrors. More horrors await outside.

 

Superpowers elevated Peter above his fellows. Superiority allowed him to find amusement in dangerous situations. He reasons differently without his ability to thwip and fly away. His muscles work differently without his super strength. Reduced to the status of mere mortals, what will Peter do to survive? No longer a superhero, is he still bound by the strictures of civilized man? Should he adopt Spidercide's brutality, whom he fought in the first issue, to ensure his survival? Is Peter justified in killing his friends if they turn on him?

 

In Spine-Tingling Spider-Man #3, Saladin Ahmed tests Peter’s humanity. The former web crawler passes some tests and fails others. Peter teams up with villains to escape his nightmare. As often proves the case, Peter's more reactive than proactive. Yet Peter's thinking on his feet. Hopefully, that will give him an edge in the next and final issue.

 

 

Art

Juan Ferreyra imbues Peter’s flight with body terror. Mary Jane, Aunt May, and J. Jonah Jameson evoke zombies. Pins and needles pierce Mysterio’s shaved skull. Spinal columns protrude from walls. Bones form the banisters and railing lining the upper floor landing and stairs. The ring of hair circling Mysterio's head associates him with priests. Creatures in the woods evoke passengers on the death train in issue #1. A priest should help Peter battle demonic foes, shouldn’t he?

 

Yellows, oranges, and reds dominate haunted house scenes, strengthening the body association. Stark shadows and harsh lighting heighten the sense of being trapped. White space gets inked in Spine-Tingling Spider-Man #3, further enclosing panels. Rain pelts the fugitives as they flee through the dark woods nearby. Enemies emerge from the thick gray and blue air. Mysterio’s cape looks more purple than crimson outside. And Peter wears a familiar costume that adds vitality to each panel.

 

We share Peter's thoughts as he navigates these horrors. Joe Caramagna’s black uppercase letters in white balloons and boxes help us follow Peter each step of the way. Sounds inside the house—whether a cry for help or an instrument of death—assume an organic appearance. In the woods, shotguns blast with abrasive force. A brutal chomp accompanies an attack of startling savagery.

 

Final Thoughts

Peter Parker can't trust anyone he meets or anything he sees. Thought-provoking scenes and mesmerizing imagery ensure Spine-Tingling Spider-Man #3 lingers long after the violent, fast-paced story ends.

 

Rating 9.2/10

 

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