Spider-Boy #4 Review

 

Writers: Dan Slott

Artists: Paco Medina; Ty Templeton

Colorist: Erick Arciniega; Dee Cunniffe

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: Humberto Ramos & Edgar Delgado; Nicoletta Baldari; Philip Tan & Rachelle Rosenberg; Martín Cóccolo & Jesus Aburtov; Ethan Young & John Kalisz

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $4.99

Release Date: February 21, 2023

 

Bailey Briggs risked his reputation to aid Thor. Yet winning the Asgardian's approval meant revealing his monstrous side. Can people trust Bailey, or is he more of a monster than a boy?

 Let's thwip into Spider-Boy #4 and find out!

 

“Nightmare Scenario”

Story

Aunt Mae hosts a movie night at the F.E.A.S.T. center. Tonight's viewing is her nephew Peter's favorite movie, Fast Car Family Five. But Fast Car Family X is playing at the theater down the street. If only Bailey had money, he could watch the latest movie instead of an installment from Ancientville.

 

His friend Christina reminds Bailey that he's got a lifetime pass at Lucky Lane's Bowling Alley. Yeah, he's someone there! Christina cheers him on, even if he doesn't throw all strikes. If only he had accuracy as a superpower, maybe Spider-Man would trust him with web shooters.

 

 

 

In his Spider-Boy #4 story “Nightmare Scenario,” Dan Slott reveals Bailey's frustration. Like us, he yearns to be recognized and at the forefront of everything current. Bailey doesn't try to gain insights into his mentor by watching Peter's favorite movie. Nor does he appreciate how Christina’s family cares for him. He may get free bowling, but when Lucky Lane’s generosity doesn’t extend to free nachos, Bailey abandons Christina to find fun by patrolling the neighborhood

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Blessed with power beyond his years, Bailey grows frustrated when older spidey folks like Peter and Miles don't accept him. Worse, no one remembers him, which isolates him from friends and family. Yet Bailey excels in "Nightmare Scenario" because he finds non-combative solutions to problems. He relies on reason instead of super strength in Spider-Boy #4. Bailey risks losing his friends by using his unpopular abilities to protect someone who feels similarly isolated and disdained. 

 

 

 

 

Art

Aunt May shows no hesitation in greeting the homeless residents at the F.E.A.S.T. center. Bailey’s fellow residents look like ordinary people. Christina cheers Spider-Boy as he hurls a ball down the lane, but the worker pumping cheese onto a serving of nachos lacks enthusiasm. Bailey bounds over water towers and buildings with eye-catching architectural features. He perches atop a pinnacle as the Spider-Men tackling the winged Vulturians steal the foreground.

 

Erick Arciniega lavishes brilliant foreground color on Paco Medina's art in Spider-Boy #4. Background colors are soft, varied, and luminous, making night in the city that never sleeps appealing. Yet the color drains away when a sinister-looking intruder breaks into the bowling alley after it closes. A limited palette enhances thrilling car chases on the big screen. Despite how much money they paid, patrons flee a viewing of Fast Car Family X.

 

 

 

“Missing Pieces”

Story

Dan Slott’s second story in Spider-Boy #4 takes you inside Madame Monstrosity’s lab. After learning that she turned Bailey into Spider-Boy, she searched her records for how she created him. Using the results of her earlier experiment, she births a new entry to the Spider-Verse.

 

“Missing Pieces” is a prequel to "Nightmare Scenario" and enhances our understanding of Bailey's actions in the first story. Madame Monstrosity's actions sow doubt in Spider-Men and Christina's minds, severing Bailey's link with his friends. Whether Bailey can rebuild those relationships and regain their trust remains to be seen.

 

 

 

Art

Ty Templeton’s fanciful art reveals a grand villain, seemingly “forgotten” since the earliest era of Spider-Man. Templeton welcomes us into a lab filled with giant monitors, steam rising from vats, and bubble-filled birthing pods. Humanimal servants carry out their duties and monitor experiments. Madame Monstrosity's eyes widen, and she throws out her arms as her latest creation crawls from a nutrient tank in Spider-Boy #4.

 

Dee Cunniffe steeps the lab in green. Purple, pink, orange, and brown fill backgrounds when Madame Monstrosity takes her Humanimals on tour. Yellow lightning divides panels into scenes from Bailey's life as Madame Monstrosity's latest creation gazes upon the city in wonder. Behind him, a black and white billboard reveals the city's ambiguity with their latest hero.

 

Joe Caramagna thwips black uppercase dialogue into white balloons in “Nightmare Scenario” and “Missing Pieces." Word size shrinks for lowered voices, grows bold for intonation, and enlarges and changes color for shouts. Bailey's monster speech makes another appearance, while an attractive title-style font proclaims the name of Madame Monstrosity's latest creation in Spider-Boy #4.

 

Thanks to Marvel Comics for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Bailey stops trying to gain Spider-Man's respect and embraces his inner monster, while Madame Monstrosity reveals the identity of his mother in Spider-Boy #4.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

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