Writer: Greg Weisman
Penciler: Humberto Ramos
Inker: Victor Olazaba
Colorist: Edgar Delgado
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Cover Artists: Humberto Ramos & Edgar Delgado; Francesco Mobili & Moreno Dinisio; Ethan Young & Edgar Delgado
Publisher: Marvel
Price: $3.99
Release Date: June 26, 2024
When Cedric never resurfaces, Miles Morales and Peter Parker return to the sewers where they lost him. Miles’ clone-brother Shift and Vermin’s rat pack help them find a new wall. After Shift hits the bricks, Peter and Miles enter a room filled with computers and monitors. But before they can do much investigating, Arcade and Mentallo knock them out and plug them into their latest game. Can Miles and Peter escape their beloved fantasies? Or will this Game Stop in Stadium Arcadium be a permanent vacation? Let’s grab our lattes, thwip into The Spectacular Spider-Men #4, and find out!
Story
New York City Police Detective Shari Sebbens still hunts for the identity of the corpse in Miles Warren's ESU laboratory. Miles Warren, aka The Jackal, has a penchant for cloning. Coroner Jane Foster claims the body wasn't a clone but suggests the body was replaced by one. Did I mention that Warren's partner and friend, Seymour Krepps, is acting weird?
If Seymour trading his usual cup of Joe for Jackal's favorite tea seems weird, consider Peter Parker and Miles Morales' situations. Peter and Gwen Stacy live happily with their children, while Gwen’s dad dates Aunt May. Miles’ courtship with Kamala Khan speeds along faster than Starling can fly. Turk, the unnamed actor, and the European lovers live for the thrills. Kenny and Cedric pursue things just beyond their reach. In The Spectacular Spider-Men #4, life is just a fantasy. But can you live a fantasy life? Perhaps the others can. But Peter and Miles are made of sterner stuff.
In Greg Weisman's story, the illusionists demonstrate how they create their fantasies and their contingency plans when Peter and Miles get too clever. Readers learn who funds their project and why. The Arcadium is a work in process, but Arcade and Mentallo can react to participants who claim, “It’s not real. It’s just a fantasy!”
Art
Arcade and Mentallo energetically plug their scheme against an inked background while an interested observer looks on. Without Shelly and Kenny, the Coffee Bean has become decaffeinated, populated solely by regulars like Sha Shan and Professor Raymond Warren. After Seymour Krepps storms out, Detective Shari Sebbens leans close to Warren instead of keeping a professional distance. Peter’s world falls apart in a montage as he relives his worst memories. He hugs his family, then pushes away. Miles and Kamala resemble children. They hold hands as a monster rises before them. But after the scales fall from their eyes, Peter and Miles' lives fragment and swirl as they thwip into a multiverse of madness in The Spectacular Spider-Men #4.
Edgar Delgado lavishes a loaded palette of bright colors on Humberto Ramos and Victor Olazaba’s art. While the exterior glows like a beacon, a greenish-brown haze fills The Coffee Bean. Professor Warren's realization that his former student Peter Parker is missing brings clarity. Miles' purple jacket and the distant rooftop structures recall the purple in Mentallo’s helmet and costume. Peter's brown suit, Gwen's golden hair, and her mauve top form an appealing link with Arcade's hair and tie. Pastels fill a wall of monitors, while a control board resembles a metropolis at night. When a violent act turns Miles' illusion into a burning ruin, white streaks pierce a blue, yellow, and orange haze. Brooklyn's Spider-Man rips away his clothes to reveal his black and red costume, and his masked face fills the bank of monitors.
Joe Caramagna thwips uppercase letters into white balloons and colored narrative boxes. The appealing font never shrinks. Dialogue often grows bold, changes color, or enlarges. Sound effects help us hear Miles slam into a falling barrier, Peter reel before a brain blast, Miles wields his venom saber, and Peter crashes into a street in The Spectacular Spider-Men #4.
Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review.
Final Thoughts
When Peter and Miles try to check out of Hotel Arcadium, Mentallo and Arcade refuse to let them leave, and there's a ghost in the machine in The Spectacular Spider-Men #4.
Rating 9/10
To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.
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