Writer: Greg Weisman
Penciler: Humberto Ramos
Inker: Victor Olazaba
Colorist: Edgar Delgado
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Cover Artists: Humberto Ramos & Edgar Delgado; Mark Aspinall; Nick Bradshaw & Moreno Dinisio; David Yardin
Publisher: Marvel
Price: $3.99
Release Date: July 17, 2024
Peter Parker never had it so good. But maybe it's too good? With Kamala by his side, Miles Morales has become a model student. Then, Shift commits an act of violence, and Miles' world falls apart. Peter is sad. Miles is angry. Each regards the other as an enemy. Will Peter and Miles tear each other apart? Or will they team up to take down the men who trapped them in this world of illusion? Let’s grab our augmented reality glasses, thwip into The Spectacular Spider-Men #5, and find out!
Story
Detective Shari Sebbins is on the case. If the charred body in Miles Warren’s lab wasn’t a clone, then there may be an imposter at Empire State University. Dr Krepps was a suspect, but Shari is crossing him off her list. As she compares statements from her informal interviews at The Coffee Bean, she gets closer to the truth.
Sha Shan and Professor Aaron Warren may not know Miles Morales well, but each has a long history with Peter Parker. So when Peter misses his usual Wednesday meetup in Greg Weisman’s story, they join forces to find their friend. Like Turk and Cedric before them, they pluck a tab with a phone number from a notice on the community billboard. And no, that number is not 867-5309.
Hammerhead has taken a beating lately. Madame Masque used his head for a drum. Worse, she played him, cooing like a lovebird and encouraging him to aspire to greatness. Now everyone looks up to Tombstone, and Hammerhead wants a big win to regain everyone’s respect. Arcade and Mentallo’s game could be just what he needs. But first, he must ensure two itsy bitsy spider-men don't break his promising Wish Web.
In The Spectacular Spider-Men #5, Miles and Peter are angry. They had everything they ever wanted. Then, like Hammerhead in the Gang War, they realized it was a lie. Each suspects the other spider-man is a robot, just another Pinocchio directed by an unseen puppeteer. But what if Brooklyn and Manhattan’s spider-men are real? While Sebbens, Shan, and Warren piece together clues to their real-world mysteries, the webheads fight each other through the darkness of pain and rage before the truth dawns, and they work together to figure out who controls this fantasy life.
Art
Kamala lies dead on a cracked and weathered rooftop. Sparks illuminate her broken body. Peter's wife, children, aunt, and father-in-law sit, slump, or lie still. Peter and Miles face off across a two-page spread, each spider-man poised to strike the other. Panels charge across pages as Miles' fists send electricity surging through Peter while Arcade, Mentallo, and Hammerhead watch the battle in the control room.
Edgar Delgado lavishes bold and beautiful colors on Humberto Ramos and Victor Olazaba’s art in The Spectacular Spider-Men #5. A montage stretches across the middle of two pages, creating a mural of participants living out their fantasies. As the bright blue day gives way to a chocolate sky, Detective Shari Sebbins works in a light blue maze as she pieces together clues to the body discovered in Miles Warren's lab. Another character ventures into the labyrinth beneath ESU but not in search of a goblin king.
Joe Caramagna thwips uppercase letters into white balloons and colored narrative boxes. Dialogue grows bold for intonation and never shrinks. Sound effects help us hear the spider-men trade blows, brickwork separate and fly, and Hammerhead slams his fist into Arcade's control board in The Spectacular Spider-Men #5. Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review.
Final Thoughts
Shelly features in three people’s dreams. Hammerhead becomes a robot leader. While Detective Shari Sebbens pieces together clues, Peter and Miles realize who has trapped them in a web of lies in The Spectacular Spider-Men #5.
Rating 9.4/10
To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.
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