Writer: Greg Weisman
Penciler: Andrés Genolet & Emilio Laiso
Colorist: Edgar Delgado
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Production: Gabriel Mata
Editors: Kaeden McGahey, Kaitlyn Lindtvedt, Tom Groneman, Nick Lowe & CB Cebulski
Cover Artists: Emilio Laiso & Edgar Delgado; Dave Johnson; Josemaria Casanovas
Publisher: Marvel
Price: $3.99
Release Date: November 13, 2024
The gang from the ESU Coffee Bean still gathers each Wednesday. But now, instead of taking individual tables, they circle their chairs and share their grief. Real or imagined, everyone lost a friend, loved ones, or a dream career when Arcadium died. How else might Arcadium have affected its captives? Let’s grab a latte to keep Max Vinck happy, thwip into The Spectacular Spider-Men #9, and find out!
Story
Juliet Marcos traveled the world with Anna Romney. Perhaps Juliet suspected their relationship was too good to be true. Even so, Juliet adored Anna and cherished their time together. But their whirlwind romance was an Arcadium fantasy, and on the ESU campus, Anna doesn’t know Juliet. So when Juliet's crush walks into the Coffee Bean during their weekly session and fails to recognize her, Juliet drops her coffee and turns into a water spirit.
In The Spectacular Spider-Men #9, Juliet disappears into a puddle. Before the friends can wipe up the spilled coffee, the liquids merge, and Juliet's coffee-stained water form rises. Anger transforms her into flames, and reassurance returns Juliet to her human form. As Dr Sierra Sinclair realizes she isn't qualified to help Juliet master her new abilities, Max wonders if he should have agreed to host the therapy sessions.
Greg Weisman's story forces Peter and Miles into leadership roles. Becoming Spider-Men and helping orchestrate the next phase of Juliet's life removes "Peter" and "Miles" from the weekly Coffee Bean session. Peter must put his grief over Gwen Stacy and his Arcadium family aside to help Juliet. When a special guest asks Ms Marvel to join them, Miles confronts his feelings about Kamala Khan. In the real world, Tiana Toomes is his loving and supportive girlfriend. Yet in the Arcadium, Miles wanted Kamala by his side.
As Juliet transitions between water, vapor, mud, and fire, she navigates the rocky first stages of a real relationship with Anna. With her forms changing beyond her control, the Spider-Men must find the right mentor to help her. And then there is Max Dillon and Francine Frye. Max saw Spider-Man and Silk defeat Francine on the TV in The Bar With No Name. It irks him that someone else is using his villain name. But for the spider-heroes to quash Francine on TV is bad for his brand. Like Max in the ESU Coffee Bean, Deke gets stressed when two Electros bump into each other over drinks. But then, that's why baristas and bartenders get big tips for serving delicious drinks, right?
Art
While Andrés Genolet & Emilio Laiso bookend The Spectacular Spider-Men #9 with high-flying action, they supercharge the drama in the ESU Coffee Bean and The Bar With No Name with dynamic layouts and changing camera angles. Panel shapes change from rectangles to pie wedges, while Juliet owns the corners of a two-page spread in her four glorious forms. Superheroes treat the Coffee Bean like Avengers Tower, while sparks fly in The Bar With No Name. Juliet shows all the trauma of losing control of her body, and school teachers dealing with unruly classes will sympathize with Max and Deke.
Edgar Delgado makes the ESU Coffee Bean a beacon of light. Overhead lights make the greenish-blue floor gleam as Juliet turns from blue, gray-brown, to yellow and orange. Viv Vision's vibrant skin shines amid the apple green walls while Max Dillon sashays into The Bar With No Name in a darker green jacket. Amid the deep, rich colors of The Spectacular Spider-Men #9, Adam Blackveil’s pink shirt and Juliet Marcos' pink jacket link the superpowered college students.
Joe Caramagna thwips uppercase letters into white and colored balloons and narrative boxes amid Juliet's spectacular shapechanging. While dialogue emboldens, italicizes for intonation, and rarely shrinks, dozens of red-edged white boxes remind us of ongoing characters and introduce new ones. Amid all the splashing and spraying, Juliet pops more than a pan of Jiffy Pop popcorn. Yet even in her liquid form, Juliet savors the flavor of her favorite coffee. Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review.
Final Thoughts
As Peter and Miles ponder the criteria for the perfect mentor in The Spectacular Spider-Men #9, a potential hero and a longtime villain struggle with how others perceive them.
Rating 9.8/10
To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.
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