Writers: Dan Slott
Artists: Paco Medina
Colorist: Erick Arciniega
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Cover Artists: Paco Medina & Edgar Delgado; Dave Bardin; David Baldeón & Jesus Aburtov
Designer: Adam Del Re
Editors: Tom Groneman, Nick Lowe & CB Cebulski
Publisher: Marvel
Price: $4.99
Release Date: February 12, 2025
Spider-Girl loves winning. Friends may come and go, but trophies, medals, and ribbons are forever. Spider-Boy hates the Dragon’s Challenge because he values friendships and helping others more than winning contests. So when his spider-sense reveals that Bullseye will turn on Spider-Girl, Spider-Boy is so preoccupied with her safety that he falls in the final round. Will Spider-Boy’s failure endanger the entire world? And how can Spider-Boy protect Earth if Hulkette punches him to the moon? Let's thwip into Spider-Boy #16 and find out!
Story
Years ago, when Spider-Boy disobeyed Daredevil and knocked out Bullseye in the Hellfire Club, his mentor forfeited his rights to the Golden Fang. When Spider-Boy disobeys Daredevil in The Dragon’s Challenge and doesn’t devote his full attention to Bullseye, Daredevil again yields to protect Bailey. Like Bullseye, Daredevil has a card to play. He may not outfight his nemesis for control of the Gaping Maw. But Matt Murdoch went to Law School. Perhaps he can outthink his opponent in Spider-Boy #16.
As Spider-Boy said, Spider-Girl cannot copy her victim’s thoughts and abilities. Like the mirrors in a funhouse, she can only mimic a distorted reflection of them. Spider-Boy tried to warn Spider-Girl that Bullseye was grooming her as a disposable tool. Yet when she stared into Bullseye’s lying eyes, Spider-Girl believed her mentor cared for her. Sadly, when they defeat Daredevil and Spider-Boy in Dan Slott’s story, Bullseye claims their prize for himself.
After Daredevil gets Bullseye disqualified from The Dragon’s Challenge, he poses a question to Spider-Girl. Would she like Spider-Boy as a teammate? Both spider young’uns thought the contest was over in Spider-Boy #16. But these matches were merely the preliminary to the battle for control of the Gaping Maw.
Accepting Spider-Boy as a teammate means protecting him from the gamma-girl who wants to punch him to the moon. But it also represents payback. After all, Spider-Girl helped Bullseye steal the golden fang from Bailey and Daredevil, forcing them to commit a dishonorable act to protect the world from Bullseye.
Art
Paco Medina reveals a brightly colored room when Bailey gazes at a triumphant Bullseye and Spider-Girl. Yet the darkness surrounding Bailey is only dispersed by distant lights in Spider-Boy #16. The ninja leader removes her mask to congratulate the winners, only to reveal her disdain when she raises the evidence of Bullseye's crime. When Bullseye escapes, black birds fly around him, evoking the ravens that seek out Spider-Gwen after an apocalypse hits Earth-65.
As Spider-Boy and Spider-Girl combat a light-green opponent, Boy-Spider invades a room that should be his. Erick Arciniega fills Bailey's room at FEAST with the same red, brown, and gold that enrich the Gaping Maw’s headquarters, while Boy-Spider’s green shirt echoes the ninjas’ robes and their jade dragon statue. Boy-Spider claws through a red poster of Bailey's favorite film franchise while Spider-Boy and Spider-Girl's opponent fights with sharp talons. As he once chased viewers from a film celebrating the power of family, Boy-Spider rages when he sees a photo of Bailey getting the love he lost.
Joe Caramagna thwips uppercase black lettering into white dialogue balloons and narrative boxes in Spider-Boy #16. Words shrink for lowered voices, embolden for intonation, swell for volume, and change color for emphasis. Sound effects help us hear clawing, crashing, and crying out in rage as characters destroy and win golden treasures. Thanks to Marvel Comics for providing a copy for review.
Final Thoughts
Spider-Boy #16 ties up most dangling plot threads while tantalizing with possible new directions. It closes out this story about fighting by showing brains triumphing over brawn. As the story focuses on the dynamics of friendships, families, and the role of a mentor, it also suggests that no one is incapable of reform.
Rating 9.2/10
To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.
No comments:
Post a Comment