Spider-Man & Wolverine #1 Review

 

Writer: Marc Guggenheim

Artist: Kaare Andrews

Colorist: Brian Reber

Letterer: Travis Lanham

Cover Artists: Kaare Andrews; Mark Bagley & Richard Isanove; Nick Bradshaw & Jim Charalampidis; Clayton Crain; David Marquez & Matthew Wilson; Dike Ruan & Moreno Dinisio

Design: Adam Del Re

Editors: Cy Pedro Beltran, Mark Basso, Tom Brevoort, Nick Lowe & C B Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $4.99

Release Date: May 21, 2025

 

Bill Branscome wants a meetup. So, Wolverine joins him in a HYDRA Safe House in Berlin. As with the fall of the USSR, SHIELD’s disbanding leaves lots of weapons up for grabs. Like James Bond, Bill doesn’t want a database of present and former undercover agents to become public knowledge. Can Wolverine prevent the Janus Directory from falling into the wrong hands? And where does Spider-Man fit into Wolverine’s mission? Let’s grab our Walther PPKs, leap into Spider-Man & Wolverine #1, and see!

 

Story

When Peter Parker arrives at the Coffee Bean, he’s late for another date with Shay. The couple are still trying to figure out if they’re compatible, and Peter’s constant tardiness isn't helping. Like Aunt May, Shay muses about why Peter can't hold a steady job and be a dependable boyfriend. Then Logan rolls in on his chopper and tells Peter to hop on the back. Once again, Peter leaves Shay wondering why she keeps coming back for more disappointment.

 

Marc Guggenheim spins his fast-paced story in a light-hearted, breezy style. Amid the battles he and Wolverine face, drama abounds in Spider-Man & Wolverine #1. Part of the drama comes from the weapons their foes deploy. More comes from the cliffhanger ending, which delves into both the protagonists' backstories. The spectacular foes of Spider-Man and Wolverine welcome the Janus Directory as bait to entrap their mutual nemeses.

 

While it forms a small part of the narrative, a key component of the drama in Spider-Man & Wolverine #1 occurs at the beginning. Peter Parker was working on becoming a better friend. Despite his duties as Spider-Man, Peter carved time out of his schedule for weekly meetings with Miles Morales and the other regulars at the ESU Coffee. Peter also made a commitment to Shay and himself on a pivotal date. Yet he keeps flaking out on subsequent dates with Shay. And each time, Peter assures Shay that the next time will be different.

 

 

 

Art

Kaare Andrews immediately impresses with Wolverine slashing apart HYDRA agents. Bill Branscome leans against brickwork in a tunnel, illuminated by his cigarette lighter. Images of Logan as a sniper and a secret agent overlay his profile. Spider-Man performs a midair costume change into civilian attire while somersaulting down to his date. Kaare Andrews overlays similar memories over Peter's profile. Then Logan rolls in on his Harley in a leather jacket, tosses Peter a helmet, and says, "Let's ride."

 

Brian Reber lavishes bright colors on scenes that rarely fill more than half a page. Yellow and orange fill panels as Omega Red and Kraven the Hunter unleash destruction on a SHIELD helicarrier. Black dominates a page of Spider-Man & Wolverine #1 as one character struggles with fear. Yet green and magenta remind us of Spider-Man's troubled past and perhaps hint at the reason he struggles to commit to Shay.

 

Travis Lanham fills white dialogue balloons and colored narrative boxes with black, uppercase letters. The words grow bold for intonation, swell for raised voices, and shrink for lowered voices. Stylish yellow and red banners introduce the locations in this fast-paced, dialogue-filled story. Sound effects accompany Logan greeting Bill, Kraven emulating Hawkeye’s attack on Nick Fury’s helicarrier, and Peter channeling his Computer Science lessons at ESU.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

While striving to do our best, sometimes what we do isn’t very nice. In Spider-Man & Wolverine #1, Logan’s past reminds us of the difficulties in keeping a group of like-minded people together, whether it's an organization like SHIELD, a team like the Avengers, or a relationship between two loving people.

 

Rating 9.2/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

The Spectacular Spider-Men #5 Review

 

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.

Amazing Spider-Man #30 Review

 

Writer: Zeb Wells

Penciler: Ed McGuinness

Inker: Mark Farmer, Cliff Rathburn, & Ed McGuinness

Colorist: Marcio Menyz

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: Ed McGuinness & Marcio Menyz; Nick Bradshaw & Rachelle Rosenberg; Betsy Cola; Mike Vosburg & Rachelle Rosenberg; Skottie Young

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: July 26, 2023

 

Peter Parker teams with Doctor Octopus' old mechanical arms to rescue Norman Osborn. But before he can reach his boss, Doc Ock injects Norman with goblin serum! Muscles constrict, and veins pulse as green serum courses through Norman’s bloodstream. Is this the end of the Gold Goblin? Let’s fwip into Amazing Spider-Man #30 and find out!

 

 

Story

Norman howls and beats his fists against a stone pillar. He shouts, “You don’t know what you’ve done, Otto!” But as he rages, laughter spills from his lips. Then, like Luke Skywalker tossing aside his lightsaber before Emperor Palpatine in Return Of The Jedi, he explains that neither Octavius nor his scientific concoction can control or influence him. He’s a hero because he chooses to be.

 

Spider-Man bursts into the secret lab. How did Spidey find it? The limbs told him where it was! Old Otto says, "You can't use my former limbs against me!" Then Peter reminds him that--back in the Superior Spider-Man days--his body was linked to the limbs. Thankfully each man's consciousness has returned to its rightful owner's body. Still, Peter shares a link with the limbs because Otto forged that link a decade ago. Can Peter resist the mechanical limbs' influence and their hunger for vengeance?

 

 

Art

Peter’s active life keeps him fit and trim. Doc’s old limbs look like they belong on him. They even appear to shoot webs as he flies between New York City skyscrapers. When he breaks down the door, Spidey’s new limbs carry him. They can’t wait to punch it out with ungrateful Otto and his new detachable attachments.

 

Golden Norman may have a full-time job running Oscorp, but his hard-chiseled muscles flex as he joins the fight. Even without his suit or gadgets, he can land a knockout punch. Yet his expression reveals the wisdom that comes with experience and reformation. Like Peter, he feels sad for Otto. For all his power, green-goggled Otto only sees his losses. 

 

 

 

Bold, vibrant colors contrast with panel backgrounds. Even though Electro's not around, sparks fly, and electricity arcs through the air. Page layouts and background colors paint an attractive mix of beautifully crafted panels.

 

Characters may gasp and whisper with tiny letters, but for the most part, the dialogue is easy to read and follow. Changes to balloon shape and size—and letter color—are expressive and provide intensity.

 

Amazing Spider-Man #30 is a master class in writing and art. Either my judgment’s abandoned me for the tunnels beneath Doc Ock’s lab, or Zeb Wells, Ed McGuinness, Mark Farmer, Cliff Rathburn, Marcio Menyz, and Joe Caramagna have crafted the perfect comic. Congrats, Spider-Lads!

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

As Amazing Spider-Man #30 pulses with a fast and furious fight, it examines the link between outlook and actions and reflects on what we leave behind.

 

Rating 10/10

 

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