Spider-Girl #6 Review

 

Writer: Torunn Grønbekk

Artists: Diógenes Neves

Colorist: Java Tartaglia

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Designer: Stacie Zucker

Editors: Kaitlyn Lindtvedt, Nick Lowe & CB Cebulski

Cover Artists: David Nakayama; Benjamin Su; Romy Jones

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: November 12, 2025

 

Makawalu Akana was living the high life. She fought alongside Spider-Man as the new City-Savers. (It's a working title.) While trying to deactivate the military drone the US military entrusted to Rand Enterprises, Maka prevented a spiky-haired weirdo from stealing Hijack’s memories. But when Maka peered into Hijack's mind and drew on his power, the Hawaiian girl couldn’t control it. Instead, Maka put New York through The Day The Earth Stood Still.

 

Everything is different now. Or at least, it could be. Rogue even invited her to join the X-Men. But Maka still isn't sure she has shaken off what Paper Doll did to her. And Maka’s behavior frightens her mother. So, Hali’a is taking Maka home. Farewell, New York. At least for now. How will Maka adjust to life in Hawaii? And will Dr Tramma follow her to Mānoa? Let’s thwick into Spider-Girl #6 and see, Brah!

 

Story

Despite her reservations, Maka enjoys her return to Oahu. After being cooped up in the room above the flower shop and listening to her aunt argue with her mom, Maka can chill with her dad. Noa encourages her to relax and immerse herself in nature. But since she gazed into Bailey Briggs' eyes, Maka senses the world around her more intensely.

 

In Spider-Girl #6, Maka’s enhanced senses help her realize that her father is in trouble. It's nothing that Noa acknowledges. But Maka hears neighbors gossiping. They wonder if Noa and Hali’a are having marital trouble. Maka also learns that he has trouble at work. Her friend, Ānela, shares what she has heard, prompting Maka to investigate her dad’s difficulties.

 

While she has returned home, Maka tells her friends that it’s not forever. She believes her future lies in New York. But Torunn Grønbekk’s story finds Maka in transition. The Hawaiian girl has lost her mother’s trust. Maka has disappointed her instructor at the best dojo in New York. And she is still new at being a hero.

 

As Maka investigates her father’s work problems, she struggles to decide who best to emulate. When they fought together to take down the flying tank, Spider-Girl looked to Spider-Man for inspiration. But cut off from everyone associated with her new hero life, Maka wavers between role models in Spider-Girl #6.

 

 

 

Art

As Maka snuggles against her father on the grassy rolling plains, Diógenes Neves reveals her affection when she gazes up at him. When they rise, her features burst with excitement as Noa picks up his briefcase. Men wave to Maka and her father as they cross the street. Maka sticks out her tongue at two women gossiping in a hammock. While a rainbow arcs above their home, her mother regards Maka with concern as they step onto the lanai. Ānela shows her happiness at reuniting with her friend. As Maka embraces her grandmother, the wooden hair sticks in her granny’s grey hair suggest a cultural link with Beba back in New York.

 

This haven of the natural world contrasts with ZZ Top's Concrete And Steel world of New York City. As Maka wears red and blue shirts, Java Tartaglia shows the women in her life wear purple and pink, evoking the bedspread in their room above Lokelani's flower shop. While his boss and his assistant wear black suits, Maka's father favors shirts with colorful flower prints. Maka may not have wanted to leave New York behind. But amid the verdant greenery, it's not long before a red-and-black figure slips through the trees in Spider-Girl #6.

 

Joe Caramagna shares Maka’s thoughts with red uppercase letters in white narrative boxes. The black, uppercase dialogue grows bold for intonation, swells for raised voices, and shrinks for lowered or distant voices. Words in white-and-yellow boxes portend danger, while animal noises, gunfire, and thwicking accompany the mysteries of Death in Paradise. Thanks to Marvel Comics for providing a review copy.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Maka's friend Beba loves nature and praises those who protect it. But when her father's colleague disappears, Maka suspects that his employer creates more than eco-friendly, self-sustaining fishponds in Spider-Girl #6.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

Spider-Girl #5 Review

 

Writer: Torunn Grønbekk

Artists: André Risso & Diógenes Neves

Colorist: Java Tartaglia

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Designer: Stacie Zucker

Editors: Kaitlyn Lindtvedt, Nick Lowe & CB Cebulski

Cover Artists: David Nakayama; Meghan Hetrick; Javier Garrón & Jesus Aburtov; Corin Howell & Rachelle Rosenberg

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: October 22, 2025

 

Dr Tramma has been grooming Hijack to be her tool. But instead of helping her control vehicles, the mutant smashes and breaks things. She needs Hijack to infiltrate Rand Enterprises and abduct a war machine. Or maybe she doesn't. If Hijack refuses to play along, Maka Akana’s ability to replicate other people’s abilities makes the young Hawaiian a potential substitute.

 

When Dr Tramma mentions her alternative strategy, Hijack fears it will break Maka’s mind. Rather than subject his fellow mutant to Dr Tramma’s torture, Hijack submits to her dominance. The Technopath helps her steal an advanced drone that the US government entrusted to Dr Maira Osmani-Milton's care. Can Maka protect New Yorkers and recover the stolen drone? Or will Dr Tramma follow Tombstone’s advice and use the war machine to crush Maka? Let’s thwick into Spider-Girl #5 and see, Brah!

 

Story

Meeting Spider-Man proves a heady experience. But Maka doesn’t have time to enjoy it, with the remote-control flying tank careening over New York City. And while Dr Tramma learns how to pilot it, the war machine smashes into buildings after Maka and Spider-Man webbed its cameras. Spider-Man wants to take the lead in their impromptu partnership, but Maka has a connection with Hijack.

 

In Spider-Girl #5, Maka is far from one hundred percent. She feels like a sponge that someone wrung out, stepped on, and set on fire. Maka woke up with the room spinning. She had to bow out of practice at Red Snow Dojo. Still, she’s giving it her best. Maka may be a similar age to Spider-Boy. Still, she survived her encounter with Paper Doll. So, Spider-Man doesn’t argue when Spider-Girl leaves him to help civilians.

 

Torunn Grønbekk’s story reveals how Tombstone is gearing up to ensure mastery of New York. It also shows Dr Tramma's mercilessness. But at its heart, Spider-Girl #5 is about Maka's growth as a superhero. She is young and still learning about her capabilities. Maka may not have made the best start. Still, Maka realizes that being a hero means helping. And that means putting your life on the line, even against overwhelming odds, to rescue the endangered and protect bystanders from harm.

 

 

 

Art

André Risso and Diógenes Neves show birds winging through the sky as Spider-Man and Spider-Girl thwip and thwick the swooping drone. While it crashes onto a rooftop and fires its cannons, Hijack pleads for help via the sketchpad of Maka's mind. Spider-Man may liken the drone to a flying tank. Still, the drone proves far more maneuverable as Maka leaps aboard it like the Lone Ranger and uses her webbing for reins. The previous night, Maka couldn’t sleep unless her mother held her. Now, the drone proves as unruly as stampeding horses as it races toward a girl clutching a teddy bear. 

 

 

 

Java Tartaglia lavishes a loaded palette on Spider-Girl #5. Yellow, orange, and gold show the drone’s firepower and its crazed flight above the city. The colors surround those in the most desperate need of rescue. Like the energy surrounding Hijack, the girl clutching the teddy bear wears gold attire. A narrow strand of white barely separates two sketch pages of Hijack and Dr Tramma that Maka’s spider-sense thwicks together. This time, when Spider-Girl sees things through Hijack's mind, she glimpses a world tinged with Dr Tramma's green instead of Hijack's yellow and orange.

 

 

 

As Maka workshops spider-team names, Joe Caramagna shares her thoughts with red uppercase letters in white narrative boxes. The letters grow bold for intonation and swell for raised voices. While Tombstone speaks small font into cloudy balloons, giant red letters link victims with their prospective rescuers. As yellow sound effects enhance explosions, cries for help appear as yellow words. Yet when Maka’s brown pigtails overlay her spider-sense, the pain-filled pleas also turn brown. Thanks to Marvel Comics for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

Spider-Girl started as Bullseye's sidekick. When she decided to switch sides, Lady Bullseye warned her that the hero's life was a hard one. In Spider-Girl #5, Maka Akana learns that there are people who can help her become the person she wants to be if she is certain that's the life she wants.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

Spider-Girl #4 Review

 

Writer: Torunn Grønbekk

Artists: André Risso & Moises Hidalgo

Colorist: Java Tartaglia

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Designer: Stacie Zucker

Editors: Kaitlyn Lindtvedt, Nick Lowe & CB Cebulski

Cover Artists: David Nakayama; Alex Ross; Aka; Joëlle Jones; Javier Garrón & Jesus Aburtov

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: September 24, 2025

 

After Bullseye tried to kill her, Makawalu Akana set out to remake her life. She planned to shield people from danger, foil booger-brained street thugs, and improve her martial arts skills. Instead, “Maka” has fought Vermin, Lady Bullseye, and an Origami-Girl who nearly flattened her.

 

With Hijack failing her 48 times, Dr Tramma debates including the young Hawaiian in her plans. But Lady Bullseye dismisses Maka as unpredictable, reckless, and arrogant. Will the Paper Doll put Maka off crimefighting for good? And why are the police so concerned about “The Rand Thing?” Let’s thwick into Spider-Girl #4 and see, Brah!

 

Story

David Bond is having a bad day. Sadly, it’s one of many. Since Tombstone’s people kidnapped him, Dr Tramma has been experimenting on him. Each time she injects her special serum into his veins, Hijack fights her. This time, Dr Tramma tells Hijack she doesn't need him. She can abduct another mutant who can look into his eyes and mirror his control over machines.

 

Like the Collector's servant Carina, Hijack doesn't want to be Dr Tramma’s slave. But he is tired of enduring the pain involved in fighting Dr Tramma over control of his abilities. In Torunn Grønbekk’s story, Hijack must decide between submitting to her plans or allowing Dr Tramma to abduct and torture a mutant girl.

 

Maka traveled the world with Bullseye. She is an ambitious girl who doesn’t hesitate to crush her opponents in competitions. But Maka loves her family. She feels guilty over forcing them to leave the islands to help her pursue her dreams in high-priced New York City. In Spider-Girl #4, Maka sees another example of how hard her family is working for her and the strain it puts them under.

 

After her battle with Paper Doll, Maka isn’t at her best. Her body is dehydrated, hampering her movements. Her lungs fight for breath. And like any of us, what stresses her physically also affects her emotions. Maka may not mind being snarky with people she doesn’t respect. But she dislikes dishonoring the people she admires. In Spider-Girl #4, Maka must decide between pursuing her goals or shielding people from a storm of emotion they don't deserve.

 

Art

André Risso and Moises Hidalgo show Maka’s weakened state as she struggles to return home from her battle with Paper Doll. An interlude with her mother reveals her reliance on others amid her weakness. Dr Tramma’s suit suggests her desire to transcend her Human state. When she leans toward Hijack, Dr Tramma’s eyes shine with the confidence her captive lacks. Lady Bullseye's expressions and movements reveal her willingness to fulfill her duties, regardless of her desire to protect Maka. As the camera moves inside a familiar building, scientists study “The Rand Thing.”

 

Dr Tramma’s green suit shines with vitality. But her yellow-green serum evokes sickness. Java Tartaglia contrasts Dr Tramma’s green with Maka's red suit. Red also features in the Red Snow Dojo sign, the students' padded striking posts, Maka's choice of casual wear, and someone who once again takes the Hawaiian's breath away. But while green and red provide identification, yellow and orange infuse Spider-Girl #4 with energy. Yellow and orange radiate from Hijack’s eyes, while shades of orange reveal what he sees with his enhanced abilities. When he lets Dr Tramma unleash his mutant abilities, the yellow and orange energy seemingly activate a hitherto unseen aspect of Maka’s mutant power.

 

As Tombstone directs his operation, Joe Caramagna also uses small uppercase black dialogue to show the strain Maka's family endures. Red uppercase letters in white narrative boxes reveal Maka's thoughts and her struggle to regain control of her body and emotions. When Maka meets someone that she esteems, Maka’s uppercase black dialogue transforms into stylized logos in white dialogue balloons. The narrator relates what Hijack goes through with white-yellow narrative boxes, while sound effects accompany humming energy, explosions, thwicking, and a mother's concern. Thanks to Marvel Comics for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

Tombstone isn’t content to rest on his laurels. Nor is he trying to intimidate Peter Parker merely to make him his messenger. As Spider-Girl demonstrates her resilience and meets a potential ally, Tombstone works to retain the upper hand in his ongoing battle with the Hobgoblin in Spider-Girl #4.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

Spider-Girl #3 Review

 

Writer: Torunn Grønbekk

Artist: André Risso

Colorist: Java Tartaglia

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Designer: Stacie Zucker

Editors: Kaitlyn Lindtvedt, Nick Lowe & CB Cebulski

Cover Artists: David Nakayama; Javier Garrón & Jesus Aburtov; Annie Wu; Jan Bazaldua & Federico Blee

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: August 20, 2025

 

When Bullseye recruited her, he turned Makawalu Akana’s life upside down. Maka left Hawaii to travel the world in Bullseye’s private jet. While helping her hone her abilities and grooming her for a career, her mentor helped her compete in contests, rack up victories, and collect trophies. Then Maka realized she was a means to an end. After Bullseye secured what he wanted, her kumu aʻo planned to kill her. 

 

So Maka is starting over. She’s trying to make friends, help others, and do the right thing. But someone sent a plague of Vermin and rats to kill her. Then Lady Bullseye attacked her before leaving her with stolen money. Will Maka fail Superhero Ethics 101? And who else will threaten her life? Let’s leap into Spider-Girl #3, and see, Brah!

 

Story

When she looked inside Bullseye's mind, Maka saw only love. His betrayal makes her question everything. Rebuilding her life around her family helps Maka realize how much her mother has sacrificed for her. Maka's aunt and tūtū may do fine, but her mother spends most of her time working. They can’t afford an apartment in New York City. So as Maka sits in their room above the florist shop, she debates keeping the money from Starchy & Cloth. Doesn't her mom need it more than a money launderer with the morals of a potato? 

 

Investing in her family means reconnecting with her Hawaiian heritage. Maka is also forging a friendship with the girl she found hiding in the locker room at Red Snow Dojo. Caroline and Sensei Barker's other students made Beba feel small. As Maka helps Beba feel wanted and empowered, her new friend shares her heritage with Maka in Spider-Girl #3. The camaraderie helps Maka relax with someone her age. Plus, she doesn't have to worry about Beba stabbing her in the back, imbuing her with more life-changing powers, or punching her to the moon. 

 

A string of robberies provides another topic for levity on their outing. But as Maka makes the most of her mom's evenings at work to foil crime, a burglar steals luxury goods and leaves an origami figure at the scene of her crimes. Like Maka, Piper Dali is doing what she thinks is right. The Flipstergram fashionista teaches store owners to respect others. As Torunn Grønbekk places Maka in another dangerous situation, she compares Maka's new approach with her former worldview. But the Paper Doll's attacks could prove more deadly than Lady Bullseye's sword in Spider-Girl #3.

 

 

Art

André Risso reveals the energy humming inside Maka. The Hawaiian cliff diving champion tosses a ball while awaiting crimes at night. She hurries down the stairs when she overhears Beba, grabs her by the hand, and yanks her out of the florist shop. Maka thwips above the running laundry store thieves to avoid the gangsters protecting Starchy & Cloth. Then, she webs "Dim and Dumb" and hauls them to a roof. Despite all the girl’s energy, Maka sits on her bed to contemplate her options, then leaves her section of the room to sink into her mother’s arms.

 

Amid the thieves’ attire, the rooftop she drops them on, the shop windows the next day, and Lady Bullseye’s appearance, gray forms a theme in Spider-Girl #3. Even Dr Tramma’s bright green suit shows gray accents, and Detective Shari Sebbins wears a gray suit. This mixture of white and black amid the brightly colored world of New York City underlines Maka’s moral quandary. 

By comparison, Dr Tramma floods Hijack's cell with light. As Hijack rests between punishing trials, or his eyes crackle with white energy, the yellow light evokes the sun's life-giving radiance as his captor increases his mutant powers. 

 

Joe Caramagna fills Maka’s latest adventure with uppercase black letters in white dialogue balloons and shows the Hawaiian’s thoughts with red letters in white narrative boxes. The words grow bold for intonation, swell for raised voices, and rarely shrink. Yellow narrative boxes relay the narrator’s voice, while purple words in lavender balloons reveal Piper’s inner self. Lowercase black letters in white rounded boxes highlight the fleeting joys of fame. Sound effects accompany gunfire, alarms, arcing electricity, and the deadliest cut of all. Thanks to Marvel for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

When the Yakuza captured her, Bullseye inspired Maki Matsumoto to escape her captors. But Lady Bullseye knows that her lifestyle is not for everyone. After escaping a life of servitude and abuse, Lady Bullseye doesn’t want anyone to make Maka their pawn. But Maka’s unique ability to mimic others' abilities makes her an irresistible tool for villains in Spider-Girl #3.

 

Rating 9.6/10

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Spider-Girl #2 Review

 

Writer: Torunn Grønbekk

Artist: André Risso

Colorist: Java Tartaglia

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Designer: Stacie Zucker

Editors: Kaitlyn Lindtvedt, Nick Lowe & CB Cebulski

Cover Artists: David Nakayama; Javier Garrón & Jesus Aburtov; Nogi San; Chad Hardin & Alex Sinclair

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: July 16, 2025

 

Makawalu Akana, or Maka for short, is making a new start. After traveling around the world to compete in contests with Bullseye, the young Hawaiian is settling down. Maka is joining the Red Snow Dojo in New York City. She wants to demonstrate her indomitability. But her next challenge is to win friends, not trophies.

 

Even as Maka starts her first practice session with Sensei Barker, Dr Tramma paints a bullseye on Spider-Girl. After assaulting her with Vermin and the Squeak Squad, what will Dr Tramma hit the Hawaiian mutant with next? Let’s leap into Spider-Girl #2, and see, Brah!

 

Story

Like Druig, Dr Tramma wants powerful actors she can manipulate. Spider-Girl wasn’t her first choice. But after Hijack resists her chemical control, Dr Tramma fills Vermin with murderous rage and points him at Spider-Girl. Despite how Maka repels her attackers and saves the dojo, another person in the organization thinks Dr Tramma is wrong. So, while Dr Tramma continues to work on Hijack, a mysterious woman investigates Spider-Girl.

 

The world knows her as Ms Matsumoto. But when she dons her costume, the woman goes by another name. As a knife flies past her to stick in her bedroom wall, Maka gazes out the window. Spider-Girl sees the woman clutching more knives on a nearby fire escape. Maka wanted to spend the night on patrol in Spider-Girl #2, so this engraved invitation is too good to miss. But when Maka thwicks out to follow her, Lady Bullseye cuts Spider-Girl’s barbed web with a sword.

 

While Torunn Grønbekk introduces readers to Maka’s family, Spider-Girl meets Lady Bullseye. Lady Bullseye knows the difficulties that accompany enhanced fighting abilities. She may have expressed disdain for Dr Tramma’s judgment, but Lady Bullseye’s interaction with Spider-Girl seems motivated by compassion. She sees her troubled origins in Maka. The young Hawaiian had already failed to realize Bullseye was a villain who meant her harm. Lady Bullseye makes it clear that life as a vigilante will force Maka to choose her friends and allies carefully in Spider-Girl #2. 

 

 

 

Art

Orange cones and yellow police tape warn pedestrians and motorists of the metal barriers circling the broken asphalt destroyed by Vermin and the Squeak Squad. Windows glow gold and peach beneath a purple sky. Java Tartaglia makes the night glow in the city that never sleeps. As Maka enters her family’s shop, green and purple plants occupy a worktable. Then her aunt bustles into a brick room filled with shelves of boxes, trays, and vases.

 

André Risso gives Maka’s mother and aunt the same dark, edgy hair. Maka’s grandmother restrains her gray hair in a tight bun. Tropical leis hang on her bedroom door, while a Hawaiian flag adorns a pillow and a ukulele perches on a dresser. When a knife with a braided leather handle flashes past, Maka ignores the Spider-Man plushie on her bed. As Maka unzips her backpack, the metal teeth emulate Devil Dinosaur as she withdraws her costume in Spider-Girl #2.

 

 

 

While André Risso introduces us to Maka’s homelife, and Java Tartaglia helps the black-and-white villain shine, Joe Caramagna introduces Lady Bullseye with black uppercase letters in yellow narrative boxes. Maka's assessment of Lady Bullseye appears as red uppercase letters in boxes. Uppercase black letters in white dialogue balloons grow bold for intonation and occasionally shrink, such as when Maka whispers to her new friend Beba. Sound effects accompany web-thwicking and sword-swishing, while Lady Bullseye's throwing knives hiss like the shuriken Maka once threw at Spider-Boy and Daredevil. Thanks to Marvel for providing a review copy.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Maka Akana's mentor has let her down. Lady Bullseye knows the feeling. She doesn't want the young Hawaiian to make the same mistakes she did. Spider-Man ordered Bailey Briggs to relinquish his costume because the ten-year-old had robbed a bank. In Spider-Girl #2, Lady Bullseye delivers a warning. Drop the hero act now before life tempts or forces you to become a villain.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

Spider-Girl #1 Review

 

Writer: Torunn Grønbekk

Artist: André Risso

Colorist: Java Tartaglia

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Designer: Stacie Zucker

Editors: Kaitlyn Lindtvedt, Nick Lowe & CB Cebulski

Cover Artists: David Nakayama; Javier Garrón & Jesus Aburtov; Peach Momoko; Kaare Andrews; Marguerite Sauvage; Nicoletta Baldari

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $4.99

Release Date: June 11, 2025

 

Makawalu Akana, or Maka for short, wasn't bitten by a radioactive spider. Nor was she injected with an experimental serum containing irradiated spider blood. When the mutant meets your gaze, she absorbs your memories and abilities. Anything you can do, Maka can do better.

 

Bullseye met Maka at the Mega-Storm Energy Drink Cliff-Diving Challenge in Hawaii. He trained her to win a legendary contest. Then, Spider-Boy's spider-sense detected that the uncanny marksman planned to kill her. Maka may not have won The Dragon’s Challenge in Madripoor, but she returns to New York with a sweet crown. How will Bulleye’s former apprentice fare without his guidance? Let’s put on our karate gi, twhick into Spider-Girl #1, and see, Brah!

 

Story

Before Bullseye met her, Maka entered any contest she could find. Bullseye fueled her love of winning. But his betrayal has shaken her. Worse, Bullseye was the only person who could deceive her with false memories. So, when Maka spies a cap with a bullseye emblem, she falters mid-twhick, and her barbed webs bite her. Bullseye was her mentor. Her sensei planned to capitalize on Maka’s abilities and then kill her. What moves didn’t Bullseye teach her?

 

Torunn Grønbekk imbues Spider-Girl #1 with a breezy style reminiscent of the Hawaiian easy-going approach to life. Unlike Spider-Boy, Maka’s attitude is as prickly as her barbed-wire webs. Her thoughts interweave with the dialogue and action, while the point of view switches between her and Dr Trauma. The good (or bad) doctor is looking for a super-powered individual she can control. And like Druig, she enjoys playing with Vermin.

 

Maka trained hard under Bullseye's tutelage. Now, another challenge awaits her. In Spider-Girl #1, Maka gains admission to the best dojo in New York City. But Bullseye's teachings were a lie, while Spider-Boy taught her that winning isn't everything. 

 

 

 

Art

Maka looks lithe and agile as she thwips through the streets. What she lacks in strength, she makes up in resilience. When Maka removes her mask, her wide eyes and smile suggest excitement at the possibilities awaiting her. Yet, as Maka enters the dojo, uncertainty creases her features. Seeking friendships differs from the goal she pursued under Bulleye’s leadership.

 

Dr Trauma sits before her workstation. The industrial surroundings and her green costume evoke Doc Ock's preparations to dominate others. We catch a glimpse of Vermin behind a holding cell door. Later, he races along on all fours, surrounded by a swarm of rodent kin.

 

 

 

While André Risso fills Spider-Girl #1 with strong character portrayals, touching character moments, convincing settings, and intense action, Java Tartaglia delivers a loaded palette of beautiful colors. Red forms a dominant theme, from Spider-Girl's suit to the Red Snow Dojo sign to the red glowing eyes of the Vermin and rats under Dr Trauma's control. Red uppercase letters in white narrative boxes reveal Maka’s thoughts as she embarks on this new chapter in her life.

 

Yellow also forms a theme, from the waves of pain Dr Trauma induces to the conduit linked to her victims and the hair of a girl who opposes Maka's admission. Joe Caramagna’s giant yellow and red dialogue and sound effects heighten the drama and action, filling Spider-Girl #1 with alarms, tremors, shouts, shrieks, and Maka’s barbed twhicking. Thanks to Marvel for providing a review copy.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Maka Akana can win any contest she enters. She has trained hard to succeed in the martial arts. As the young Hawaiian transitions to life without Bullseye, she wonders if she should change her approach. But as she weighs the values of victories versus friendships, a villain conspires to use her like her former mentor in Spider-Girl #1.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.