Writer: Chip Zdarsky
Artist: Adam Kubert
Color Artist: Jordie Belaire
Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man is the new Spider-Man title from Chip Zdarsky and Adam Kubert. It’s running alongside Dan Slott’s Amazing Spider-Man, but it doesn’t feel like just another story. Zdarksy knows how to have fun with his comics and he’s a great fit for writing Spider-Man. He’s a character who loves to talk and Zdarsky uses that to his advantage. He previously had the chance to write a bit of the character when he appeared in Howard the Duck. That was the moment you could tell he had it in him to do more with the character.
At first, this issue looks like it’s going to be yet another origin story until you hit the second page and Spider-Man is having a conversation with Johnny Storm, a.k.a. the Human Torch. His first line is “Why are you telling me our origin story again?!” It’s a nice break in Peter’s story telling because it’s likely how people would actually feel about yet another origin story being told. Once that’s out of the way, they just jump on in to the story. The Peter Parker and Johnny Storm friendship is a fun one to start off with and while Johnny isn’t in the entire story, he’s still there by the end of the issue. Peter’s on a mission to find out how some Stark tech is being hacked, and we get a look at Mason, who does tech work for superheroes. So far, this first arc is off to a good start.
Kubert’s art is bolstered by wonderful colors from Jordie Bellaire. When Peter is dressed as Spider-Man, his eyes are the only facial expression we see. So it’s crucial to get that down and Kubert does a nice job of it. The colors from Jordie don’t pop too much, which can distract from the art and story at hand so it makes for a great combination. Jordie is easily becoming one of my favorite colorists and with good reason.
There’s also a secondary story on the backend of the issue. It’s written by Chip with pencils and inks by Goran Parlov and colors by Nathan Fairbairn. In this story Black Widow ends up fighting Spider-Man and lets him think she’s under some sort of mind control. In reality, she’s on an assignment. It’s a fun little addition to what was already a good story.
Verdict: Buy. This is a solid issue. It’s also an extremely fun one. There’s no doubt that Chip Zdarksy knows how to enjoy himself while writing comics. If you’re a Spider-Man fan, this should be on your list to read.
