4.5 out of 5 stars
No Marvel superhero is as recognizable and well-known as Spider-Man. For half a century, the adventures of Peter Parker have fascinated readers, and while the character has seen his ups and downs, 2011 proved to be a great year for the character.
The start of the Big Time era for Spider-Man brought an end to three years of rotating writer and artist teams, and brought the character under the unified creative vision of writer Dan Slott . With the Spider-Island storyline, Slott has not only proven himself as one of the best Spider-Man writers, he’s managed to create one of the best Spider-Man epics of all time.
Spider-Island opens with Peter Parker enjoying a rare period in his life where everything is going well for him. Peter’s got a great job as a scientist at Horizon Labs, a loft apartment and a girlfriend in the form of CSU officer Carlie Cooper. Aside from a heavy schedule of crime fighting with the Avengers and the Future Foundation, there’s not much weighing on Peter’s mind.
Of course, things quickly begin to fall apart when the Jackal, a longtime enemy of Spider-Man, returns and releases an infestation of genetically-altered bed bugs across Manhattan. In no time, millions of citizens begin to develop all the powers of Spider-Man, turning Manhattan into the titular Spider-Island. It quickly falls to Peter Parker to find the Jackal, uncover his mysterious partner-in-crime, and stop the epidemic before the whole planet it infected.
What makes Spider-Island read so well is the numerous levels it works on as a story. For fans that have been following the series since the beginning of the Big Time era, the storyline brings together a large number of plot elements from the past year.
However, the narrative manages to work well as a standalone piece, and makes a great place to break in to the world of Spider-Man. As the web-head swings around the city, he faces numerous villains, works to save his friends, and makes several comical quips along the way. The story is a distillation of everything that makes Spider-Man such a compelling character.
It’s this examination of Peter Parker that rests at the core of the story. Spider-Island examines why he’s the right man to be Spider-Man, regardless of the great powers he has been granted.
Also, the conclusion of the story feels final, with only a few small story threads to be followed up on in later collections. Spider-Island provides a solid beginning, middle and end for readers to enjoy, whether they want to continue reading the series or not.
Along with the main issues of the arc from The Amazing Spider-Man, the collection also contains four issues of Rick Remender’s Venom series, which flesh out the story and allow for several more action scenes.
Beyond just another collection of battles, though, Flash Thompson’s trials as host for the Venom symbiote provide a nice counterpoint to Peter’s arc throughout the series.
From an artistic perspective, Humberto Ramos continues to provide a wonderfully dynamic quality to the series, and his comfort with the characters in Peter Parker’s world is clear. The mix of stylized, energetic art with the bright coloring of Edgar Delgado adds to the fun, action-packed tone of the narrative.
Overall, Spider-Island contains all of the great elements of a superhero story, and stands as a shining example of what fun the genre can provide. From the examination of Peter Parker’s character to the high levels of action and adventure, Dan Slott’s Spider-Man epic is one of the best ever written, and leaves me excited to see what the writer does with the web-slinger next.
Alt: A Web of Story Threads
Though Spider-Island works well as a standalone story, there are still several story elements that readers may want to be aware of before taking the story on. While the story does a good job of explaining everything in the narrative, here are a few story threads from the previous Big Time graphic novels.
Big Time: Peter Parker meets his scientific idol Max Modell , who gives him a job at Horizon Labs. He also begins a relationship with long-time friend Carlie Cooper.
Matters of Life and Death: Peter loses his iconic Spider Sense, and vows to make sure nobody dies when he’s around.
The Fantastic Spider-Man: Spider-Man becomes a member of the Future Foundation, a new group formed by the Fantastic Four.
The Return of Anti-Venom: The vigilante Anti-Venom returns to Spider-Man’s life, and remains capable of purging the radioactivity that gives Peter Parker his powers.
Venomby Rick Remender , Vol . 1: This volume introduces the Flash Thompson as the latest host of the Venom symbiote , serving as an agent of the United States government.
