Spider-Verse is one of two Marvel crossovers happening at this point in time. While Rick Remender’s Axis is taking care of yet another Avengers + X-Men or Avengers vs. X-Men crossover, Spider-Verse is completely contained within the universes of Spider-Man. In this case it’s Spider-Men or Spider-People. Imagine if every Spider-Man/Person had the chance to meet one another to help protect the linage of Spider-Men? Well that’s what this comic is all about. At first glance I found it to be a bit odd. Why would Marvel give us a crossover like this? I also thought that it smelled too much of the Clone Saga. When beginning my adventure into the Spider-Verse we got peeks into all of the different and creative ideas that Marvel could have had. It’s a collection of What If versions of the webslinger. In one universe we have fan favorite Miguel O’hara as Spider-Man 2099, another shows us what would have happened if Gwen Stacy was bit and turned into Spider-Woman (affectionately called Spider-Gwen by fans). It may seem strange, but it’s a great collection of stories. For one I’m a sucker for What If’s, and Spider-Man has always been my favorite character.
Dan Slott has continued to succeed as Spidey’s main writer after the excellent arc that was The Superior Spider-Man. While there has been plenty of lead-up time to Spider-Verse, the story finally began in Amazing Spider-Man #9. Oliver Coipel’s art is also fantastic. I love his modern take on these great characters. In combination with Slott’s understanding of the wall-crawler, Spider-Verse has got my hopes high! The story follows the Spider-People’s desire to protect their linage from the evil Morlun and his family. For those unfamiliar with Morlun, he was seen mostly during The Other, a Spider-Man series in the mid 2000s that culminated in the death and rebirth of Peter Parker. Morlun is a vampire of sorts whose family feeds on the totems of the Spider-Verse. Every Spider-Person is in danger from Morlun’s family who have been named as the Inheritors.
The center of Spider-Verse is Morlun’s desire to feed on the Spider-Man of universe 616, which is the current Marvel Universe. He’s the Spidey we know as THE Spider-Man. The Inheritors have enslaved a character known as the Master Spinner, a spider totem who can connect the various universes and allow people to travel between them. With his help the Inheritors have been able to kill many spider-totems before the events of Spider-Verse. The goal of the totems is to protect “our” Spider-Man as he is said to be the greatest of all of them.
What’s great about Spider-Verse is that you get to see all sorts of cameos from some of our favorite Spider-Totems. In the first issue alone we see Spider-Gwen, Spider-Man 2099, Ben Reilly, Peter Porker (Spider-Ham), and a Spidey that never got rid of his cosmic powers. It’s all very esoteric and some what ethereal, but it’s a very original take on the Multi-Verse. Slott has created a great sense of urgency for the life of some of our favorite Spider heroes. As a fan of Spidey for over 20 years it’s nice to see something that should belong in a Superman or Flash comic. While the rest of the Marvel universe is bogged down with the nonsensical Axis, Spider-Verse offers a different main course. Slott’s story telling has continued to be strong and ‘Verse is a great follow up to Superior Spider-Man. I really hope Otto shows up in this series a bit more.
Between Slott’s excellent storytelling (he also is writing the INCREDIBLE Silver Surfer) and Coipel’s perfect artwork this series has been a must read for any Spidey fan. I hope the series continues to be as fun and unique as it started. Things look ok for our webhead now, but we know that his true colors will be tested when he’s forced to fight all of his enemies on his own. That’s why we read Spider-Man to see him fighting with his back against the wall, for that’s when he’s at his best. I will sit awaiting that moment to happen in Spider-Verse, but for now I’m going to enjoy some of the greatest cameos in recent time.
GET CHOMPED