What happens when you try to steal a Super-Adaptoid, but only get part of it? Get ready for the Action Figure! Your Major Spoilers review of Spider-Boy #3 from Marvel Comics awaits!
SPIDER-BOY #3
Writer: Dan Slott
Artist: Paco Medina/Ty Templeton
Colorist: Erick Arciniega/Dee Cunniffe
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Editor: Nick Lowe
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: January 31, 2024
Previously in Spider-Boy: The richest jerk on the planet now owns the deadliest fighting machine of all time! How can Spider-Boy even hope to stop… the Toy Soldier?! Watch out, kid! This one-of-a-kind collectible can KILL! Also, the Webless Wonder teams up with Thor, Son of Odin, as a creature from Asgard threatens Bailey Briggs’ friendly neighborhood.
HASHTAG KILLIONAIRE
After the botched raid to steal the Super-Adaptoid last issue, the influencer and would-be super-villain Killionaire is angry. Fortunately, his tech wizards were able to work with what they had, transforming the stolen Adaptoid-hand into a full-fledged Adaptoid with all the powers of the Avengers! It’s just that he’s only seven inches tall. It’s still enough to cause havoc in the streets of New York and overpower Spider-Boy, especially when the Action Figure channels the power of a tiny Thor. That’s when our hero, Bailey, remembers the inscription on Thor’s hammer… The second story is an actual team-up with the real Thor, in which a giant Asgardian spider threatens the city until Spider-Boy reveals that he speaks fluent spider.
So, he’s got that goin’ for him.
A LITTLE SILLIER THAN MOST MODERN COMICS, BUT FUN
There are a couple of attempts to create Spider-Man-style pathos in this issue, with Killionaire trying to steal Spider-Boy’s cool sneakers, with our hero worrying that they’re all he has left to his name. Aside from the fact that it feels like obvious heartstring-tugging by the writer, it’s the same gimmick we saw last issue when someone stole his phone. Spider-Boy also finds himself on camera again in his monstrous form, lamenting that people might think he actually IS some sort of vampiric creature and not just a homeless kid. The art is much more successful in balancing the sillier elements with the dramatic, especially in the splash of Action Figure flying off to start his own superhero career, having proven himself worthy of the power of Thor. Templeton’s rendition of Thor is also a hoot, while the sight of a troll hugging a giant armored arachnid has never been more moving.
BOTTOM LINE: ‘FUN’ ISN’T A DIRTY WORD
The upshot of Spider-Boy #3 is a deliberate attempt to be breezier and more amusing than your average Marvel Comic, with an undercurrent of pathos that makes it seem like the creators are worried that modern fans won’t accept that, but successful art pulls the reader past that most of the time, earning 3 out of 5 stars overall. With luck, Spider-Boy will be able to get his life together and get out of the F.E.A.S.T. shelter, because I feel like his adventures would benefit from a little less tragedy stewing just under the surface. Themes and tone are important, my friends!
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The script tries to balance real-world consequences with wacky fun, and while it doesn't quite pull off the balance, there is fun to be had in these pages.
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Writing5
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Art7
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Coloring7