Peter Parker. Miles Morales. Each protects New York City as Spider-Man, but together, they’re more than the sum of their spider-parts. Your Major Spoilers review of Spectacular Spider-Men #1 from Marvel Comics awaits!

SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MEN #1

Writer: Greg Weisman
Penciler: Humberto Ramos
Inker: Victor Olazaba
Colorist: Edgar Delgado
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Editor: Nick Lowe
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: March 6, 2024

Previously in Spectacular Spider-Men: Peter Parker and Miles Morales are going to team up on the regular, comparing notes and using said notes to take on some of their most dangerous bad guys. Villains of Manhattan, watch out! This duo is better than dynamic, amazing, sensational, superior… they’re SPECTACULAR!

JUST HANGIN’ OUT, LIKE NORMAL FOLK

The first page of this issue actually has a caption that says “In Medias Res,” as the two Spider-Men battle a VERY buff Jackal, with Miles reminding Peter that he promised no arachnobatics. Flashback to twelve weeks before, as the spiders decide to have a weekly meeting, to hang out, discuss best practices, share quips, and just bro it up. They decide to meet every Wednesday at the Coffee Bean, Peter’s old favorite cafe on the grounds of Empire State University. We get bits and pieces of the ensuing meetings, as Peter tries desperately to become a “regular,” while Miles just pre-orders using the app. It becomes clear that something strange is going on with Peter’s high school science teacher, Professor Warren, not to be confused with the OTHER Professor Warren, who was The Jackal. You can see where this is all going, right?

OR, AT LEAST, THAT WAS THE PLAN

There are some prime comedic moments in this issue, including Peter remarking that it seems like he’s been fighting crime for “sixty years or something,” while Miles reminds Peter that he feels like he’s been in high school for about a decade. Weisman also introduces a few characters from the Spectacular Spider-Man cartoon, which is both interesting for fans of that show, and confusing for those of us who remember how that show mixed the canons of Miles and Peter into one narrative. Still, the script mostly keeps the balance of funny to fighty-fighty, occasionally erring to the side of humor a bit too much. The banter between the Spider-Men is pretty wonderful, including a moment where they both shout, “We are so in sync!” at the same moment. The mysteries behind the new Jackal and the Professors Warren are also intercut with several unrelated vignettes that will clearly mean something in a few issues, and Ramos’ art is well-suited for the tone of the story. Whether it’s Olazaba’s inks or a conscious decision on his part, the wilder bits of anatomy are milder than previous Spider-Man outings, and it works much better for me as a reader.

BOTTOM LINE: MORE ENJOYABLE THAN I EXPECTED

The upshot of it all is that Spectacular Spider-Men #1 is a very enjoyable outing, giving both Miles and Peter some lovely character moments, including Peter’s warning that they can’t pick up college chicks because “you’re too young and I’m too old,” a much more joyful tone than the main Spider-titles, and some really dynamic art, earning 4 out of 5 stars overall. If nothing else, someday this will probably be asterisked in price guides as the first appearance of the Kenny Kong of Earth-616.

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