REVIEW – Friendly Neighborhood Spider-man #1 (March 2019)
Spoilers ahead!
In a Marvel comic universe becoming increasingly overrun by an ongoing spider infestation, it’s something of a minor miracle that the new Friendly Neighborhood series from Taylor and Cabal manages to carve out its own little— well, neighborhood—of the spider-verse. But it does exactly that, and manages it with the casual, friendly style that fits Spidey so well. That said, while it does find a cozy corner, it’s also not particularly groundbreaking. I’m not exactly sure if there’s new ground to be broken for a character who’s 56 years old so I don’t hold it against Taylor; he handles the well-trodden character well and does his best to liven up some the old tropes surrounding Peter. I particularly like the spin on the motherly-character archetype that he gives to Marnie. Aunt May with a bit of bite is quite fun and still fits the friendly vibes of the book without veering off into the cartoonishly comical or overly cruel, and the Leilani story line is interesting enough to leave me wanting more, though the cliffhanger felt a bit weak. I’m not sure if I care about Peter Parker playing dad as an arc for him, but I’m definitely willing to give it a shot and see where it goes. Besides, at least the kids’ visual design throws of a neat Children of the corn vibe with their weird glowing eyes. I doubt the story will actually go in that kind of old-horror-movie direction; I’m just saying they gave the book’s visuals a bit of flair.
Speaking of visuals, kudos go out to Cabal and the art team, of course. The action is smooth and easy to follow but its also not so simple that it’s no fun to read, and the overall tone and feel of the pencils, ink and colouring all capture Spidey’s style expertly. In fact I remember thumbing through it in the comic shop debating if I wanted to pick it up and thinking then that the artwork was competent but boring. Having had a chance to sit with it, though, I think I underestimated it; what I first thought was boring was actually just the right balance between simplicity and detail, and it really works well with the story.
The only real downer is Pete’s roommate, Randy. He’s clearly meant to be a heel, so credit to Taylor for effectively making the audience not like a character. It’s just that sometimes Peter gets crapped on so much it becomes exhausting and I just want the guy to catch a break. We’ll see where it goes but unless Randy actually turns out to be a super-villain or something, he just feels like unnecessary additional aggravation whose sole-purpose for existing is to let neighbors into Pete’s apartment while he’s out on the town.
Personal highlights include:
Peter quipping with his own spider-sense when he’s about to get punched is a treat. It’s genuinely funny and the artwork was great, with a special shout out to Woodward whose colour-work really makes the panel pop.
Marnie making Pete squirm on their walk up the stairs was also a delight.
Overall: 8/10. Putting it on my pull list for now to see what the team has in store, and got my fingers crossed that Marvel’s idiot executives can stop themselves from swapping writers and rebooting books long enough for an actual decent run to develop from this team. Hope springs eternal.
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