What If Wednesday: In Spider-Man: Spider’s Shadow #2, Things Get Sticky!
Marvel Blog True Believers: Welcome to the first entry in What If Wednesday, a new feature where we explore some of the wackiest, wildest stories in the Marvel Comics universe! Buckle up because it’s going to be a wild ride, starting with last week’s release of What If? Spider-Man: Spider’s Shadow #2!
In Spider-Man: Spider’s Shadow # 2 by Chip Zdarsky, Pasqual Ferry, Matt Hollingsworth, and Joe Caramagna, with a main cover by Phil Noto, Spider-Man may have been permanently corrupted by the Venom symbiote, and we’re along for the ride in this five-issue miniseries!
Photo: Marvel Comics
After the initial issue introduced me to the creepy premise (and the new look for Venom, which has a decidedly spider-style to it), I was eager to get webbed up in issue two… and I’m pleased to report that the issue delivers!
Get Me Pictures of Spider-Man!
If you don’t realize it yet, Marvel Blog True Believers, Zdarsky writes great J. Jonah Jameson.
J. Jonah Jameson in Spider-Man: Spider’s Shadow #2. Photo: Marvel Comics
If you don’t believe us, check out Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #6 by Zdarsky, Michael Walsh, Ian Herring, and Travis Lanham, with a cover by Paulo Siqueira & Rachelle Rosenberg.
Photo: Marvel Comics
In that issue, which you can read right now on the Marvel Unlimited app, Parker has a dinner with Jameson in Jameson’s apartment. It’s a low-key issue that spends most of its page run allowing the two often-antagonists to have an intimate conversation with one another.
Photo: Marvel Comics
However, it proves one very important point: Zdarsky gets not only Spider-Man, but also his supporting cast, in a very deep way that places masked heroes within the larger cultural understanding.
Zdarsky’s connection to the character pays off big time in a What If…? Spider-Man: Spider’s Shadow #2 story like this, allowing him to get inside the heads of the characters as they face their worst possible scenario: a Venom-corrupted Spidey!
Another part of this issue that is especially cool are the sequences that take place “inside” Parker’s head, as he converses with the symbiote. We’re used to these kinds of scenes when Venom is involved, but with art by Ferry and colors by Holligsworth, these sequences are especially creepy, as is suitable for this storyline.
Spider-Man: Spider’s Shadow #2. Photo: Marvel Comics
Spider-Man: Spider’s Shadow #2, Caramanga’s Hobgoblin Life
And when it comes to Venom, word balloons are important, and that holds true in Spider-Man: Spider’s Shadow #2. As you can probably guess, Caramanga nails them all, with the subtle differences you’d expect based on whether Parker or Venom is the one speaking at the moment.
Photo: Marvel Comics
Swing by Your Local Comic Shop!
Will you be thwipping your way to your local comic shop in order to pick up Spider-Man: Spider’s Shadow #2? We want to know what you think, Marvel Blog True Believers! Let us know in the comments.
