Comic Review: Marvel Action: Spider-Man #1

Marvel Action: Spider-Man #1

IDW Publishing

Writer: Delilah S. Dawson

Artist: Fico Ossio

Marvel Action: Spider-Man #1 provides the start of an all ages story for the web-springer and his successors, Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy. Those two take a back seat to a 16 year old Peter Parker, who’s presented as having just started out but still more establish than them. Marvel Action is entirely independent of any continuity, though it seems the characters’ complexity has been largely maintained. It eschews the clumsy, reality crossing antics typically used to bring the three main “Spider” characters together. However, while the story is fun and accessible, it’s not outstanding.

Bringing this trio together is an internship opportunity from Tony Stark and a plague of mutated animals terrorizing New York City. The latter plotline has some consistency issues, as the characters keep referring to the first creature either as a dog or a rat. However the art clearly makes it the latter. It will probably lead to something bigger but it stills feels like a waste. Only a handful of superheroes have rogue’s galleries even half as good as Spider-Man’s but Marvel Action calls it a day with some mutated animals. It’s serviceable but even an all ages story has access to some more exciting adversaries.

The Tony Stark plotline is much stronger and an organic way to bring all three of the spidies together. It also characterizes Iron Man’s without ever showing him. Peter realizes the event is the only way to get a conversation with him, as he won’t give him the time of day otherwise. Tony himself doesn’t even show up, sending someone else in his place. Marvel Action nails Tony’s ego and provides a great sense of the character through his absence. As for the leads, Peter is a good mix of bravado and uncertainty, as best conveyed by the narration. Providing the characters’ thoughts has largely gone out of fashion but Marvel Action shows that it has its uses. There’s a duality to Spider-Man and Peter and the narration successfully conveys that.

While Miles and Gwen are good characters, they don’t get as much of a chance to shine in Spider-Man #1. Right now Miles only comes off as a less experienced version of Peter and the character could be better distinguished going forward. Thankfully, Peter’s interactions with him make up for it. Peter finds himself relived after meeting Miles, someone who understands his situation. That dynamic has a warmth and vulnerability to it that modern superheroes could use more of. Gwen remains much more ambiguous, throwing herself into danger for the next scoop. Peter has a disdain for her carelessness and she isn’t too crazy about him either. There’s nothing very interesting or unique about this setup, while Miles at least has some interesting interactions with Peter. Spider-Gwen isn’t a bad character, so hopefully she’ll have a better showing in subsequent issues.The art is done by Fico Ossio and it’s a good fit for what Marvel Action is going for. It has a cartoonish quality increasingly absent in “adult” comics. It’s still sensible enough that it isn’t too out of place with a moderately serious story. Ossio’s work has very detailed backgrounds and most panels have them. This makes the action and other interactions feel more genuine. The art also keeps the fight scenes kid friendly while still having considerable weight. The anatomy is off at a lot of points and while the faces are expressive, it does look awkward on occasion. The art is nonetheless distinct and delivers exactly what the story needs. Marvel Action: Spider-Man #1definitely reads like the standard all ages story but it still presents a largely accurate and enjoyable image of the webslinger.