Amazing Spider-Man #9 Review: The Spider-Verse Begins!

Spoiler-Free Review

This week’s issue of The Amazing Spider-Man, written by Dan Slott with cover illustration by Olivier Coipel, serves as the introductory chapter of The Spider-Verse, the long-awaited crossover story between almost every Spidey incarnation ever.

Just in case you haven’t kept up with everything that’s going on, here’s a really brief recap: The Amazing Spider-Man and all of the Spider-People throughout the multiverse are Spider Totems (for the moment, just think of them as having a really powerful, universe-weaving Spider as their spirit animal). They’re all being hunted by a semi-godlike being called Morlun and his family, The Inheritors, because, to their species, Spider Totems are delicious. The Superior Spider-Man AKA Doc Ock, who survived his extraction from Peter Parker’s mind through a time…thing…plot point, figured out that other Spider-People were being murdered, so he started gathering all of them to form an army against The Inheritors. All Spider-Hell is about to break loose.

Okay, the actual review: the short of it is that The Amazing Spider-Man #9 is a really fun, very satisfying read. After picking up issue after issue of Edge of the Spider-Verse for the last several months, it’s a good feeling to know that all of the build-up was not in vain. The comic provides readers with everything they could want out of the start of a new Spider-Event: There’s loads of action, a bunch of background, and arguably best of all, lots and lots of spider banter. I mean, what else would you expect when you put upwards of twenty different Spider-Men, Women, and Pigs (Yep.) in one room together?

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The dialogue in this issue is a showcase of Slott’s writing ability. Not only does it offer readers some great characterization to each of Spidey’s respective manifestations and the occasional lighthearted pun, but it also works as a little bit of a refresher course on all of the Edge stuff that has been going on since September. It’s clear that Slott wants to make sure that you know everything you need to before delving even deeper into this storyline, which I absolutely appreciate.

If I were forced to mention any shortcoming (for lack of a better word) that this issue has, it would be that it essentially puts a pause on all of the social tribulations that Slott presented in Peter Parker’s life up to this point: His relationship with Anna Maria and the obstacles of owning his own company are not really even mentioned. While I acknowledge that Slott could be doing so because he needed the entirety of the space for the interplay between Spiders and Inheritors, to some degree I’m left wondering if he’s ever going to go back to those issues, or whether they were just filler to help him get to the beginning of the Spider-Verse storyline.

Artistically, the book’s visuals are incredible. With a slightly more serious drawing and coloring style than most of the Amazing Spider-Man issues since Peter’s return, the artists do an excellent job of foreshadowing the seriousness of the situation that will likely unravel throughout the next several issues.

In the modern age, film is the biggest competitor to any type of reading or literature. Slott obviously considers this idea when constructing his stories, as he is able to convey everything he needs to simply through his use of action and dialogue. Through the combination of these concepts, along with the cinematic nature of the illustrations, Amazing Spider-Man #9 is a promising introduction to what may turn into one of the most important Spider-Man stories ever. I give this issue a 9.3/10. If you enjoy Spider-Man at all, this book should be on your list.

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