Spider-Verse Team up #1 Recap

Spider-Verse has effectively brought together a variety of Spider-Men and Spider-Women, from the ones we know and love to brand new spiders born from all walks of life. But as is true in comic books as a whole, and a concept that fans love to think about, one of the best things that has come out of the event is the arrival of team-ups a Spider-Fan could only dream about. It’s a recipe for awesome interactions and interesting stories. We’ve seen a couple of appearances and Spider-Men working together in previous issues, but the Spider-Verse Team-Up run focuses on side plots of these Spider-Men, putting the spotlight on those who may not get a lot of personal screen time in the main storyline run. Let’s begin our recap of Spider-Verse Team-Up #1, which is split into two stories, The Power of Positive Thinking, and The Luck of The Parkers.

The issue opens with The Power of Positive Thinking where we find Ben Reilly Spider-Man of Earth-94 engaged in an aerial battle with his universe’s Vulture, taunting his foe with his usual witty banter. The Vulture mentions a mistress, saying that Ben has no idea what is coming, but that she will show him soon. Right after swiftly webbing up his enemy’s head, he is suddenly attacked from behind and turns to see a flock of vultures coming his way. Confused about who or what these new vultures are he is almost overtaken by two of them on top of a nearby building when a familiar foot lashes out and kicks away his attacker, and Old Man Spider-Man appears on the scene with Spider-Ham, the two making short work of the vultures.

We then see Old Man Peter help a perplexed Ben up, when Vulture-94 strikes Spider-Ham off the building, declaring that a Mistress Verne will make their agonies last for hours. Old Man Peter quickly webs the Vulture in and snaps his arm, eliciting shock and consternation from Ben, who starts to incredulously confront Old Man Spider-Man until he realizes the other vultures are eating their injured comrade.

As Spider-Ham battles in the background, we then see Ben and Old Man Peter have a conversation about the Inheritors, though Ben doesn’t seem phased by any of it, saying that even in his darkest hour things have always worked out. Old Man Peter puts it simply for his fellow Spider, “we need you, but we need you ready for war.” Spider-Ham joins the conversation, as Ben doesn’t seem to understand the gravity of the situation, when we then see a nicely drawn action shot of the three Spider-Men being impaled by knives coated with a paralytic substance. All seems lost as two vultures approach, one preparing to tenderize them with acid spit.

We are then shown a three panel shot of each Spider-Men struggling against the paralyzing effects they’re under, unable to twitch a muscle, while Old Man Peter exclaims that Ben has gotten them all killed. Somehow, against all odds, Ben-94 is able to activate his web shooter- redirecting the incoming acid spit onto the face of their other attacker, which quickly prompts a fight between their two winged foes. We then see wide panel of the three Spider-Men webbing up both of the vultures. Impressed by Ben’s moves, the three Spider-Men open up and enter a dimensional portal leading to a New York park where a bunch of Spider-Men are gathered.

We then see a brief conversation between Spider-Ham and Old Man Spider-Man, with the former saying that they should find a different Ben Reilly who has had a tougher life, but the latter claims that Ben-94 was able to get out of the paralysis due to his optimism, and that if Ben does end up dying, at least he’ll be among friends. The story closes with a shot of Cosmic Spider-Man, presumably the Spider-Man leading their particular gathering, floating above the rest of the Spiders as they look up to him.

The second story of the issue opens with Spider-Man Noir and Six Arm Spider-Man perched on the side of a building in an unnamed universe’s New York City, peering through a window. We then see that they’re looking at a comatose Peter Parker and a saddened Aunt May and Uncle Ben.  Noir’s inner dialogue reveals that they were sent to recruit this world’s Spider-Man for the upcoming war against the inheritors, but that they’ve arrived to find this Peter is in no shape to help. Six Arm Spider-Man explains that this Peter had an allergic reaction to the spider bite, putting him on life support and transforming his arm into a hairy appendage with claws; however, we find out that since Aunt May and Uncle Ben have constantly been in the hospital, this Pete’s condition has prevented Uncle Ben from being killed.

We then cut to a conversation between the two visiting Spider-Men. At first, Spider-Man Noir says that there’s nothing more they could do, but Six Arm Spider-Man explains that this universe’s Peter is still a spider totem and Karn and his siblings will eventually eat his life force. Noir suggests they put the comatose Peter out of his misery, but Six Arm Peter hatches a plan, telling Noir to stay put as he infiltrates the hospital to look up coma Peter’s (who he now refers to as Li’l Pete) blood work and use the chemicals in the hospital’s lab. The next scene shows Noir watching the hospital room and musing about the differences between his Aunt May and Uncle Ben and the pair he sees before him. Suddenly, Noir’s Spider sense goes off -sensing danger coming from inside the room: Li’l Pete begins to convulse and move and we see on the next page that he has transformed fully into a Man-Spider. In the next panels we see Noir break through the window, web Li’l Pete up and swing him onto the roof of the hospital.

The next scene depicts Noir trying to calm the now transformed Peter, when Six-Arm Spidey comes out of the vents and stumbles upon the new form of Li’l Pete. With some agile movements, Six-Arm Spider-Man is able to mount Li’l Pete’s back and inject him with a syringe of a mystery green substance. The two visiting Spider-Men are soon tangled when Six-Arm Peter is thrown off,and Noir pulls out his gun, ready to finish off Man-Spider Pete. His partner quickly stops him, and the panels cut to the transformed Peter, who molts off his spidery exterior and begins to fall of the building. The heroes grab their other self before he plummets to his death.

In the closing moments of the story the two Spider-Men scan their now cured, and now simply a man, counterpart, revealing that he no longer has the spider-essence. The two take cover as Aunt May and company arrive on the rooftop. Through the following conversation shared between the two Spideys, we discover that the serum he used was the very one that caused Six-Arm Pete to gain his extra arms; since this universe’s Peter was younger with DNA not yet completely taken over by spider DNA, the cure worked. They activate a trans-dimensional portal and hop through, with Noir’s inner monologue ending the story – he thinks to himself that regardless of what Superior Spider-Man thinks, he calls their trip to this universe a victory, for it is one reality where the Parker family has a happy ending.

Check out Whatever a Spider Can’s other Spider-Verse comic book recaps and reviews
Edge of Spider-Verse #5 recap, and review
Edge of Spider-Verse #4 recap, and review
Edge of Spider-Verse #3 recap, and review

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