Spider-Verse Team Up #1 Review

Spider-Verse is firing on all cylinders and bringing together all the Spider-Men and Spider-Women of the multiverse together. Spider-Verse Team Up #1 kicks off a three part mini-series that shines the spotlight on Spider-Totem  combinations and their adventures within the scope of the event. This first issue is separated into two standalone stories: The Power of Positive Thinking, and The Luck of the Parkers. Spider-Verse gave writers the chance to pick from a vast roster of Spiders and assemble a team – and this first issue pairs up some unlikely partners.

The Power of Positive Thinking brings together Old Man Spider-Man, the cartoonish Spider-Ham, and a Ben Reilly from a universe where his life seems to be much better than his counterpart from Earth-616. This combination has synergy due to the contrast between Old Man Peter’s cynicism and overall seriousness, Spider-Ham’s cartoon nature and hammy (I went there) personality, and Ben’s hopeful, naive attitude he gained from the lighter nature of his universe.

The Juxtaposition of Spider-Ham’s anthropomorphic stature and overall cartoony vibe with the higher realism of the setting, the villains, and his counterparts really evokes a sense that they are all from different universes, and heightens the accuracy to Ben-94’s reaction to a cartoon pig. It’s not just a costume change between the Spider-Men; each Spidey holds a different weight in their movements and reactions -shown even more in this case since readers can actually see Spider-Ham’s mouth and expressions. The villains, two of the alternate Vultures in particular, are drawn menacingly, sporting jagged teeth and an acid dripping mandible. These features easily separate them from the heroes, and highlights their hungry, evil nature.

Action scenes are present in this story, a mix of aerial and rooftop fighting, but none of these scenes are particularly exciting or groundbreaking – though they are presented well. One notable event is found when the three Spideys are immobilized by paralytic knives thrown by their enemies, as the panels effectively portray their struggles against the situation, and a slight suspense is built up however brief it is.

I believe the heart and fun of this story are found in the interactions between the Spider-Men. It is realistic in the sense that, upon finding alternate versions of yourself that include a cartoon pig, one would be as incredulous and confused as Ben-94 is. And after knowing the certain way your world works and has worked all of your life, it’d be easy and understandable to dismiss the gravity of the situation as Ben seems to do.

It’s fun to see more serious Spider-Men such as Old Man Peter shock their more innocent counterparts with actions such as breaking a villain’s arm. The dialogue between the three Spideys showcase the differences in their personalities and thought processes – it demonstrates that even though they all know each other’s basic life stories, and are intimately familiar with each other’s powers and weaknesses, the Spider Totems of the Spider-Verse are not carbon copies of each other. Though the Spider-Men end up not doing a whole lot in this plot line, and in the end are a bit too easily saved by the power of optimism, the story serves as a suitable opening to the team- up series.

The Luck of the Parkers is a more personal, introspective story – found within the inner thoughts of Noir Spider-Man, and the lack of villains in the plot. This chapter is more about Peter Parker(s), and a world that could have been. The pairing of Noir and Six Arm Spider-Man is a thoughtful one; one is a man from the past, displaced into unfamiliarity, and the other is a Peter who tried to cure himself, but ended up mutating even further. Just like the previous team-up story, the differences in the personality of each Spider is revealed through their dialogue and thoughts about the solution to the problem of the chapter: a comatose Peter Parker transformed into a Man Spider. Noir believes they should put the freak out of his misery, and Six Arm believes there’s another way.

One element shared between both Team Up sections is the very limited setting. The first took place on one building and the airspace above it, and the second takes place solely on/in a single hospital building. This doesn’t hurt the issue though, allowing it to focus on the character centric plot. The concept of a universe where Uncle Ben lives as a consequence of Peter’s coma is an interesting one, and the story reminds readers of many things: being transported to different universes other than your own can be jarring for these Spider-Men, Spider-Man is still a scientific savant able to whip up concoctions from nearby chemicals, and there are happy endings in the Spider-Verse.

For those looking for action packed sequences and Spideys teaming up to battle their foe, this chapter once again does not offer much besides a brief inter-Spider-tussle. One thing I enjoyed very much is that we do get some well drawn movement from Six Arm Spider-Man and the artist does an amazing job in drawing the differences between each Spider’s Spider-sense. This might also be the one and only story of the Spider-Verse that has a quick and clean conclusion, and one where the Parker family is alive and well – proving that the Parker Luck doesn’t always amount to tragedy.

Spider-Verse Team Up #1 serves as a great tool for fleshing out the Spider-Verse and allowing some of the Spideys to play upfront and center. Though it lacks exciting action and large, expanded settings, the issue makes up for it with characterization and strong character interaction. If you came to see the different Spider-Men interact you will be pleased, but if you came for a rousing fight sequence where the Spideys pull off some awesome combo moves, you may come away disappointed. In any case, I believe that this issue bodes well for the quality of the Team-Up miniseries, and I look forward to more Spider-Verse issues!

Check out Whatever a Spider Can’s other Spider-Verse comic book recaps and reviews
Spider-Verse Team Up #1 recap
Edge of Spider-Verse #5 recap, and review
Edge of Spider-Verse #4 recap, and review

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