Web-Warriors #4 Review: The Electro Boogie

By D. Goodman | Feb 20, 2016

Web-Warriors #4
Written by Mike Costa
Art by David Baldeon and Walden Wong
Colored by Jason Keith, Matt Yackey, Wil Quintana and Antonio Fabela
Published by Marvel Comics

Web-Warriors was not a book I ever planned to read.

Unlike many, I was not a huge fan of “Spider-Verse,” the massive Spider-Man event that closed out the previous run of Amazing Spider-Man before the beginning of Secret Wars. I felt it had too many tie-in issues, lacked focus and direction, and overall was a huge letdown from Dan Slott, who is usually a writer who can do wonders with a premise with a grand scale.

So when it was announced that Web-Warriors would be launching as part of the All-New, All-Different Marvel, I shrugged my shoulders, ignored it and went on with my life.

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But then, in spite of myself, I picked up the first issue. Why you ask? Why would I pick up a comic that I just explained I had no interest in?

Spider-Ham.

Do I need to explain any further?

After enjoying the first issue way more than I should have, I have officially become hooked. Web-Warriors has quickly found a place in my heart as a comic I honestly look forward to each month. It represents everything I love about comics in one simple package.

Web-Warriors #4 is another great issue that continues the “Electroverse” storyline as the group is split in two, with Spider-Gwen trying to reconnect with the rest of the Warriors while the bulk of the group is stuck on a world run by steam, where fixing the tech needed to fight the Electros and get home could be a problem.

First of all, Web-Warriors is funny — in a very Silver Age, almost goofy kind of way. Funny in the way that Amazing Spider-Man was funny before the book (and comics in general) took themselves a bit too seriously. And Spider-Ham isn’t even the reason for most of the laughs. Just the fact they are fighting a multiverse of Electros should be enough to get a giggle out of most readers.

In addition, anyone who loved the old Alan Davis Captain Britain/Excalibur stories from years ago will find that same feeling here in Web-Warriors. The book has a concept that means almost any type of story can be told, and writer Mike Costa uses that to mine the Marvel Universe for a group of Spider-People who function as archetypes of all the classic comic book heroes we all grew up reading, throws them together and somehow makes it work.

And did I mention the art by David Baldeon is just perfect? His style reminds me a great deal of Todd Nauck, which is never a bad thing. His Spider-Gwen in particular is much better than what you see in her own book, and anyone who can draw that many different versions of Electro deserves some proper recognition.

More superheroes and comics: Extraordinary X-Men #7 Review: What's Haunting Nightcrawler?

The Bottom Line: Web-Warriors #4 continues what has been a series I have quickly realized I cannot live without. It’s funnier than Amazing Spider-Man, visually more interesting than Spider-Gwen and has a story that runs circles around Spider-Woman. It is the best of the many Spider-Man titles currently being published and it should not be missed by anyone.

Besides, where else are you going to see a Doctor Octopus that is an actual octopus?