Web-Warriors #5 Review: Charge Of The Electro Brigade

Web-Warriors #5 bring the “Electroverse” saga to a fitting conclusion and has me anxiously awaiting where the series will go next.

Web-Warriors #5
Written by Mike Costa
Art by David Baldeon, Walden Wong and Roberto Poggi
Colored by Jason Keith
Published by Marvel Comics

The last time we checked in on out intrepid group of alternate universe Spider-People, they had just challenged a multiverse of Electros (Electri?) to a final battle on Earth-803 while Spider-Gwen and Ben Parker go after the source of the Electros power, a being called The Battery.

Now, if you read all that and think it sounds pretty ridiculous for a Spider-Man book, you would be right. There is no reason in the world Web-Warriors should work as a comic. None whatsoever. It features one of the most diverse casts in all of comics, is funny, doesn’t take itself very seriously and is completely over the top in every regard.

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And it co-stars Peter Porker, the Spectacular Spider-Ham.

Yet Web-Warriors is now a book I can’t imagine not reading.

Issue #5, which concludes the title’s first arc, is such a fun read I had to go back and read it a second time. This is the kind of series that puts a big smile on your face every month and makes you remember why you started reading comic books in the first place.

Writer Mike Costa is the main reason why Web-Warriors is such a treat. He has taken a concept that could have gone wrong in so many ways and found the perfect balance of humor, action and outlandishness that makes Web-Warriors work. Unlike “Spider-Verse”, where the idea of a multiverse of Spider-Men started to drag and resulted in the event becoming a slog to get through, Costa has found the perfect mix of characters to make the idea shine.

It would have been easy to allow Spider-Gwen, Marvel’s latest breakout character, to become the focus and turn Web-Warriors into a second title for her. But instead Costa makes her a part of the team, with each member given a key moment to shine. We see Spider-Girl forced to take over as leader when Billy Braddock goes down in battle and Spider-Man India figure out how to stop the Electros once and for all. It makes for a comic that really feels like a team book, not a Spider-Man book with a whole mess of guest stars.

On the art side, no matter how hard I looked, there is almost nothing negative I could say about David Baldeon’s work. He uses incredibly clear storytelling to move the plot from panel to panel while his distinctive style has cartoonish elements, perfect for a book like Web-Warriors.

What really makes Balderon’s art pop though are the colors by Jason Keith, which practically explode off the page. I’m not sure what he is using to color Web-Warriors, but this series has some of the most lush, eye-catching colors I’ve ever seen.

And on top of all that, it co-stars Peter Porker, the Spectacular Spider-Ham.

More superheroes and comics: International Iron Man #1 Review

The Bottom Line: Web Warriors #5 is another great issue of a great series. This is a book that takes the concept of Spider-Man and throws the rulebook out the window, making for a series that is unlike anything else. I cannot recommend this title enough, so make sure you check it out.

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