Superheroes are known to amass a rogues gallery over the years, especially the more iconic ones. And none in the Marvel Universe have amassed a bigger or more memorable group of deadly foes than Spider-Man. They are almost all on display in this new Spidey event.
Nick Spencer’s run on “The Amazing Spider-Man” has all been leading to this. “Sinister War #1” is here and all of Spidey’s greatest enemies on the stage. And on top of that, There’s something even more sinister going on backstage. That classic Parker luck is at it again.
Peter Parker is used to be out of the spotlight. He’s usually either behind the mask of Spider-Man or in the shadow of his superstar girlfriend Mary Jane Watson. The latter is the case here as he walks the red carpet for the opening of her new movie, but of course things aren’t quite as they seem.
The Savage Six have plans to disrupt this big premiere and make a big mess of things to get back at Mysterio. The Sinister Six have plans of their own with Doctor Octopus having worked with Kindred behind the scenes for several issues now. When they all come together, things get a bit chaotic.
And to make things more ominous, there’s a greater power pulling the strings here. Doctor Strange tries to get answers from Mephisto regarding what he has taken from Peter Parker. The devil himself assures him he never took anything that wasn’t given to him. It’s clear the fate of Peter is still very much in Mephisto’s hands.
“Sinister War” feels very much like a classic Spidey story. In this modern run, we’ve seen all kinds of different things throw Parker’s way. From living with a super villain to the return of an old friend with new demonic powers, Spidey has dealt with all kinds of twists and turns. This however, feels like a return to form.
That is cemented by the classic look every character sports. From Doctor Octopus to Kraven the Hunter, each and every classic Spider-Man character looks exactly how you picture them in your head when you hear their name. While many of these characters have had many different, updated looks over the years, it’s nice to return to the originals.
This is a very action-packed story. A lot of context is delivered in the first few pages, providing plenty of information and making this a good jumping-on point for anyone who hasn’t been following along with “Amazing Spider-Man” lately. Beyond that though, there are a whole lot of explosions and energy blasts filling up these pages. Whether or not that’s something you enjoy is totally up to you.
Even if you’re not excited by that action, it’s the story behind the story that will get you hooked in this limited series. Something big is about to happen for Peter Parker and everyone around him. You can’t help but feel it coming. It feels as though we’re heading for a big change in the world of Spider-Man and theres going to be a lot of fun in the foreground until we get there.
You can check out “Sinister War #1” now. For more on this week’s comics, check out today’s episode of Marvel Time: