The Amazing Spider-Man #9 (Comic Review)

The Amazing Spider-Man #9 (Spider-Verse Part 1)
Writer: Dan Slott
Art: Olivier Coipel, Guiseppe Camuncoli 
Price: $4.99 

Amazing Spider-Man #9 is the first installment in the 3 month biggest ever Spider-Man event known as Spider-Verse! The event promises to bring EVERY SINGLE SPIDER-MAN ever concocted by Marvel for the first time! Time and space really have no meaning in this book. Let's get EXCITED!....um....anybody? anyone?

What menace would cause this awesome assemblage of arachnids you ask? The Inheritors, that's what! They're a creepy dimension hopping family of powerful power mad energy sucking vampires whose favorite meal happens to be Spider-Men. One of the family, Morlun, has a particularly strong obsession with "our" Spider-Man, known as the Spider-Man of Earth-616. The Inheritors are hunting Spider-Men all across time and space, even Peter Porker, the Spectacular Spider-Ham! Somehow, our Earth-616 Spider-Man holds the key to saving his web slinging brethren and sisters, even though it's not exactly clear what the key is...something about the "Great Web" converging with him or some such.

I have to say, I don't really buy into Marvel or DC "Events" because they do them so much that they lose any sort of uniqueness. Events are kinda like Call of Duty in that they just do yearly installments without really worrying about the quality of the storylines or really changing any of the universe for very long or the better. It's just about selling books. The Spider-Man events have been particularly bad lately. Spider Island anyone? Doc Ock as Spider-Man?

I was a little shocked when I first opened the book because Slott and Coipel seem to be turned on by showing Peter Parker in his undies, partially nude, or with his buttcrack showing. And there's also Silk, whose presence causes a mutual horniness between her and Peter. What audience are they trying to appeal to exactly?



Even though there's all kinds of information saying that Dan Slott has been planning this event for years, the writing is hella sloppy, rushed, and of poor quality. When a host of Spider people show up on Earth-616 and tell our Spidey about the Inheritor threat he's like "oh, ok" and just completely accepts everything they say as truth without questioning it that much. He doesn't really react very realistically.

Because Slott is trying to cram in so many Spider people, you don't really form any connection to any of them. Sadly, even when some of them get killed, it feels like an old 80s slasher flick where primitive horny teens get slaughtered and you don't really feel very bad. Most of the Spiders in this first part are just glorified cameos.

There's also an "AR" mark on this book which is supposed to unlock "extra-special exclusive features" using the Marvel AR App but the only thing it unlocked was a short video featuring editor Nick Lowe plugging the Spider-Verse event.

I'll probably try reading a few more of the Spider-Verse event books, at least the November titles, before I decide on whether it's worth my time and money. At the moment my gut tells me it's worth neither. But then again, this is the first part, so Slott had to do a lot of exposition and cram Spiders in the book to show its scope and supposed epicness.

My Grade: B-