REVIEW: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

 

I will attempt to keep this review fairly spoiler-lite, as while I'm eager to gush about all the wonderful things in this film, it's also one where much of the fun comes in spotting and experiencing things for the first time. If you haven't seen it yet, and you're not certain whether you'll bother to go, I say: go see it. If you're in any way a Spider-Man fan, you will love this movie. Somehow, Phil Lord and his team have managed to make a sequel that is superior to the original, which was already the best Spider-Man movie of all time.

Lord is the only one on the lead team who's come back for this one, again acting as chief writer. He's joined by his film-making parter Christopher Miller, who was credited as one of the many producers last time, and Ant-Man and Zombieland scripter Dave Callaham. There's a completely new se of directors, with Joaquim dos Santos and Kemp Powers making their directorial debuts after much animation experience, and jined by Justin Thompson. That seems like a risk, when the first film came together so perfectly, but this large team, supported by biggest animation armies in western cinema history, has created a stunning sequel.

The first film could only do so much, with so many characters and universes coming together, so certain elements went underused. This film corrects some of that. Hailee Steinfeld's Gwen Stacy gets as much focus as Shameik Moore's Miles Morales, and their hints of romance are expanded and explored this time round. It's a paradox that raising the female lead to equal status and giving her a full story of her own sits comfortably with making her a love interest, as so often female characters get to be lover or hero, and rarely both. 

This strong character focus also benefits Miles's parents, Jeff and Rio (Brian Tyree Henry and Luna Lauren Velez) and new player Miguel O'Hara, the Spider-Man of 2099 (Oscar Isaac), although Peter B. Parker, Miles's mentor from the first film (voiced by Jake Johnson) gets less focus than in the first. Still, he's clearly living his best life, having made up with MJ, now balancing his Spider-duties with fatherhood (I especially loved these bits, having had the tricky business of balancing filmgoing with looking after a wriggly nine-month-old. Thank you, Suz, for taking this one and letting me see the whole film!)

CAUTION - YOU ARE HEADING INTO THE SPOILER-VERSE

After the first film expanded to include six main Spideys, plus a couple of cameos, the only way to go was to make this bigger and better. The original Spider-Verse comic event (and its increasingly overblown and unnecessary follow-ups) made the most of their limitless scope by including just about every Spidey you could think of, and inventing several more. Across the Spider-Verse follows this lead and goes absolutely nuts. Some are major characters, such as the beloved Pavitr Prabakhar (Karan Soni) aka Spider-Man India, and Hobie Brown, here a British version of the Spider-Punk (an exceptional vocal performance by Daniel Kaluuya, whose retro-anarchist insights are frequent highlights of the film). Others have less screentime but remain important, particularly Spider-Byte (Amandla Stenberg), whose virtual reality abilties are significant and I suspect will play a larger part in the third film.

Beyond that, there are dozens of cameos, both visual and vocal, which I am certain I have barely even begun to uncover. This is a film that will benefit from freeze-framing at home in the future. The uber-angsty Scarlet Spider (Andy Samberg!) is probably the funniest, while I was very pleased to hear Josh Keaton, returning as the beloved hero of the Spectacular Spider-Man series. Once the Miles is brought to the Spider-Society, the floodgates really do open. There are good guides out there to all the many, many cameos and Easter eggs in the film, but it's more fun to try spotting them yourself. Then you have the live-action sequences as well, just enough to bring everything together (albeit the Sony-owned films)

Into the Spider-Verse was a visual extravaganza, and Across surpasses it. This is quite simply the most brilliantly and beautifully animated film I've ever seen. Not only does each of the main universe have its own style of artwork and animation, it's raised to a level of complexity and originality way beyond what we've seen before. Spider-Punk's style might be the most striking, a constantly changing array of design schools heavily influenced by scrappy, underground artwork. The use of colour in this film is just stunning, not only for how visually rich and engaging it makes the film, but how it tells the story. Gwen's world is infused with stripes in the trans colours, heavily suggesting a deeper meaning to her story and her father's acceptance (although I missed the blatant trans flag badge on Captain Stacy's jacket). When Miles shifts to Earth-42, purple and green suddenly become prominent, notably in his own clothes, hinting at the eventual surprise (albeit very well signposted) ending.

The decision to use the Spot as the main villain is inspired. As well as being one of the most visually arresting villains in Spider-Man's rogues gallery, his ability to create holes into another dimension is clearly only a step away from reality jumping. Jason Schwartzman is great in the role, perfectly handling the comedy and tragedy of the character. The fact that the Spot is normally such a lightweight villain makes this work perfectly, with even the heroes dismissing him until it's too late. Plus, it's revealed that his existence is very much Miles's fault (albeit unwittingly), as is the threat to Pavitr's reality and the Multiverse altogether.

For all the incredible visuals and fan-pleasing elements, the reason Across the Spider-Verse works so well is that the writers recognise that none of this matters without a strong story. Indeed, story is a fundamental theme of the script, with Miles, Gwen, Miguel et al being made painfully aware of their status as characters in a larger narrative, one which has predestined their fates and can't be fought with. From Gwen's reluctance to become involved with Miles because she knows what happens to Gwens in Spider-Man stories, to Peter B's acceptance of Uncle Ben's death as essential for his and other Spiders' lives as heroes, acceptin or fighting against ones pre-written fate is the core of the story. 

The concept of Canon Events is basically identical to the fixed points in time from Doctor Who... which eventually showed that these points aren't so fixed at all, even if changing them can have catastrophic consequences. That era of the show also gave us the beautiful line, "We're all stories in the end. Just make yours a good one." Miles vows to do exactly that, fighting against the ending fate has written him, while wrestling with the revelation that this wasn't supposed to be his story in the first place. He fights to do what's right, to protect the people he loves, in spite of the entire Multiverse standing against him. It's a brilliant way of keeping his story focused and personal while the overarching plot is beyond the cosmic, something that's key to it still working as a Spider-Man story. 

From the very beginning, though, the filmmakers realised that all this was too big to fit into one film, so, even at almost two-and-a-half hours, Across the Spider-Verse is only halfway through its story. Ending on a pitch perfect cliffhanger, it leaves the upcoming Beyond the Spider-Verse in a daunting position. Surely they can't outdo themselves again?

Thoughts and observations

• The nods to the MCU were fun, even though rights presumably prevented them from using any actual material. Particularly nice was the inclusion of Miles's best friend Ganke, poking fun at the nature of his MCU equivalent Ned.
• Donald Glover - the original template for Miles and his voice on Ultimate Spider-Man: Web Warriors - returns as the MCU version of Aaron Davis, following his appearance in Spider-Man: Homecoming.
• As well as the comic event Spider-Verse and the earlier Spider-Men series, these films owe a debt to USWW, which first gave us alternative Spider-worlds with their own signature animation and art styles.
• Spot's exploration of alternative Earths is fun, but his arrival in the "Sony Spider-Man Universe" - you know, the one with no actual Spider-Man in it - is a bit pointless, seeming to exist purely to remind viewers that Sony is still releasing those films for some reason.
• Preston Mutanga's Lego-verse sequence is a highlight. Hats off to the filmmakers for reaching out to him and offering him the chance to be involved.
• Every version of J. Jonah Jameson is voiced by J. K. Simmons, and frankly I'm not sure anyone else can play him ever again.
• The papery, Rennaissance version of the Vulture is a brillaint addition, even if he does get rather forgotten about as the story gets going.
• Characters I want to see more of in the final film: Spider-Byte, Issa Rae's  version of Jessica Drew/Spider-Woman, and the horsebound hero the Web-Slinger.
• Characters to bring into it: Hobie Brown as the original Prowler, just to complicate matters.

November Comics Round-Up (2)

Spider-Gwen #2 (Marvel) I'm enjoying the glimpses at parallel universe versions of favourite characters, particularly the backstory sketched in for the female Captain America who faces up against Gwen before becoming a tenuous ally. However, there's only so long this idea can hold the attention for, and this series is starting to feel like it's on autopilot. I'll probably drop this and come back to it later to see if anything new is happening.

Web Warriors #1 (Marvel) The ongoing adventures of multiple Spideys, continuing the fun begun in the Spider-Verse event. There's still some fun to be had with the concept, particularly the use of the 60s cartoon universe as a safe training ground for the Warriors (with appropriate nods to the notorious Spidey memes). It follows on from the Ultimate Spider-Man series' take on Spider-Verse by having multiple versions of the same villain - in this case, Electro. Fun, but I feel like this idea might soon have run its course.

All-New, All-Different Avengers #1 (Marvel) I like the racial politics in this, especially since people are actually making a big deal of the ethnic layout of a fictional team of superheroes in the real world. The romance building up between Ms. Marvel and Nova is pretty cute. Overall, though, this isn't especially grabbing me, which is a shame. Between the New, All-New All-Different and Uncanny, there's probably material for a really decent Avengers team and title.

Ultimates #1 (Marvel) The final "Avengers" group, taking on the mantle of the Ultimate universe team, but doing it completely differently (i.e. not shit). The new Ultimates are the great problem-solving team of the universe, facing cosmic weirdness and analysing it to find solutions. Sure, there's ass-kicking - Ms. America is on the team, after all - but this team focuses on solving issues, not destroying them. Their first case: meet Galactus, solve his hunger. It's an ingenious set-up, and on the strength of the first issue, worth carrying on with. Also notable is the colour of the main cast - Captain Marvel is the only white face so far in a team that includes Spectrum, the Blue Marvel, the Black Panther and Ms. America. Plus, a moment to actually ponder the philosophical repurcussions of Marvel's great multiversal reset. Very good indeed.

The Wicked + The Divine #16 (Image) This issue is the weakest in a long time. It's purely an origin story for the Morrigan, and a pretty cliched, uninteresting one at that. I don't think we really need to see each of the gods get their moment of ascension. I enjoyed the, ah, ketchupomancy though.

Ms. Marvel #1 (Marvel) I'm not sure why I ever dropped this. Money, probably. Anyway, this is just a great as it ever was, although now Kamala is part of the Avengers. It works better here, seeing the effects of this on her life, than it does actually in All New, All Different. There's a fine balance between her superheroics and her personal life, adorable artwork, and the phrase "giant weaponized amphibian." I am somewhat baffled as to why Marvel and her fellow New Jersey citizens remember the world sort-of ending while characters in other titles don't. Or do they? I can't follow everything.

Spider-Woman #1 (Marvel) Giving a female hero a pregnancy sounds, on the one hand, like the most stereotypical bad idea ever, but on the other... well, what's the point in having female-driven comics if you can't use them to explore the stories and issues women face? And, in practice, this, the story of Jessica Drew beginning her maternity leave before settling into life as a single mother, is really very good. Particularly as she's been training up the Porcupine to take over the crime-fighting duties while she's off. Jessica's fiercely independent nature makes her an interesting choice for this unexpected development, with everyone running around trying to help out and take care of her. This comic works. The bets bit is Spider-Man's Spidey-sense going off because Iron Man is about to ask who the father is.

The Mighty Thor #1 (Marvel) Spider-Woman isn't the only hero facing life-changing issues. Giving a character a life-threatening illness can be a cheap shot, but this is handled well. The pain of going through chemotherapy is a real one for many people, and I've seen enough of this in real life to call this comic out if it felt cheap. This is written with respect. While Jane Foster can never benefit from her therapy since each transformation into Thor burns the poisons from her system, the cancer remains, killing her. This is set against a sci-fi/fantasy backdrop of corporate greed and cosmic warfare, with some spectacular imagery. Classic Sandman fans could do worse than trying this.

Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #1 (Marvel) Just a lovely start to this new title. Jack Kirby's old characters, Devil Dinosaur and Moon Boy, are brought back, alongside the absolutely wonderful new kid, hyperintelligent ten-year-old Lunella Lafayette. She's the most adorable, likeable new character since Kamala Khan (and god, that's a team-up I'd love to see some day). Like Ms. Marvel, it's tied in with the Inhumans/Terrigen mist plotline, but Lunella is deliberately avoiding any chance of being exposed. It's a slow beginning but promises to be a wonderful tale for anyone who's ever felt unappreciated - i.e. everyone. And it has a big red T. rex in it.

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #1 (Marvel) Squirrel Girl in the Sixties. Also, Doctor Doom, her first adversary, returns to cause trouble. I wish I could do more to summarise this comic other than just gush about how joyfully daffy it is.

Saga #31 (Image) Saga returns, and it's a pretty good issue, both continuing from precisely where we left Hazel, her grandmother and abductors and catching up with them in captivity months later. While it's still not at the level that Saga used to play at, this is well told and has important things to say about prisoners of war, immigration control, xenophobia and transmisogyny.

Ghostbusters Annual 2015 (IDW) I haven't had a Ghostbusters annual since, what, 1993? What a joy. OK, so this isn't a kids' annual, but a bumper-sized comics issue, but still, this is good fun. The main strip, featuring the Sandman as the villain, works very nicely, tying into the overall storyline. Following that is a bunch of shorts by various artist/writer combos, some of which work well, others not so much. Overall, though, this is a hit.

June Comics mini-round-up

Well, I'm still picking up a few titles. My pull list is now down to just Saga and Wic+Div, but here's the last gasp of Marvel until September's massive reboot, when I will inevitably pick up a bunch of new titles to see where the Marvel universe stands.

SPOILERS within

The Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows #1

The one Secret Wars title I've bothered picking up, although some of the others, like Weirdsworld and A-Force look fun. Ultimately though, most of this stuff could probably run just as happily as part of Marvel's pre-existing multiverse, which now lies in tatters. Renew Your Vows takes the opportunity to reverse one of Marvel's most misguided story decisions, and puts Parker back where he'd be if he hadn't retconned away his marriage to MJ in a deal with the Devil.

It actually works brilliantly, with the Parkers - Peter, Mary Jane and young Annie - struggling to juggle the twin responsibilities of family and the greater good. When an elaborately over-the-top threat emerges that begins taking out heroes from throughout the Marvel universe, Spidey is forced to make difficult decisions regarding his lifestyle. With a supervillain prison breakout leading to Venom's return to his life, Spidey makes some tough choices. Dan Slott continues writing the main Spidey series, and seems revitalised after a somewhat lacklustre few months of placeholding. This shows that a married Spidey can really work, and hopefully some of this will carry over into the retooled Marvel universe.

Spider-Woman #8

Not Secret Wars related, presumably running behind the big events, this ties up Drew's current Secret Wars.
storyline regarding minor supervillains and their partners. It's fairly strong material, dealing with very real, potent issues of women's relationships with abusive men and the lengths people go to to escape bad situations. Remains good fun though, and Drew has some great interplay with Ben Urich. Thankfully, Spider-Woman looks set to remain part of the Marvel line-up post

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #6

Remains an item of pure joy in papery form. Ryan North and Erica Henderson show the makings of a classic writer-artist team. Eloise Narrington deserves a shout-out for her Deadpool Guide to Supervillains trading card art. Doreen Green's charmingly baffling world expands to include such notable characters as Chipmunk Hunk, Koi Boi and the misunderstood Hippo the Hippo, but Nancy is by far the standout character; the voice of reason in an absurd world. This had better survive the heave-ho, or I'll be unhappy.

Saga #28

Chapter 29 is out next week, and hopefully will get this comic back to where it needs to be. I hate to give a bad review for this title, because it delivers beautiful artwork and dialogue every month, but the plot has slowed down to a crawl now. I think that maybe this just isn't suited to the monthly approach, and I'm really thinking that, after the current run, dropping it from the list and waiting for the trade in future. Which would be a shame, but this works best as a novel, not a serial. That last page is gold, though.

The Wicked + The Divine #11

Seemingly, we're set for months of flashbacks and suspense raising following this, but damn, this was a stonking issue. The series dipped a bit in the middle while it set things up, but now it's really delivering, with some genuinely shocking developments this issue, a rapid series of gut punches that left me breathless. Inanna's (apparent) death isn't a huge surprise, but as for what happens to Laura... damn. This was well played - Gillen made it look like everything was in place for the endgame. We should have known better. The last few pages of this issue abruptly changed the rules we thought this universe ran by. Persephone had to spend six months a year in the underworld, right? Presumably, when we next meet our core characters, it will not be on this plane. We can only wonder which of the Pantheon were in on this set-up, and for how long, but Laura's role in events makes much more sense now. Stunning.

One Last Round-Up and a Moan

Haven't blogged much lately, due to being extremely busy, and even more exhausted, having recently started a new job which I am finding very difficult to adjust to. After long days with early starts I've mostly been coming home and just crashing out, and am behind on reading, watching, writing and everything. Now I seem to have been hit by some loathsome bug, and probably should not have gone out after work on Saturday to catch up with old friends and colleagues. I didn't last very long, by all accounts. Now I feel deathly and in dire need of some proper rest.

During these tough few weeks, there was, of course, the general election, the results of which are so utterly depressing that I'm feeling truly knocked back. There doesn't seem to be much to hope for over the next five years, or indeed for the future, in a country where the wealthy vote to protect their own interests, the young and poor are so worn down by continual attacks on their livelihood that they see little point in voting at all, and those in the middle vote out of fear of alternatives. Where we can go from here, with a government that has a vested interest in vetoing proportional representation, I don't know. I feel strongly for those demonised protesters in London, people who must feel that their vote means nothing and that there's no other way to be heard.

It was Free Comicbook Day two Saturdays ago, but I decided not to venture into town during the beginnings of the Brighton Fringe Festival and fight my way through crowds in order to queue up for a grab-bag. Mostly because I was utterly exhausted after seven days of work at two jobs. I'll probably download a batch once they are made available to do so, but for now I have a handful of issues from my pull list that were just released, a couple of freebies, some UK reprints and the odd extra. That's going to be it for now; I need to save some money and comics are becoming a major expense. Plus both the big publishers are in the midst of their over-the-top, multiversal crossover events, which I can't really be bothered with. So it seems like a good time to take a little break.

So here's the last comics round-up for a while, until the universes settle down. There are a number of projects I've started on, that hopefully I'll make some headway with once I'm settled in. I also really want to head back into fiction; I've let a couple of potential opportunities go lately, due to enormous busy weariness.

FCBD: Doctor Who (Titan)

A nice selection of mini-adventures for Doctors 10, 11 and 12. This is a fine way to do a free comic, giving a little hint of each series' style (no ninth Doctor, sadly, but his series has only just kicked off). The best is George Mann's twelfth Doctor story, "The Body Electric," which is Clara-focused but not syrupy or indulgent. "Give Free or Die," Eleven's story, parodies the concept of Free Comicbook Day, and is really quite funny, while Ten's story, "Laundro-Room of Doom," is amusing, if very slight. There's a sneak peak at what's to come with Paul Cornell's three Doctors event, but given that it's set for five weekly issues, I'll wait for the trade. Although I'm eager to see how Twelve interacts with Eleven.

FCBD: 2000 AD (Rebellion)

Will the Tories still be around in 2137? I can really believe they will. Mega-City One is ultra right wing, after all, even if it is a shithole. "In Through the Out Door" is the lead strip in this free magazine, Judge Dredd at his satirical best. By all accounts, 2000 AD do some of the best free publications out there, producing a bumper issue mixing new material with reprints. This gets by mostly on the appeal of nostalgia, with Dan Dare, Nemesis the Warlock and Dr. Sin all returning (the latter with a new strip). Even this is secondhand nostalgia for me, mostly having met these characters through old handmedown issues. Death Rock is drawn by Ben Willsher, who is an absolute favourite of mine, but the story of Ajax Bloodthirsty is pretty broad even for a parody. There's a cute retro short with 3000 AD, and Slaine rounds it off for those who like blood and muscles.

Essential X-Men #10-11 (Marvel/Panini)

This is what, a year behind the Marvel line? Eighteen months? In any case, it's good fun, a better way of approaching divergent timelines and alter-egos. This is the period after the original teenaged X-men have been brought to the present, an event which has had tumultous repercussions for the timeline. Now the future X-Men/Bortherhood have travelled back to the present, so there are three, or even four, versions of certain characters. It's actually very well done, and there's some intriguing character work, which is so well supported by the comics medium. You have the young, hopeful humanoid Beast, his hubristic, blue-furred current self, and his horned future self, who has lost all hope of mutant integration. Then there's the snowy teen Iceman, his more assured adult self, and his final, sage-like Ice Master form. It works very well, and sets this beyond the basic punch-up it is at the core. Also, evil future Professor X Jr. get his back broken, which is just hilarious.

The Amazing Spider-Man #18 (Marvel)

Perfectly serviceable Spidey from Slott and Gage. I'm actually really enjoying the professional Peter Parker, especially the idea of reformed, or reforming, villains being brought on staff. Having the Living Brain on hand is a lovely touch. There's a different dynamic at play that could be developed into something genuinely interesting. The Black Cat's descent is another source of potential. However, it's too little too late, since this is basically just a holding exercise to get the series from the Spider-Verse crossover to its end to make way for Secret Wars.

Spider-Woman #7, Spider-Gwen #4 (Marvel)

Both very enjoyable titles, but not ones I feel I'm going to be hurt by missing the odd issue. Might end up grabbing some further titles after the dust settles, but for now, this is a good spot to jump off. Spider-Woman is covering some of the same ground as TASM, dealing with villains from their point of view, not a bad follow-up to The Superior Foes series. Working with Ben Urich and often out of her depth, Jess Drew is more akin to the early Spidey than Parker is. Spider-Gwen remains the best retelling of the Spidey origin story I've seen, a genuinely modern take on the storyline rather than a rehash, allowing unique relationships with classic core characters such as May and Ben Parker, Frank Castle and Hobie Brown.

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #4-5 (Marvel)

I've only just realised that I've been missing a joke with Squirrel Girl. I've missed the point of some rhyming fun, because we don't say squirrel the same way in England. In America, Squirrel Girl rhymes. (I also just won her for my Marvel Puzzle Quest team, so it's not a total waste of a day). Issue four is simply one of the best comics I've read this year, Doreen facing Galactus in her inimitable style. Turns out he's not such a bad guy if you take the time to chat with him. Issue Five isn't as good, simply because after that there's no way to go but down after Squirrel Girl vs. Galactus on the Moon. It's still great fun though, a selection of daffy vignettes that are more fun than whole runs of other superhero titles.

The Wicked + The Divine #10 (Image)

A bit of filler, this one, really only there to bridge the major game change last month with the showdown that's due next. Essential, but inevitably a weak link when reading issue by issue, rather than in the trades. So I might drop this after the current run finishes and read it when the book arrives. Still utterly spellbinding in its design though, so it's never a waste of time.

The Multiversity #2 (DC)

Bought primarily out of a need for completeness, this is in fact the ninth release in the Multiversity crossover but the only one to continue from the original set-up. It's an OTT punch-up, the sort of thing that usually leaves me cold due to its excess of spectacle over story. Morrison manages to create a reasonably coherent event, though, with some fine moments, even if they are rather lost in all the heady spectacle. The infinite mass punch of a phalanx of Flashes, the cartoon physics of Captain Carrot, the Lovecraftian nightmares invading reality... all fantastic elements, but never given room to breathe. The whole is less than the sum of its parts; however, it is tied up in a satisfying manner.

Comics Round-Up (April 1)

Much Who. Some Marvel. Plus other bits. UPDATE: A couple more issues added on rather than start a whole other post.

Doctor Who: Eleventh Doctor #10 & Ninth Doctor #1 (Titan)

Doctor Who Magazine #485 (Panini)

Titan are now publishing four Doctor Who lines, one for each of Doctors Nine to Twelve; on top of that there's the UK reprint magazine, plus Panini's Doctor Who Magazine and the BBC's own Doctor Who Adventures. That's a lot of Doctor Who comics every month. DWM is celebrating the tenth anniversary of the modern series, so it's quite appropriate that Titan also mark the occasion with the debut of their Ninth Doctor series. "Weapons of Past Destruction" is by Cavan Scott and Blair Shedd, and is terribly good. Really, quite excellent, beyond the pleasure of seeing the Nine/Rose/Jack team back again after so long. Scott absolutely nails the ninth Doctor, and this story, dealing with the fallout of the Time War, is perfect for him. It's Nine's contradictory personality, that of the wounded veteran meeting the grinning northern thrillseeker. Shedd's artwork is just wonderful, perfectly recreating the actors but never becoming stilted or photo-realist. A very fine start to the run.

Out of the others, only the Eleventh Doctor series has interested me enough to carry on. Much of "The Other Doctor" is taken from elements tried and tested in the series proper - the female companion taking the role of the Doctor, the memory watch, the gigantic TARDIS, the power of stories - but is mixed together in a new and fascinating way. The Doctor has been corrupted, by his own good intentions, becoming a sort of corporate despot - an interesting inversion of what he eventually becomes at the end of this life. Far more convincing than any previous "evil Doctor" shenanigans.

DWM's "Blood and Ice" begins a new ongoing story, with the twelfth Doctor and Clara arriving in Antarctica. There's some interesting future history, as in, genuine extrapolation of historical fact to future consequences, and while this is very much setting the scene for the story, the final image is a doozy. It's a twist that's astonishing has taken this long to happen, and particularly that it's happened in the comics rather than on screen. A good month for Doctor Who comics.

The Amazing Spider-Man #17
Spider-Gwen #3 (Marvel)

Perfectly enjoyable installments in their respective series, but nothing spectacular. Dan Slott is perfectly good at writing Spider-Man, but perhaps it's for the best that there's a shake-up coming. Latour's Spider-Gwen is the better of the two, and I'm really loving Rodriguez's artwork, but this still isn't a stand-out issue; but then, they can't all be.

The Multiversity: Ultra Comics (DC)

The penultimate issue of Morrison's story, and the novelty is wearing out now. This is set on Earth Prime, roughly the real world, defending itself from the multiversal incursion by creating Ultra, a new version of the super hero Ultraa, created from the very stuff of comicbooks themselves. It's kind of fun to see Ultra face off against Ultraa and various other comic beings named Ultra-this and Ultra-that, but frankly the big problem with this comics is that it's nowhere near as clever as Morrison thinks it is. The time-looped narrative, the concept of a living meme - all interesting enough, but this is Morrison himself on the project: "It's the most advanced thing I've ever done. I'm so excited about this... It's a haunted comicbook, actually, it's the most frightening thing anyone will ever read. It's actually haunted - if you read this thing, you'll become possessed." Surely he doesn't actually believe that bollocks? It's also very hard to take the idea of a sentient comicbook seriously when there's an advert every three pages.

The Wicked + The Divine #9 (Image)

This looked like it was going to be a heavy exposition issue, the sort that mythologically complex stories need from time to time just to make sure that everyone's keeping up. Instead, it ends with a sucker punch reveal that I really, really should have seen coming but knocked me for six. The Pantheon is complete and I'm excited to see what happens next.

Spider-Woman #6 (Marvel)

Really loving this title now. Jessica Drew is a wonderfully bolshy, overconfident character, completely out of her depth running alone but determined to make it work. It's the sort of thing you usually expect from younger hero characters, and it's interesting to see a well-established character like Spider-Woman in a period of transition like this. Also, it's just generally a good fun story right now.

Saga #27 (Image)

An excellent issue. This is all character work, focusing on Marko and his conflicting ethics, his background, his romance with Alana and the difficult choices he has to make. however, unlike some issues, this kicks the narrative into a new direction. Both sets of characters - Marko/Prince Robot and Alana/Klara/The Brand - are now set on distinct paths that should, eventually, bring them back together. Explosively. I should wager.

March Comics Round-Up: Marvel

Just get a load of that tablecloth.

So, I might have gone a bit nuts at the comic shop, but I haven't been for almost a month and it I did get a massive great tip that paid for it all. I'm splitting these reviews into Marvel and non-Marvel. I'll be honest, I'm really not feeling it for the upcoming Secret Wars event. A big, DC-style reboot is not something I want for Marvel. We don't know how much, if anything, is being retained from the current storylines, and pretty much everything that happens right now is potentially irrelevant and going to be erased a few months down the line. The bulk of the current titles are being cancelled in the summer, which is a bit shite considering a lot of them only started a few months ago.

I notice that all the solo hero titles I'm picking up now, bar one, feature female lead characters. Whether this is significant I don't know, but it's gratifying that it's an option to have all female heroes right now.

The Amazing Spider-Man #16

Spider-Verse is finally done and dusted, and we're pushing on with Peter's company and his new initiative to rehabilitate supervillains. Socially responsible superheroing, you see. Having caught up with some of the preceding Superior Spider-Man storylines, I think Anna-Marie is the real hero here. She finds out that her boyfriend is not only Spider-Man, but actually Dr. Octopus inhabiting the body of Spider-Man, and that he is now dead, but she's still holding it together. Good to see Black Cat's storyline being focussed on again. Just a shame this is one of the titles getting cancelled - although of course there will be a Spidey title, Doc Ock and all no doubt - so I'll probably see this one through to the finish.

Spider-Woman #5

My first issue of Spider-Woman for a while, which I think suffered from starting in the middle of the Spider-Verse event. I like this though; witty script from Dennis Hopeless and really appealing art style by Javier Rodriguez. This concerns Jessica Drew quitting the Avengers and trying to go it alone as a regular street-level superhero, and not doing terribly well. It actually ties in quite nicely with ASM's themes, given that current and former costumed villains are being victimised, so there's potential for something interesting here. A good comic, altogether - and I love Jessica's new costume. Especially the gloves.

Spider-Gwen #2

The other Spider-Woman is going strong. I was confused for a moment, thinking this was the same artist using two styles, but this is Robbi Rodriguez, and it's quite something. Something all the Spider-related titles do well, when they're on form, is mixing snappy, funny dialogue with proper, human-level drama, and Spider-Gwen is the best of the bunch. (Although I admit I haven't read any Silk, Spider-Man and the X-Men or recent Ultimate Spider-Man for comparison, but there's a limit.) Also, Spider-Ham. Gwen and Peter Porker are the most improbably brilliant double-act. It also uses the parallel universe angle well by keeping us guessing to seemingly familiar characters' motives and allegiances. This is a perfect example of what Philip Sandifer is calling the "New Pop" comics movement, and it's tremendous fun.

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #3

As is North and Henderson's Squirrel Girl, which is something very close to comedy pop perfection. This is genuinely, laugh-out-loud funny, which is something that, in spite of the medium's name, very few comics are lately. I think the cover price is worth it just for Doreen's face here.This is clever, though, not only being very inventive with the unlikely squirrel-wrangling powers, but effortlessly sending up the superhero trope of constantly piling crisis on top of crisis until the stakes are so absurdly high it really doesn't mean anything anymore. I'm actually keen to see how Doreen does in Secret Wars. But first, Squirrel Girl vs. Galactus, on the Moon.

Ms. Marvel #13

Still going strong, and focusing very strongly on the Inhuman angel right now. With Marvel already pushing Uncanny Inhumans it's pretty clear they're trying to put them on a par with the X-Men. Not long ago, Kamala Khan would have been made a mutant, not an Inhuman, but the story is now being written with the movies and TV series in mind. Ms. Marvel provides another angle on it all, though, drawing parallels between villainous Inhuman fanatics and Islamic extremists. It's not hammered home (and again, it would have been mutants not long ago), and it's portrayed cleverly. "There's always that one group of people who think they have special permission to terrorize anybody who disagrees with them. And then everybody else who looks like them suffers." The most important series in comics right now, and if you don't get why, read this.

Secret Avengers #13

Picked this one up on a whim, sold by the wonderfully absurd cover image of MODOK asking for help with his special Secret Avengers headband. MODOK in the Avengers is weird enough, before the lunacy of the actual plot. This is clearly running behind the Spider titles, since Spider-Woman is still in the Avengers here, but whatever. Not a clue what's going on, but it's fun.

Thor #6


And to think, I almost dropped this after one mediocre issue. In issue six, Jason Aaron provides some truly excellent writing. It's mythic, in the way that Sandman and Lucifer used to be, and probably only The Wicked+The Divine is really managing each issue right now. Mythic in that real people living mundane lives find themselves coping with vast, cosmic events, where even the gods are portrayed as messed up little people. This is exactly what Secret Wars needs to be if it's not going to suck. With sales of the female-led Thor currently ahead of the previous classic version, I think we can safely say that the new Thor will survive the reboot even though her series is officially finishing. I just hope we find out who she is before the event.