Spider-Man Meets the Old West in Spider-Verse #4
Spider-Verse #4 continues throwing Miles Morales on his quest to save the Web of Life. So far, we’ve seen Miles jump from universe to universe, helping out the other Spidersonas out there in an attempt to find balance.
This time around? Miles Morales is about to find himself in the Wild West. And it’s going to be a bit of a bumpy ride. This issue also has a few other highlights worth talking about. For example, the writer of this issue is Taran Killam. That’s right. He’s making his Marvel debut here, and he had a bit of fun along the way.
Another fun fact about this series in general? They’ve been encouraging the fans to help out. Each and every issue of this series has concluded with a very special showcase. You see, they’ve been including fan-made Spidersona variants, and it is the most amazing thing ever.
Writing
This may be Taran Killam’s Marvel debut, but you wouldn’t necessarily know that just by looking at it. He picked up the tale of Miles Morales and threw him straight at the Webslinger (from a Wild West variant) with little to no hesitation. And it looks like he had a bit of fun in the process.
Spider-Verse #4 was a highly entertaining read, full of the quirks we’ve come to expect from our spider-oriented heroes. Webslinger (and his horse) had a chance to shine here. And it made for a lot of fun.
Honestly, there was a lot to enjoy about this issue. There’s the obvious, of course. Webslinger was fun to read about. But this issue also gave Miles a moment to show off his sass and heritage in interesting ways.
Out of all the issues so far, this story probably felt the most complete, from beginning to end. It could have easily stood up as a standalone, all while having a bit of fun in the process. However, I am still curious to see what the longer game will be regarding Miles’ plan here. There are only two issues left to resolve this plot arc, after all.
Art
The artists behind Spider-Verse #4 nailed that Wild West look, and they, too, had a bit of fun with it. Some scenes make their amusement very clear – but I won’t spoil those for you.
The variants on classic characters and scenery were all nicely done, with Webslinger, in particular, looking fantastic. His aesthetic is pretty cool. All credit goes to Juan Gedeon (artist), Brian Reber (colorist), and VC’s Joe Sabino) for their portrayal of him and his world.
The desert setting was an obvious but shockingly great choice this time around. It lent towards a unique color palette, and merging that with Miles’ look (specifically his darker suit) must have been difficult. But it certainly paid off.
Conclusion
Spider-Verse #4 was another fun adventure, with Miles doing his best to lend aid to all of the others just like him. He’s done a surprisingly good job adapting to each situation as it changes, even though he doesn’t appear to have any advanced warning for what he’s about to get into. That’s just proof that Miles is one adaptable kid.
Spider-Verse is the perfect series to pick up for any fans out there lamenting the long wait for the next movie in the series (or the next major event in the comics, for that matter). Any chance to see the other Spider characters sounds like a good time in my book.
This review was originally written for Word of the Nerd, but has been ported over to Quirky Cat’s Fat Stacks now that the site has shut down.
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