Spider-Punk: Arms Race #1 review

Hobie Brown’s in his folk hero era in this new miniseries from previous Spider-Punk maestros Cody Ziglar and Justin Mason, which pits the titular hero and his Spectacular Spider-Band against all manner of villainy. In the wake of the defeat of President Norman Osborn, Spider-Punk and friends get to work rebuilding society with the help of T’Challa and Shuri, who make their Earth-138 debuts in this issue.

The book opens with a fantastic fight sequence that reintroduces our heroes and immediately reminds readers of why the last miniseries was such an eye-catching blast. The action is hilariously over the top, giving each hero a moment to shine and allowing for plenty of one-liners and fun character interactions. Unlike the super-teams of some other universes, you really get the feeling that these heroes bro down after a long day of wiping the floor with supervillains. Ziglar has a fantastic ear for dialogue and Mason’s character acting shows how close these characters have all become. In this world, hugs and high-fives are just as much in supply as punches, kicks, and somersaults.

And believe me, those punches and kicks are flying in this series. The fight choreography here is great, emphasizing teamwork and personality in equal measure. It’s always great to see our heroes combining their powers, but its also hilariously satisfying to see Daredevil smacking a bad guy around with a drumstick in the background. Morry Hollowell’s colors lend further texture to the gritty street-level combat and make the super-powered bits absolutely pop. Every panel of this book would fit right in as part of the liner notes artwork for Hobie’s EP (which I want to will into existence).

As it’s tasked with both catching readers up and setting wheels in motion for the next conflict, this return to Earth-138 is bursting with new characters and ideas. The result is that the issue occasionally feels slightly overstuffed. I briefly wondered if it might surprise first-time readers to have to get acquainted with all of these heroes and villains, not to mention the state of this world as the story begins. Thankfully, this creative team is up for the challenge. Everything presented here is of the highest quality of comic book fun.

This book elegantly builds on the messages of the previous volume in clever ways. It’s a real thrill to see Hobie embracing his responsibilities as a community leader, even if he still tries to play too cool for school. Meanwhile, the reveal of the secret cabal of crusty old dudes trying to make the world “the way it used to be” — regardless of how regressive that would actually be — feels very of-the-moment. Even with the supervillain trappings, this is a very recognizable type of evil, and I can’t wait to see Spidey and friends mosh their way to victory against it.

Basically, this book is bringing you everything you loved about the first volume, now with even more of a community-minded focus. The DIY spirit of punk rock is alive and well in this new miniseries, with Hobie already revealing new facets of his personality to us. As this first issue reminds us, heroes aren’t just for punching — but they look cool as hell when they are. This first issue has me so excited to see how the story will develop. The scene in Earth-138 continues to grow in exciting ways, and this is just the first leg of the tour!