Marvel Mangaverse: Spider-Man

(Marvel, 2002)
™ and © Marvel Characters, Inc.

This Marvel Mangaverse “event” may just be the silliest stunt since “Atlantis Attacks” (What’s next, Marvel Euroverse with Spider-Man done in the style of Tintin?), but these sort of things can produce good stories — enter this comic book as Exhibit A. Besides just being a good Spider-Man story (and there have been a lot of them lately), this one comes closest to approximating America manga. It’s got clear, cinematic storytelling, attractive characters, and loads of rooftop-hopping ninja action spilling out of huge panels — basically, it’s a “Marvelvision” comic book that doesn’t need to be flipped on its side.

He may be on the shrimpy side (he’s this close to being super-deformed), but this Spider-Man has plenty of heart and is a definite improvement over the genuine, mopey manga Spider-Man by Ryoichi Ikegami Marvel started publishing in 1997. The art, the story, the unique coloring: all come together to produce a solid story. Even an appearance by manga Venom (Didn’t we all agree: no more Venom, ever?) can’t ruin this one.

— S.A. Bennett

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Notes

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Artist

#1

March, 2002
Cover Price: $2.25
4 copies available from $39.99

Kaare Andrews