One of Spider-Man’s greatest tales is being told again. The only difference is that our hero made a significant change.
In the 1980s, Marvel released the Secret Wars storyline. In that story, our heroes took on the Beyonder. Despite this event, it was not the biggest moment to occur. With his suit damaged, Peter Parker was given a solution by Reed Richards to fix it. This is where the iconic black suit was born.
Peter would begin to use the suit more and more. However, it would slowly take over his mind and even his personal life. He would ditch the suit and it would find its way to Eddie Brock; birthing Venom. Having said that, what if Peter never got rid of the suit? What if he kept it and was still using it? This is part one of four for the Spider’s Shadow storyline.
Peter is running, being tortured by the death of his loved ones. Yet, by this point Gwen Stacy is dead. All this was a nightmare and Peter knows that they are getting worse. Aunt May has been avoiding him and his involvement with Black Cat and MJ is not the same. With all this stress, Peter suits up and webs through the city.
He then confronts two muggers attacking an elderly woman. He makes quick work with the pair. Spider-Man even jokes around with the old lady, who thanks him for saving her. Peter goes back home to sleep and is once again having a nightmare. He accidentally strikes Mary Jane who comes goes to his place while waking him up. After apologizing, MJ understands, and the two talk.
Peter had told her pretty recently that he was Spider-Man. This is what originally drifted the two apart. She even tells Peter that she is getting worried. MJ senses that her friend is getting darker. We then cut to Spider-Man swing through the city again. He is making his way to Reed Richards’s lab to examine the suit. While complimenting the suit, Peter almost falls from the sky because of the webbing. It was briefly disabled.
Also, he notices that Hobgoblin is on the loose. The Webhead has a back and forth with the villain. Even though there is mass destruction, Spider-Man is able to defeat Hobgoblin. He then unmasks the goblin and we find out it is Roderick Kingsley. Spider-Man continues beating on him and threatens him.
After swing away, Spider-Man meets up with Black Cat. The two briefly make out, but Peter also expresses guilt. He feels that he went too far on Kingsley. Yet, Felicia likes Peter being aggressive. He then tells her that he will go see Reed soon.
The next day, Reed is interrupted by Peter swing in. Peter tells Reed about the changes that he is going through. That he feels more powerful with the suit. While Reed runs tests Peter sleeps in a capsule. The Human Torch even notices the Peter is different too. As Peter rests, he is once more caught up in a nightmare.
Peter is seeing his aunt falling to her death. He recuses her and uses the symbiote to ensure her safety. Reed wakes up Peter to give him lab results. Reed found that the suit is a sentient being and should be left behind. However, Peter disagrees with Reed’s thinking. He even storms out and is in the city again. Peter walks over to Aunt May’s house, but the pair are not alone.
As the two talk, May apologizes for leaving Peter behind. Peter even admits to issues and tells her that she loves her. He also expressed making changes in his life. The pair have their moment ripped from them by Hobgoblin’s explosion. As the two fight outside, Aunt May’s place is still in the fire. Peter continues to lay the smackdown on him. He then suddenly remembers his aunt. He tries to rescue her, but the suit will not let him. The symbiote’s weakness to fire is present here.
Another explosion occurs, with Peter looking on in sadness. An injured Hobgoblin tries to escape. He is then stopped again by Spider-Man. Hobgoblin blames the Webslinger for what happened. As he does this, Spider-Man slowly turns into Venom. He thinks about May, MJ, and Felicia as he does the unthinkable. Peter kills the villain and fleas.
I loved the idea for the story! I am pretty sure everyone wondered what happened if this had occurred. We are getting the answers that have needed for a while. The next three issues should be interesting to read. Chip Zdarsky’s contributions are a reason for that. I thought his work on Life Story was awesome! His work here was the same thing. It is like an even darker version of the third Spider-Man film from 2007.
As for the art, Pasqual Ferry and Matt Hollingsworth working together is a beautiful thing! From Peter’s nightmares to him turning into Venom, I was fully invested. The art is really good and told fits the story being told. I also like the fire’s incorporation. They are present in both his sleep and waking life. His nightmares come true. They also turn him into one as well.
For more film, gaming, anime, and tv news, trailers, and updates make sure to keep it locked right here at The Nerdy Basement. And while you’re here, please consider supporting us on Patreon. It’s an easy way of supporting us so we can keep proving you with your Nerdy News!