Spider-Punk #2 Review

Written by: Cody Ziglar
Art by: Justin Mason
Colors by: Jim Charalampidis
Letters by: VC’s Travis Lanham
Cover art by: Takashi Okazaki, Rico Renzi
Cover price: $3.99
Release date: May 18, 2022

Spider-Punk #2 sets up a rematch with Kraven and introduces Earth-138’s Ta$kma$ter (no, the $ isn’t a typo) in a pitched battle for the property on which the Spider-Base stands. When all hope is lost, along comes Ms. Marvel to save the day.

Was It Good?

I’ll give Spider-Punk #2 this much. It isn’t as borderline offensive as the first issue. Underneath the horrendous dialog and slapstick art action, there are the makings of a decent Spider-Band adventure.

When last we left the Spider-Band, Ta$kma$ter charged in like the Kool-Aid Man to rescue Kraven and wipe out all stragglers. Within minutes, Ta&kma$ter has the gang on the ropes and prepares to wipe them all out. Suddenly, Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel arrives to give Ta$kma$ter and Kraven an embiggened beatdown, complete with a 4-finger ring that says “EMBIGGEN.”

The fight mechanics and choreography are somewhat ridiculous. The ease with which Ms. Marvel bests Ta$kma$ter and Kraven is more ridiculous. And the dialog is so cringy, that it’s painful. For a character called Spider-Punk, this is the least punk comic you’ll likely ever read. Insert steve Buscemi’s “Hello, fellow kids” meme here.

That said, you could make it past the cringe with some semblance of entertainment value if you choose to not look for any sense of continuity or dramatic dialog. However, the worst part of this story is a completely bizarre parting speech by Kraven where he completely gives away what’s so important about the Spider-Band’s land. Kraven’s secret is a critical element of the story, and he simply gives it away for no reason other than because he can. If the land is so valuable, it makes no sense for Kraven to loudly announce why it’s valuable and run away in a huff.

Once you put all the nonsense from the first 15 pages aside, the book picks up with discoveries, a mission, established stakes, and a path forward.

The art has a rough, cartoonish, underground style. It suits the theme of a punk universe, better than the writing, and in truth, modeling Ta$kma$ter’$ ma$k after the Mi$fit$ i$ a nice touch. Ye$, typing $ instead of ‘s’ i$ ju$t a$ annoying to read a$ it i$ to type.

Bits and Pieces

Spider-Punk #2 is a terrible comic, but it’s at least a better comic than issue #1. The action scenes are ridiculous, the big reveal surrounding the mystery of the Spider-Band’s land is given without any build-up, ceremony, or sense, and the dialog is painfully bad. Still, if issue #2 is better than issue #1, there’s hope for the series to trend upward.