Written by: Dan Slott
Art by: Mark Bagley, John Dell, Andrew Hennessy
Colors by: Edgar Delgado
Letters by: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Cover art by: Mark Bagley, Edgar Delgado
Cover price: $3.99
Release date: April 5, 2023
Spider-Man #7 ends Shathra’s bid to wipe out or take over all Spiders across the multiverse with a battle to end all battles with every Spider you could possibly imagine and at least one new one for good measure.
Is It Good?
Dan Slott deserves an award. Never have I ever read a finale issue for an arc that contained such an anti-climactic finish AND possibly the worst new character introduction in Marvel history. Combining so many extremes in a single comic has to count for something, right?
When last we left ALL the Spiders, Silk was proclaimed to be the “for real, this time” Chosen One, and she sliced Morlun open with the Totem Dagger to release the Spider energy Morlun consumed throughout his life. Morlun’s disembowlment created a giant explosion that destroyed Shathra’s nest and undid all of Shathra’s waspy damage.
Now, the Spiders are all better, and the wasp infections expelled into the air. Unfortunately, all is not over as the wasps merge to form a Super-Shathra kaiju. Mayhem ensues.
However, the day isn’t saved by a combined force of Spiders or a hero making the ultimate sacrifice. Instead, the day is saved when the powerless Peter Parker shoots Shathra with a ray gun, defeating the giant with a single, tiny, visually uninspired shot.
As climactic as a finale should be, this finale is as anti-climactic as it gets. You get the impression Slott ran out of time or typing energy and decided to crank the script out with as little creative effort as possible. Making matters worse is quite possibly the worst introduction of a new Spider character imaginable – Spider-Boy. This latest Spider-Man derivative was recently announced, and he debuts here by simply appearing with a magic hand wave, declaring himself to have been fighting the good fight for thousands of missions with Spider-Man, even though nobody remembers him.
How’s the art? The art is surprisingly better in this issue than in the last few. It looks like adding a few inkers to Bagley’s pencils had a net positive effect. The lines look sharp, the figure work and backgrounds have a little more polish, and Delgado’s colors look great.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.
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Final Thoughts:
Spider-Man #7 ends the conflict against Shathra with a flaccid final battle and possibly the worst new character introduction in recent memory. On the plus side, the art looks markedly improved, even if the story is cheap and lazy.
Weird Science Marvel Comics 