Spider-Man: Life Story #6 // Review
In terms of the adventures of Spider-Man, two things really define the current decade: the advent of Miles Morales and the story of the Superior Spider-Man. It’s no surprise, then, that the perpetually depressing Spider-Man: Life Story combines those two elements for its elegiac final issue.
Spider-Man: Life Story is, of course, a take on Spider-Man in a world where Peter and everyone around him age accordingly, rather than in the sliding time scale of the regular Marvel Universe. This issue, taking place in a version of the modern-day where the world has been taken over by Victor Von Doom, follows an aged Peter Parker and his young protege Miles. As they attempt to commandeer a Stark satellite as part of the anti-Doom resistance, they are surprised on the satellite by Kraven the Hunter wearing the Venom symbiote. It soon becomes clear that Miles has had his body taken over by Peter’s perpetual enemy, Otto Octavius. Peter and Otto then undergo a mental battle for Miles’ soul, and then Peter makes the ultimate sacrifice for the world.
Grim stuff. As this whole series has been.
Chip Zdarsky is an excellent writer. His runs on Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man and Howard the Duck were thrilling, heartfelt, and hysterical, his current run on Daredevil is getting critical acclaim, and the first issue of his Image comic White Trees was spectacular. Why, then, has he drained all of the joy out of Spider-Man with this dour series? All six issues have focused on the misery that Peter Parker brings upon himself and others, and it has been frankly unpleasant to read.
Mark Bagley’s pencils (with inks by Andrew Hennessy) continue to shine. Bagley is one of the greatest and most iconic Spider-Man artists ever, and his work on this issue demonstrates why. He knows Spidey and his supporting cast like the back of his hand, and it shows. Colorist Frank D’Armata has leaned heavily on sepia tones for much of the series. So it’s nice to see him abandon that, for all but the opening and closing sequences of this final issue. This is a very talky book, and VC’s Travis Lanham does his best to keep the lettering from covering too much of the art.
On paper, Spider-Man: Life Story was an exciting venture. The creative team is top-notch, and the idea lent itself to so many exciting possibilities. It’s a shame that Zdarsky and Bagley and the rest decided to wallow in the misery instead.
