Review by Frank Plowright

Spider-Woman has been around since the late 1970s, but from 2010 Marvel has really been pushing alternate world versions of Spider-Man through crossovers, with several spinning off into their own series. Miles Morales is the greatest success, but there’s also been Spider-Gwen, Silk, Spider-Man Noir, Spider-Punk and others. The first thought on seeing the Spider-Boy logo is to wonder how many trademarks Marvel feel they need to register with the prefix ‘Spider’ attached, and what’s next? Place your money now on Spider-Baby, Spider-Cis, or Spider-Trans.

The hook supplied by Dan Slott is that on an different Earth Spider-Boy was once Spider-Man’s sidekick and has been wiped from everyone’s memory before re-appearing again. He’s a young boy with spider-related powers, but unlike Spider-Man there’s been genetic tinkering and while Bailey Briggs can pass as human, his actual form is a humanoid spider. The person responsible for the genetic tinkering, Madame Monstrosity, can’t remember Spider-Boy either, but has been able to confirm he’s one of her creations and wants him back. He has a spider-sense like Peter Parker, but it warns him when others are in danger.

Slott’s supporting cast is Christina, who helps out at the homeless shelter where Bailey now lives, and he peppers the stories with Marvel guest stars. Spider-Man is a natural for the opening tale, followed by Squirrel Girl, Captain America, Thor and Miles Morales. Slott’s aiming at a younger audience than the regular Spider-Man comics, so the violence isn’t as threatening, and Spider-Boy’s dialogue in costume is a constant stream of puns and jokes. It’s intended to echo the Spider-Man banter, but whether deliberately or otherwise also brings to mind Robin of the 1960s Batman TV show.

Artists Paco Medina and Ty Templeton are both excellent, working on separate stories, with Slott channelling the material in different directions for each. While lighter hearted, the longer stories drawn by Medina are essentially standard superhero material brought to life by Medina’s polished professionalism and well considered layouts, while Templeton’s admirable cartooning is employed on the wackier tales. Both ensure whether in or out of costume Bailey’s drawn as a child, not a scaled down adult.

Keeping a pre-pubescent child realistic in superhero stories is quite the task, and commendably Slott doesn’t just treat Bailey as any other superhero. He ensures both in and out of costume Bailey only has the understanding of a ten year old child, and the emotional development of that age also. In the more joyful moments his lack of personal boundaries is funny, but Slott also uses them to generate tension, as is the case for the collection’s cliffhanger ending.

This is fun for younger readers, and for anyone who can access their inner child, but if your preference is for more angst-ridden or edgy superheroics, this isn’t for you.