A Spider-Man Podcast

Web Warriors #2 – REVIEW

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I could make a joke and say that Web Warriors #2 is electric or that this comic, written by Mike Costa with art by David Baldeon and inkers Livesay and Scott Hanna, is shocking. But I won’t. Yes, it is those things, but, honestly, True Believers, I want to avoid the easy puns.

WEBWAR2015002007-col-d9339The second chapter of “Electroverse” pulls back the curtain and reveals the secret origin of the multitude of Max Dillons (and variations thereof, including one, perhaps, from 8311, Spider-Ham’s home dimension) through the eyes of one Electro in particular. The Electro of Earth-499 (which is on the moon) has hatched the plot to build an army of Electros, but has found himself shunted by his own underlings. Costa makes the story much richer than that synopses, spreading the origin out into six pages filled with organic narrative from a character that believes he has been wronged and makes a desperate plea to the readers to see his side.

Costa focuses on the task at hand – – advancing the plot – – instead of stewing on the “who’s” and “from where’s” in Web Warriors #2. All six of the Web Warriors (who actually join battle under that title) appear in this issue, but the focus is clearly on developing the threat and shaping the team in their threat response. There are some quaint character moments along the way, like Gwen proving to the readers that she’s a savvy young lady quite capable of taking care of herself and Spider-Ham reveling in the notion that the six Spider-beings can be called into action under a snappy team name.

Livesay and Hanna have inking styles that are just a thread away from one another which casts a visual ripple over Baldeon’s art from the first half to the latter half of Web Warriors #2. The characters are still animated and energetic throughout the comic, and Baldeon’s style shines through, but the shift asks the reader to make a bit of an adjustment, while Hanna’s work is smoother and on par with his work from the previous issue. Baldeon is well-matched for this title, and makes a case for that statement with every panel, but especially in the more visually fun panels where he uses a circular, faux spotlight frame to focus on the humor of the situation, especially from the spotlighted character’s point of view. Baldeon uses a nice range of wide and tight shots, as well as creative camera angles that magnify the intensity of the scenes as the artist sees fit.

WEBWAR2015002010-col-3a4c8Jason Keith’s colors adds life, grit, and texture to Web Warriors #2, giving the characters a lush, deep world to inhabit while also popping the characters themselves off the page. The colorist makes good use of the vast palette prescribed by the characters in this issue, giving every character a chance to shine a bit. Letterer Joe Caramagna brings serious word balloons and understated snarky quips, rallying battle cries and staticky electric dialog. Every style fits this dimension-hopping adventure and Caramagna delivers, bringing energy to the visual representation of the words that matches the vitality Baldeon uses to charge up his visuals.

Web Warriors #2 is every bit as fun as the first issue of this series. While the concept is essentially Marvel’s Exiles through a Spider-Man filter (or web), Costa and company gives readers more than enough proof that the concept powering this series has enough energy (I just can’t stop the puns!) to keep things interesting, especially if Costa can find the hooks for future antagonists to make similar pleas.

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