Earth-803, a world of steam, is where readers find the majority of our webslingers when Web Warriors #4 opens. Written by Mike Costa, drawn by David Baldeon, inked by Walden Wong, lettered by Joe Caramagna, and colored by a quartet of hue-masters, this issue opens up a bit quieter than the previous three in this series.
That all changes, however, as the Earth-803 squad (with Lady Spider alongside) chase down the Black Cat of the steampunk world. The webheads here include Noir, Corazon, Spider-Ham, Spider-UK, and Spider-Man India. And their reason for chasing down Black Cat? Might be simply to give readers a taste of the steampunk Cat as drawn by Baldeon, or it could be because the crew is trying to reconnect with their lost teammate – Spider-Gwen. Either way, Baldeon commands the moment, adding subtle little differences while maintaining the spirit of the mainstream Black Cat.
Trapped on Earth-982, Spider-Gwen is working through the Electro problem with Spider-Ben. Costa writes this pair as a comfortable set of familiar friends, and Ben answers the call to action to swing alongside Gwen, underscoring the subtle theme of responsibility set throughout this issue (and, to this point, the series). Lady Spider answers the same call and Pavitir Prabhakar dedicates time to solving the problems at hand, despite the handicap of limited mechanical technology. Costa gives each cast member a chance to shine, with Spider-Ham garnering a pair of special scenes in this issue. Those work well into the story, and they also afford Baldeon the opportunity to convince readers that cartoon pigs can, in fact, exist alongside and interact with human characters.
Steampunk Black Cat. A plate of cookies and tea set. A webbed-up Electro with contusions on his face. An actual octopus Doctor Octopus. Rooftops and chimney smoke. Whimsical circular panels to shake up the rhythm of the story. All of these and more (like animated facial expressions – through masks! – and super-limber body language) spill out from Baldeon’s pencil onto the page. Baldeon is really settling into a groove with Web Warriors #4. I’m sure that’s at least partially attributable to having one inker throughout the issue, as Walden Wong proves to be worthy of the task from cover to cover.
The coloring is surprisingly consistent and dynamically solid, with Jason Keith, Matt Yackey, Wil Quintana, and Antonio Fabela all chipping in. There are enough scene shifts and changes throughout Web Warriors #4 that the quartet most likely had handoff points built into the story. Baldeon provides ample options for the colorists to test their mettle and even experiment a bit, and the end results are a wonderfully bold collection of webslinging characters taking on some Octaviuses and Electros. In other words, Web Warriors #4 is a visual treat.
This series is, without a doubt, my favorite of the Spider-line right now. That’s not to say any of the other titles don’t measure up, they’re just different than this one. Web Warriors #4 is part superhero adventure, part sci-fi quest, part retro-Silver Agey goodness, and part classic Marvel world-building. Costa inserts heart through the characters and Baldeon locks in the heart, but also provides plenty of soul and energy through his panel work. This is the most impenetrable issue of the series to date, but even so, it is completely approachable. Costa and crew waste no panel on flashback, instead just forging ahead and placing faith in the reader to join them and enjoy the ride.
Web Warriors #4 continues to celebrate the diversity of the Spider-Verse concept, but it has a fun time doing so, all the while maintaining a commitment to the responsibility inherent in any webslinger, regardless of their universe of origin. With the finale of the first arc on tap, Web Warriors appears to be finding a nice groove to settle in to as readers enjoy the ride.
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