Spider-Man: Spider’s Shadow turns a classic Peter Parker tale into a delightfully terrifying What If? horror tale.
The first issue of Spider-Man: Spider’s Shadow is a tense, roller coaster of an issue that ratchets up the tension. From writer Chip Zdarksy, artist Pasqual Ferry, and colorist Matt Hollingsworth, Spider’s Shadow kicks off the latest iteration of Marvel’s alternate reality What If? franchise in a supremely promising fashion.
In Spider’s Shadow, Zdarsky and Ferry ask what would have happened had Peter Parker never shed his symbiotic black suit, the alien entity that would later bond with Eddie Brock to create Venom. In true What If? fashion, Spider’s Shadow pulls no punches, delivering a solid first issue in a miniseries that already looks poised to give Spider-Man one of the darkest storylines he’s received in quite some time.
What If? storylines are, as advertised, hypothetical. Barring any inter-dimensional intrusions, all of the characters and events within Spider’s Shadow are self-contained reimaginings of past events. As a result, What If? stories have always given creators free rein over their stories, unrestrained by possible repercussions of their plot lines. The best What If? titles take this opportunity in stride, as Zdarsky does here, delivering a plot that wreaks beautiful havoc on readers’ expectations and turning a familiar tale into something shocking and unpredictable. While twists and turns will always be the highlights of What If? issues, this introductory issue Zdarsky delivers a wonderfully nuanced script that harkens back to the Peter Parker of the ’80s while seeding the subterranean anxiety of a well-paced horror movie underneath the familiar setting. While the next few issues are sure to be explosive, the subtlety of Spider’s Shadow #1 lays an excellent foundation for whatever might come next.
Spider-Man’s famous black suit has enjoyed a complex history since its official adoption in 1984. However, there’s no denying the suits sleek and menacing design is visually stunning. Pasqual Ferry draws the symbiote suit expertly, with minimal interior lines that only increase its intimidating void-like quality. Particularly with a story such as this, conveying a frightening design of the suit is crucial, and Ferry and the art team jumps that hurdle with ease.
As with the script, Ferry’s artwork also shines in quieter moments as well, and Peter’s interactions with various characters throughout the book each had their own organic look and feel. The rooftop scene with Black Cat was a particular triumph for the symbiotic suit, although the context of the story gives the moment a menacing quality. Matt Hollingsworth’s colors on this issue are vivid and masterfully track the progress of the story. The tones that color Peter’s nightmares slowly making their way into his life as he folds to the pressure of the symbiote tracks the direction of the issue wonderfully. The union of Ferry’s art and Hollingsworth’s colors makes this a delightfully terrifying Spider-Man tale on visuals alone.
Spider’s Shadow strikes just the right insidious undertone for the first issue of a horror book. Translating such a beloved, well-known character from hero to antagonist takes deliberate thought and consideration so as not to come off as forced, but Zdarsky manages to make Peter’s transition feel organic in the impressively brief span of only 31 pages. Peter finds himself going through a tough time at the top of the issue, and his descent onto a darker path balances our sympathy for the hero we know and love with the fear of what Spider-Man could be capable of if ever pushed over the edge.
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