Posted October 2, 2013 by Nicolo Parungo in Comics

COMIC BOOK REVIEW: Marvel Knights – Spider-Man #1

Company: Marvel Comics
Writer: Matt Kindt
Artist: Marco Rudy
Color Artist: Val Staples

The Marvel Knights imprint launched in 1998 is often remembered fondly as one of the boldest eras in the history of Marvel comics. The imprint launched several acclaimed series’ like the lengthy, Eisner award winning Daredevil run of Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev along with Inhumans by Paul Jenkins and Jae Lee which also won said prestigious award, now the imprint has returned this time with Mind MGMT’s Matt Kindt and artist Marco Rudy’s take on everyone’s favourite, friendly neighbourhood wall crawler. Does Marvel Knights: Spider-Man live up to the legendary label?

The series stars Peter Parker sometime before his body was taken over by Doctor Octopus in what is surely an attempt to lure new readers, the comic is incredibly new reader friendly – Peter is even drawn like Andrew Garfield from the most recent movie – and one does not need to know who Electro or The Green Goblin is to enjoy this comic. Kindt does a very good job introducing any new comers to Spider-Man without banging them over the head about his tragic origin or with lengthy exposition, if one knows the basic tropes of the character – bitten by a radioactive spider, crime fighter, with great power comes great responsibility etc. – than they can easily enjoy Spidey sparring with 6 of the advertised 99 villains.

99 villains and a bitch…is all of them apparently…

Another thing Kindt accomplishes with finesse is unpredictability; the story – though cliché in theory, Spider-Man has had a history of fighting a group of opponents like the Sinister Six and The Enforcers – is hard to predict. Without heading into spoiler territory the story confuses right out of the gate in an intriguing manner. The writer truly challenges the reader with the plot, daring them to guess what could truly be happening before eventually slowing down and showing his cards by the end of the issue, with a satisfactory conclusion that demands the reader to reread the comic. The technique is handled flawlessly and shows Kindt’s strength as a writer.

(On a side note: Kindt has plenty of fun inserting himself in the plot, whether speaking through Spider-Man – You know….The life of a freelancer, freelance photographer, super hero, it’s all the same. You just have to take what they give you – or the possible mastermind behind the scheme – No, this isn’t my fun house I’m just a facilitator for a…client – he truly wants to challenge himself, the character and the audience which earns a lot of my respect.)

what a tangled (madam) web we weave…

The story wouldn’t be what it is without Marco Rudy’s EXTRAORDINARY art. Rudy’s art is almost never consistent throughout the book, which would be a flaw in most comics but is a strong point here as the lack of a consistent style matches the unpredictable nature of the story. It’s as if the art is frequently trying to keep up with the script’s pace and it looks wonderful, Kindt truly writes to his style and you can feel the chemistry these two collaborators. In fact the entire issue feels like an artistic showcase for Rudy; as if he looked at the drawings of Emma Rios, JH Williams III and David Mack and asked them: is that all you got? The lovely colors of Val Staples adds to the beauty as well, fitting with Rudy’s insanity like a glove.

Marvel Knights: Spider-Man is a resounding success. Truly living up to the legendary imprint’s legacy of creativity while offering a home for readers new and old alike.

10/10 – Kindt and Rudy breathe new life onto one of Marvel’s favorite sons.