Dark Web #1 Review: Christmas is a Nightmare in Marvel's Winter Event

By Chase Magnett

Superhero publishers often find themselves chasing their hits with schedules clogged by year round events and so many series creating sequels for stories dated by their decade, so it's easy for readers to grow cynical. Dark Web #1 introduces an event that offers itself as a sequel to the beloved X-Men crossover of the 1980s: "Inferno." It features the return of the Goblin Queen with the force of Limbo in tow to terrorize New York City in an event set to run through many series, miniseries, and one-shots with bookends (Dark Web: Dusk #1, this issue, being the beginning). The most notable change this time is that Peter Parker's clone Ben Reilly joins Jean Grey's clone in the role of antagonist – making the sequel a Spider-Man crossover, as well. Yet from the midst of much continuity and nostalgia emerges a story that thrills readers entirely of its own accord in a brilliant introduction to a sincerely promising event.

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(Photo: Marvel Comics)

Dark Web models itself after "Inferno" in that it presents multiple threads that weave together to deliver the larger story. That includes a set of three key antagonists (the two clones and Reilly's girlfriend Hallow's Eve) and the entire island of Manhattan transforming into a literal, rather than metaphorical, tier of Hell. Readers are welcome to follow whichever plots and heroes most interest them before they converge in the conclusion. It's a structure that is tried and true with other notable examples including Seven Soldiers of Victory and "Spider-Island." That structure proves incredibly inviting in this first chapter with each significant perspective amongst both heroes and villains, as well as the conflicts to come clearly defined. Whether or not readers are caught up on the related X-Men or Spider-Man comics, it's easy to imagine jumping into the action later this month. 

These ties are easy to make because the event itself is steeped in years of character work across various titles, including writer Zeb Wells' consistently outstanding contributions in both The Amazing Spider-Man and Hellions. There are threads of many ongoing series from across Marvel Comics' publishing line, which makes the event feel natural in its introduction for anyone with a passing knowledge of current continuity. The stakes feel large because the characters involved have been building to this moment for years in their story and our own.

Nobody would think to call Adam Kubert's incredible skill as a draftsman a surprise, but his versatility throughout the pages of Dark Web #1 proves to be the story's secret weapon. In the introductory sequence he shifts from a claustrophobic nightmare of encroaching panels to grandiose splashes of camp-infused supervillains in Limbo; they are radically different approaches and depictions of similar elements that Kubert shifts between with seeming ease. Each new sequence of Dark Web provides a distinct approach that makes following the many threads and influences of the story a thrill. Kubert's depictions of Limbo's monsters every key moments of action provide readers plenty to recall, as Kubert seems drawn to the challenge of following up "Inferno"'s iconic imagery. Frank Martin's colors are perfectly suited to the densely paneled pages in providing readers plenty of excitement in a technicolor nightmare before Christmas.

2022 is the year that proved Marvel Comics to be the dominant publisher of quality superhero events. In the wake of the masterful Judgment Day, it provides a crossover modeled upon one of its all-time best and delivers a first issue that suggests it is fully capable of setting the bar for a modern "Inferno." With years of thrilling character work climaxing in a hellish vision of Christmas on Manhattan and many of the best creators at Marvel Comics involved in what's still to come, Dark Web #1 promises readers the gift of another spectacular crossover this holiday season.

Published by Marvel Comics

On December 7, 2022

Written by Zeb Wells

Art by Adam Kubert

Colors by Frank Martin

Letters by Joe Caramagna

Cover by Adam Kubert and Alejandro Sánchez

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