Superior Spider-Man #1 Review: An Unnecessary and Unjustified Addendum

Many Spider-Man fans might tell you their favorite run featuring the character doesn’t even feature Peter Parker in the eponymous role but rather, Otto Octavius in Peter Parker’s body. Superior Spider-Man is a classic to many modern comic book readers, a story that radically changed the status quo for Marvel’s biggest ongoing series when it was released 10 years ago. Now Marvel’s trying to tap into that magic again with an all new series featuring legendary Spidey creators from the same era.

In the new Superior Spider-Man #1, you have writer Dan Slott back behind the keys, left to create a story that resummons the magic of the original series while keeping things in line with Marvel canon and Spider-Man lore in the current timeline. That means Slott and Humberto Ramos’ Spider-Boy is shoehorned into this story, often taking center stage although he didn’t even exist when the original series was released. On that front, the dynamic between Bailey Briggs and Parker clearly makes this issue feel like it’s meant to further the story of that duo instead of the one established in this fall’s Octavius-starring Superior Spider-Man Returns.

Then there’s artist Mark Bagley on the lines, an artist that was born to draw Spider-Man. Despite a hefty misfiring on the script for this issue, Bagley’s work shines through, placing you right into the story as if you’re right there with Parker as he swings through the high-rises of midtown Manhattan. The kinetic artwork from panel to panel gives readers a reprieve from the middling story that seemingly possesses no direction or purpose.

Superior Spider-Man #1 simply doesn’t move the needle any measurable amount. It refuses to inject new life into the concept, and so it simply exists. It doesn’t want to stand out, nor does it lay the groundwork for an interesting story ahead. Instead, Superior Spider-Man #1 feels like a story crafted out of the desire to sell to those looking for the long-since-misremembered thrills of nostalgia, only it doesn’t even manage that much. It just is, and that may be the biggest mistake it could have made.

Published by Marvel Comics

On November 15, 2023

Written by Dan Slott

Art by Mark Bagley and John Dell (“Mistaken Identity Crisis”) and Nathan Stockman (“Negative Reinforcement”)

Colors by Edgar Delgado

Letters by Joe Caramagna

Cover by Mark Bagley and Edgar Delgado