Spider-Man: Life Story #5 // Review
Spider-Man: Life Story seemed like such a promising idea when it was initially announced. Over six issues, the book would tell the story of Spider-Man. In a world where Peter Parker and the rest of the Marvel Universe age in real-time, with each issue taking place in a subsequent decade. Unfortunately, five chapters in, Spider-Man: Life Story continues to be one of the most irredeemably depressing comics on the stands right now.
And that isn’t surprising, as the fifth issue takes place in a particularly depressing period in our nation’s history--the 2000s, in the wake of 9/11, the Patriot Act, and the never-ending War on Terror. This issue combines 2006-2007 Civil War event with 2001’s “The Other” storyline. As Peter runs afoul of Tony Stark’s pro-superhero-registration forces while (poorly) managing the fallout of Morlun’s attack on his family.
Chip Zdarksy, who in other circumstances has written some fantastic Spider-Man comics, continues to strike out this issue. He makes the same mistake that the original Civil War comic did. Putting Tony Stark’s pro-regulation stance in line with the governmental overreach of the Bush Administration’s War on Terror. Muddying the waters of the political argument with an imperfect metaphor and diminishing what could be an interesting commentary on the unnecessary jingoism of the post-9/11 era (and making Tony Stark an irredeemable villain in the process). Worse, he fills the issue with clunky exposition and hackneyed dialogue.
Mark Bagley’s pencils are solid, as always, though his designs for Stark’s team of Iron Avengers are a little busy and generic. Bagley’s “old people” faces are much better this issue than in the previous issue, possibly because this issue is inked by John Dell. Colorist Frank D’Armata continues to give every page a sepia tone, a choice that gets increasingly inexplicable the closer the series gets to the present day. The lettering by VC’s Travis Lanham is fine.
Like every issue of this series, this issue begins and ends with yet another senseless tragedy. The mission statement of this title seems to be “everyone who Peter Parker loves must die horribly, for no reason.” The title has one issue left, set in the present day. Here’s hoping Zdarsky and Bagley don’t take the opportunity to ruin Miles Morales as well.
