REVIEW: ‘Sinister War,’ Issue #2

Sinister War #2 is written by Nick Spencer & Ed Brisson; penciled by Mark Bagley with Dioegenes Neves, Carlos Gomez & Ze Carlos; inked by Andrew Hennessy, John Dell, Andy Owens, Gomez & Carlos; colored by Brian Reber, and lettered by VC’s Joe Caramagna. It is published by Marvel Comics. Following the end of the first issue, Spider-Man is fighting the Foreigner’s Wild Pack, the Beetle’s Sinister Syndicate, and the Superior Foes of Spider-Man. And it turns out that they were all given a tempting incentive by Kindred; whoever kills Spidey will gain power the likes of which they’ve never dreamed of while the others die.

With this issue, the series’ title finally comes into focus, and true to most Spidey stories it spells trouble for the wall-crawler. Before, I thought the “Sinister War” refers to the battle that Spidey would engage in with his villains. Now I know that it also refers to the villains battling each other for the right to kill Spidey. The creative team showcases how in over his head Spidey is; he’s got to face an army of criminals who are more than willing to kill each other for the right to kill him.

This is brought to life by the artistic team, who come up with new and inventive ways to show off the villains’ various powers. Bagley handles the bulk of the issue, which features Spidey battling the villains in a graveyard. And the action flows beautifully; one minute Taskmaster and Black Ant are beating Spidey to within an inch of his life, then the next they’re attacked by Shocker and Hydro-Man. Caramagna’s word balloons for Spidey also grow shorter and more misshapen as time goes on, showing the toll the fight is taking on him. The other artists handle brief sequences that showcase how Kindred drew the various villains into his cause; Neves handles the Wild Pack, Carlos the Superior Foes, and Gomez the Sinister Syndicate. The one thing linking these panels together is Kindred’s trademark centipedes, which emerge from the dark and envelop each group. Reber’s colors also serve as a contrast, with Bagley’s sequences having a darker hue than the other artists’.

 Spencer is joined by Brisson on writing duties. The duo previously worked on the “Chameleon Conspiracy” arc which preceded Sinister War. They fully display the danger Spidey is in. Despite his arachnid abilities and years of battles, sheer numbers eventually win out. It also doesn’t help that Kindred, who has sworn to make the web-slinger’s life a living hell, is driving all of these villains toward the same goal. However, the fun of reading Spider-Man stories is seeing how Spidey rises above the odds, and with the series now entering the halfway point, I’m curious to see how that happens.

 The one nitpick I have is that Doctor Octopus’s Sinister Six and Vulture’s Savage Six don’t really factor into the issue. It was their battle in Sinister War #1 that kicked off the story, alongside their shared goal of hunting down Mysterio. I’m expecting this thread to be picked up in future issues of Amazing Spider-Man or the remaining issues of Sinister War, but I feel like it would have really upped the stakes if they fought Spidey too.

 Sinister War #2 pits the web-slinger against a multitude of enemies, while finally unveiling the truth behind the miniseries’ title. Spider-Man truly is in for the fight of his life, and Spencer is looking to enlist all the help he can for this final storyline.

Sinister War #2 is available wherever comics are sold.