ADVANCED REVIEW: ‘Spider-Punk,’ Issue #1

Spider-Punk #1 is written by Cody Ziglar, illustrated by Justin Mason, colored by Jim Charalampidis, and lettered by VC’s Travis Lanham. It’s published by Marvel Comics. On Earth-138, Hobie Brown, better known as the Anarchic Spider-Man or “Spider-Punk,” led a revolution against the corrupt U.S. President Norman Osborn, eventually smashing Osborn’s head in with his trademark guitar. Now Hobie and his fellow revolutionaries face a new threat in the form of Kraven and the Hunters, who have been given technology by a mysterious figurehead in order to kill the Spider-Punk once and for all.

Spider-Punk has become one of the most popular alternate Spider-Men ever created, appearing in the original Spider-Verse storyline and its sequel Spider-Geddon. A large part of this is due to his costume and aesthetics. The jean vest and spike-studded mask are immensely cool, as well as the fact that his secret identity is Hobie Brown (who was the original Prowler and is currently the Hornet on Earth-616). Ziglar, who’s previously written alternate versions of Spider-Man, starts his first full comic book series with this issue and is clearly having a blast. Spider-Punk remains the hard-hitting, anti-fascist web-slinger that fans know and love; the best moment comes when he kicks Kraven in the face and shouts “Nazi punks can f*** off!” which is a sentiment that many readers will empathize with.

Mason gets the chance to further flesh out the settings of Earth-138, giving many beloved Marvel characters a punk update. Spider-Punk is joined in the fight against Kraven and his Hunters by his friend Karl Morgenthau, aka Captain Anarchy, and Riri Williams/Ironheart. Captain Anarchy sports a homemade Captain America suit complete with a large “A” etched on his shield and Riri’s Ironheart armor has spiked shoulder pads along with a golden heart made of lightning bolts etched onto her chest plate. And Kraven bears all the marks of a Neo-Nazi, from his (terrible) mohawk to the skull tattooed on his head.

The real standouts of the issue have to be Charalampidis and Lanham. Charalampidis’s colors create scenery that is loud and in your face; in other words, it’s perfect for a character that’s based on punk rock. Bright yellow backgrounds are used to signify the day, dark pink highlights are used for Riri’s lab in the self-proclaimed “Spider-Base”, and dark blue backgrounds signal the coming of night. Lanham opts to bold certain words in red, giving off a loud and angry vibe that yet again fits with the punk rock aesthetic. And that’s not even to mention the slanted, more jagged design of the letters themselves. 

Spider-Punk #1 serves as the perfect intro to a fan-favorite character from the Spider-Verse, as its creative team has a clear love for Hobie Brown and the world he inhabits. Future issues will no doubt continue to expand the world of Earth-138 and present new challenges for the Spider-Punk, but fighting evil and shredding on his guitar is what he was born to do.

Spider-Punk #1 will be available wherever comics are sold on April 6, 2022.