REVIEW: ‘Uncanny Spider-Man,’ Issue #1

Uncanny Spider-Man #1 is published by Marvel, written by Si Spurrier, with art by Lee Garbett, colors by Jordie Bellaire, and letters by Joe Caramagna. This issue is part of the Fall of X timeline. The Uncanny Spider-Man is actually Nightcrawler, in hiding within New York City.

It’s a simple, sneaky, and super idea, opening the door for a much more complex and varied story. It opens with a typical Spider-Man chase, as fast-moving criminals are hunted down and thwarted by a lithe, rapid Spider-Man. Even with those efforts to remain hidden, Kurt is finding himself having to be on high alert due to all of the anti-mutant technology and weaponry within the city. As the comic gets deeper it also gets darker.

Spurrier brilliantly fuses the world of Spider-Man and X-Men, with the villains a combination of both. There are scientific experiments that are shocking. Everything that Kurt tries to do to help someone leads to complications or circumstances related to him, but there are also numerous surprises that are entirely unexpected. His powers naturally cause a faster pace, although it does slow down drastically in the midway part of the comic. There are so many different groups and individuals beginning to circle Kurt that time has to be taken to build the suspense around them.

Uncanny Spider-Man #1 is intriguing as using the moniker of Spider-Man brings with it a certain expectation of personality for Kurt to try and replicate. He has always been swashbuckling and good-natured, but not a quipper like Spider-Man is. He practises and gets to sit down with the actual Spider-Man and have a discussion. It is here where you can sense how troubled Nightcrawler is. He’s drowning in grief and guilt. Even Spider-Man, who has been friends with Kurt for a while, seems to recognise and struggle to know how to help him.

It becomes clear that the initial discussion about using the name and the costume happened before the series began, allowing the excitement to come before the exposition. All of the characters have phenomenal voices to fit the tone of the situation. They can be nefarious or hilarious. Because whilst there are some dark moments, there are many more that made me smile.

The art is phenomenal, with a terrific design for the character. It’s a really ingenious look. At a quick glance, it’s Miles Morales, but actually, there are many more differences than first impressions. Notably the pointy ears and the tail, but there are additional details within that are fantastic. What also creates a suggestion that the person under the suit is Miles within the opening chases is how lithe and small the general shape is. Nightcrawler’s powers are a natural fit with the costume, emerging out of his puffs of smoke. He is perhaps the only one who could mimic the movement of Spider-Man as well. There are some upgrades to some classic characters as the issue gets deeper, as the combining forces cause alterations.

The colors are generally shady, but there is regularly one light source within the panel that casts shadows on everything else. Often orange, that light can radiate from a fireplace or computer screen, For most of the issue, it is peculiar to see Nightcrawler and not recognise him due to the blue skin being completely hidden. However, the purple of his teleporting will always give him away. The lettering is effortless to read, and the SFX contains the trademark ‘BAMF!,’ which is iconic for the character.

Uncanny Spider-Man #1 is a wonderful piece of deception. It merges two of the most popular corners of the Marvel universe just by putting Nightcrawler in a costume and pretending he’s a web-slinger, and the concept is amazing. Even the characters within the book know it’s a mad, fruitless idea and the attempted camouflage is hilarious. Those visual attempts to present the teleporter as Spider-Man whilst still telling a largely Mutant-based story are brilliant and lead to so much comedy gold within the issue itself. Just that is enough to draw anyone in, even before the really investing sub-plots are introduced to give the new Spidey something to face.

Uncanny Spider-Man #1 is available where comics are sold