Bug Wars – The Spyder Wytch Special #1: The Tangled Webs They Weave

The war for the yard has concluded, and while “The Annhirazer” has returned to the world of the Stompers the life in the yard continues to move ever forward. As the world continues to turn, moments in the past, present, and future are beginning to take shape.

Bug Wars was something of a hidden gem in 2025. While most of the comic reading world was more focused on Jason Aaron’s stellar work on Absolute Superman along with Rafa Sandoval over at DC, he was quietly working on Bug Wars over at Image with Mahmud Asrar. Set in Aaron’s native Alabama, Bug Wars tells the story of Slade Slaymaker, a young boy with a fascination with bugs that learns of his connection to an ancient prophecy unfolding in his own front yard. What follows is an adrenaline-pumping story filled with plenty of sex, violence, and bug magic that makes for a ridiculous but still very entertaining read. 

This is a very beefy book, boasting three tales that take place in various different points in time. Original series scribe Jason pens the first and third stories, while series artist Mahmud Asrar writes the second. All three stories focus on members of the Spyder Wytch coven, a faction that seeks to use the prophecy of the Annhirazer to suit their own goals. The first two stories focus on Wysta The Wayward, the deuteragonist of the series, while the third is centered on the leader of the coven Xyreena. 

Firstly, “Lair of the Fire Spiders” takes place after the first arc as Wysta is sent on a mission by the coven to track down another exiled member calling herself “The Wydow”. What ensues is a battle that shows that Wysta has more in common with her foe than she thinks.

In “The Long Way Home”, Mahmud Asrar sets a tale set before the series as Wysta embarks on an ill-fated journey with a young Acolyte of the coven. While noticeably shorter than the stories it is sandwiched between, it does a gret job of adding further context to Wysta’s eventual falling out with the Wyrdweb.  

Finally, “The Webs of Fate” has Aaron returning to cap things off with a story of Xyreena and her forces attempting to kill Slade before the story begins. This culminates in a battle against Roach Knights (told you this book was ridiculous) where in Xyreena gets a glimpse of what happens in the first arc of the story, as well as beyond it.  

All three stories are good in their own right, it’s the ones done by Aaron that have the most staying power since they give hints to what is going to happen when the series returns later this year. There are also a few text pages styled as journal entries from Slade’s wayward father James AKA “The Jim.” 

With three different stories that means three different artists are on deck. Asrar reunites with Aaron for the final tale, David Messina handles pencils for the story written by Asrar, and while both do very good work, it’s Baldemar Rivas’ work on “Lair of the Fire Spiders” that proves to be the standout. The battle between Wysta and the widow are easily the best looking pages in the entire book complete with cinematic panel layouts and furious action that look straight out of a battle shonen anime. Matthew Wilson also does the colors for all three stories, and amazingly manages to highlight the strength of each artist to great effect.