Marvel Voices: Spider-Verse #1: Spider-Party

The previous anthologies in the Marvel’s Voices series all centered on stories featuring characters and creators from certain marginalized or underrepresented groups: Marvel’s Voices: Legacy spotlighting Black heroes and creators, Marvel’s Voices: Pride representing the LGBTQ+ community, and so on. Marvel’s Voices: Spider-Verse breaks from that pattern, instead showcasing various heroes from the Spider-Verse in stories by a diverse assortment of creators. The anthology features fan-favorite characters such as Miles Morales and Silk as well as two new Spider-Verse heroes making their debut. Overall, Marvel’s Voices: Spider-Verse is a solid collection of stories from traditionally underrepresented voices. 

Two of the eight stories in this collection center on Miles Morales, which feels justified given just how important a character Miles was and still is in terms of representation. “Birthday Bash,” by Vita Ayala, Alberto Alburquerque, and Rachelle Rosenberg, starts off the anthology on a heartwarming note. Miles finds the perfect birthday gift for his mother, but things go awry when he has to intervene in several disasters on his way home. Miles’ friends and family have always been a significant part of his story, and it’s lovely to see his relationship with his mother spotlighted here. The other Miles Morales story in the anthology, “Training Day” by Cody Ziglar, Jahnoy Lindsay, and Java Tartaglia, depicts Miles’ relationship with another strong female figure in his life: Misty Knight. Misty is Miles’ mentor in Miles Morales: Spider-Man, currently also written by Ziglar, and “Training Day” shows Misty not only training Miles to be a better fighter but also reminding him what he’s fighting for. Misty Knight was first introduced in the 1970s as one of Marvel’s first recurring Black female superheroes, and it’s touching to see her connect with Miles, who is from a younger generation and represents today’s youth. Both of these Miles Morales stories are a bit lighter on the action and more focused on Miles’ relationships and personal growth. They tell stories that his solo series doesn’t have room for, but which add depth to the character. 

Silk’s story, “An Unraveling Web” by Jeremy Holt, Eric Koda, and Erick Arciniega, is even more introspective. It follows Silk struggling with her mental health as she juggles her many responsibilities, both as the superhero Silk and in her personal life as Cindy Moon. What makes this story stand out is the way it’s told visually: it’s shown almost entirely from Cindy’s point of view. This heightens the reader’s identification with Cindy and incites a sense of disorientation that Cindy also feels. It’s an effective technique, and more so because the story is so short; with a longer story, it might have begun to feel forced and overplayed. But it works here, and it’s nice to have a story focused on Cindy’s struggles with mental health, as that has always been an important facet of her stories. 

Since Spider-Punk is set to appear in the upcoming Sony film Across the Spider-Verse, it makes sense that he would get a story in this anthology. “Music for Uplifting Gormandizers” by J. Holtham, Ken Lashley, and Ceci de la Cruz depicts Spider-Punk and his friends competing in a Battle of the Bands against some sinister opponents (pun intended). Lashley’s art and de la Cruz’s colors evoke the recent Spider-Punk miniseries, making this feel like a true Spider-Punk story. The conflict in this story is a bit silly and contrived, a contrast to past Spider-Punk stories which dealt with real issues of policing and racism, albeit in heightened, sci-fi ways. Still, it’s satisfying to see Spider-Punk lecture his foes on the true purpose of punk rock before rocking out with his friends. 

Ever since Web-Weaver’s debut, fans have been eager to see more of this gay Spider-Man, and his tale in this anthology does not disappoint. “Fire with Fire,” by Steve Foxe, Luciano Vecchio, and Ruth Redmond features Cooper Cohn spending a summer day on Fire Island, where his friend Kyle Jinadu is having a birthday soiree. Cooper just wants to hang out with his pals, but when he’s kidnapped by Kraven the Hunter, he ends up needing to don his Web-Weaver costume and swing all over the island to foil the traps Kraven has set up. Kraven is a woman in this universe, and Vecchio’s design for her is truly stunning. This story is suffused with pride in the LGBTQ+ community, showing the queer visitors and inhabitants of Fire Island partying and having a good time but also banding together and defending themselves when an outsider attacks their community. It takes care to represent not only cisgender queer characters, but also trans characters, as Cooper’s friend Fitz is shown with top surgery scars. It’s a standout story that will hopefully inspire Marvel to publish more stories centered on Web-Weaver. 

Two new characters are introduced in this anthology: Recluse and Spider-Friend. “Recluse Endangerment” by Cheryl Lynn Eaton, Julian Shaw, and Andrew Dalhouse introduces Zion Reilly, also known as Recluse. She’s an African American and Caribbean American hero from a New York City somewhere in the multiverse, and her backstory involves a corrupt corporation, unethical experimentation, and advanced technology used for evil ends. Recluse’s irreverent personality really shines in this brief story, and her unique design helps her stand out from other Spider-Verse heroes. It’s unfortunate that the story has to pause midway for exposition purposes, because she and the world she inhabits are both so fascinating and it would have been nice to see more of how she resists her hyper-capitalistic society. Still, the character and setup are compelling enough that it seems certain that Recluse will show up again someday. 

New character Peter Park, also known as Spider-Friend, debuts in “Workin’ It Out” by Jason Loo. Peter lives in a sitcom-based world, in which his friends Anthony Stark and Harry Osborn are the stars while he’s the token Asian friend in his otherwise all-white friend group. Peter fights crime as Spider-Friend, but since he keeps these activities secret from his friends, his adventures as Spider-Friend only ever occur offscreen. Peter feels neglected by his friends, who are rich and self-absorbed and don’t notice how Peter is struggling financially or emotionally. He risks his life for them as Spider-Friend, but they only ever treat him like the joke side character, which, of course, he is. Loo not only critiques the racism of white-dominant ’90s and ’00s sitcoms, but uses it as a jumping off point to explore how a token minority character in that situation might feel, and the complex life they might be living just offscreen. It’s a clever, emotional story with a truly unique twist on the character of Peter Parker. 

Marvel Voices: Spider-Verse closes with a brief story showing Spider-Gwen finding musical inspiration while beating up bad guys. It’s a nice reminder of her passion for drumming, and a fun note to close on. The anthology also features creator interviews scattered throughout, which help shed light on some of the stories presented in this issue and explore the impact of the Spider-Verse characters featured in these stories. Overall, this is an excellent anthology that explores plenty of fun and interesting concepts with Spider-Verse characters both new and established.