Spider-Man #10: 30 Days of Spider-Boy

Spider-Man #10 brings about the end of Dan Scott and Mark Bagley’s Maxed Out storyline and does so in fun, if somewhat anti-climatic manner. Overall the plot for this three-issue arc was never trying to be anything more than a light and entertaining Spidey story that would help introduce Marvel’s latest attempt at Poochey, Spider-Boy.

The issue picks up where the last left off, Peter and Electro battling it out in the streets of New York, only for Spider-Boy to appear and throw a wrench into the fight’s progression, Giving Peter a chance to handle his crippling new Spider-Sense abilities, we follow the two as they both manage to de-escalate the situations with cleverness and grace. It’s an action-heavy issue and is very well realized by artist Mark Bailey and his inking team. The only time the issue lulls or finds itself in the negative due to what could’ve been is when Spider-Boy takes over the story.

It’s hard to latch onto or engage with a story as a reader when it becomes clear that its purpose is to help endear readers to a new and out-of-place character instead of telling a character within the framework of a story. A lot of tension in this book is deflated upon Spider-Boy’s intervention. The sense of adrenaline and rush that could’ve come from the story’s initial setup becomes inconsequential, with Spider-Boy taking the weight off Peter’s shoulders to defeat Electro and Norman’s rush to get Peter a cure. Thus, the entire story arc is wholly inconsequential and wasteful in the grand scheme of things. No matter how sugary the writing is on the surface, this issue cannot satisfy on a deep or developmental level.

Regardless, overall the writing has some moments of flair, as mentioned previously. Regarding how well the issue hit on its intentions, it does a pretty fine job of making Bailey a likable character. His interactions with Peter are very well-done, if a little bare, and his special spider ability came out of the left field and desperately needs an explanation of its logistics. Still, overall works and helps to set Bailey apart from other spider-people. He has a set of fangs that utilize venom, tying Bailey closer to the genie physiology of arachnid creatures.