Spider-Man: City At War #1 Retreads PS4 Game, But There’s Hope For Something More

After delivering an incredible story in an equally incredible video game, it’s only logical for Spider-Man to make the jump into comics. Wait, what do you mean he already has a comic book? In any case, Spider-Man: City at War, the comic based on the game based on the comic, aims to start a whole new universe. It all starts here.

If you’ve played the Playstation 4 game, Spider-Man: City at War #1 will feel very familiar. It’s basically an abbreviated retelling of some of the first few chapters of the main storyline, including Wilson Fisk’s arrest, Otto Octavius’ first try at his experimental arms, and a fight with the Shocker.
This struck me as a bit odd because it’s unclear as to who this comic is for. People that have played the game will be bored by it because they’ve already seen all of this and those that haven’t might be a little confused by how quickly it moves through these major story elements. Obviously, the game has a lot more room to tell this tale. Here, hours of gameplay are condensed into twenty or so pages.

It seems Marvel recognized this as editor Mark Basso has a letter in the back of this issue, pointing out that the comic will expand upon the story, digging into some supporting characters and plotlines. We have to get through the basics to set the groundwork for the new stuff. I can respect that. I kind of wish this letter appeared in the beginning as it helped change my perspective on the comic. I was pretty sour on it at first.
So, how does Spider-Man: City at War shape up? Well, as mentioned, it is an abbreviated storyline. Writer Dennis “Hopeless” Hallum takes for granted that you know the basics of Spider-Man and some of his supporting characters. We’re not digging into the origin story here. We’re hitting the ground running with an already established character. Peter Parker has been web-slinging for eight years here. This is great for fans interested in the game, but not so great for someone just starting out.

Artist Michele Bandini matches the look and feel of the game, including the new costume and the redesign for the Shocker. These look just as cool on the page as they did on the PS4. I was a big fan of these designs so I’m happy to see them again. One element that really stands out is the sadness of Otto Octavius. If you’re a Spider-Man fan, you know what’s going to eventually happen to the guy, which makes his story all the more tragic. Here we see him before he becomes a super villain, full of hope and always coming up short. Bandini captures this perfectly.
There’s a definite sense of foreboding when it comes to Otto. Because you know where his destiny lies, there’s a dark cloud hanging over him. Colorist David Curiel practically makes this a literal cloud as the scenes with Otto are darker and just a bit grim. Granted, part of this is because he can’t really pay his bills, so his limited in what lights he can use.

Letterer Travis Lanham could have just used the same kind of caption boxes that show up in normal Spider-Man comics. Instead, he used something a little different, with boxes outlined in double red lines. It almost conveys the feeling of a video game in that fashion. Adding to this are the pop-ups that show the text messages Peter receives throughout the issue.
As mentioned above, if you’ve played the Spider-Man PS4 game, there’s nothing new for you in this debut issue of Spider-Man: City at War. Now that the foundation has been laid, I have hope that we’ll get some new elements mixed in throughout subsequent issues as the Gamerverse begins to develop. With the success of the game, it can open the door to tons of new readers. I just hope that they’re not scared off by a retreading of what they’ve already seen.
Spider-Man: City at War #1 from Marvel Comics is currently available at your local comic shop and digitally through ComiXology and Amazon Kindle.