Something About Hope: Reviewing ‘Uncanny Spider-Man’ #5

Mutantkind has fallen, and the old Vulture is circling, dead set on feasting upon the most devilish of X-Men. New York’s newest Spider-themed hero is at the mercy of one of the original’s oldest enemies, or so it seems.

A whole messy affair ends with Uncanny Spider-Man from Simon Spurrier, Lee Garbett, Simone Buonfantino, Matt Milla, and Joe Caramagna.

Where to even begin here? There are highs and then there are lows, both in this issue and just overall with this miniseries. Hell, with the Fall Of X event as a whole. While clearly people planned and worked this stuff out, there is no way the X-Office can convince me this whole thing was not rushed into execution.

Spurrier makes a fun move to pay off the last issue’s cliffhanger, a great switcheroo, then promptly brings a sigh once the characters open their mouths. From many of Kurt’s mannerisms and comments to Mystique claiming that Kurt likes Sable for her shapely behind and how she reminds him of his mother (what the hell!!!), there’s just so much of what is wrong with Spurrier’s time with the character. There’s also the fact that the whole separate one-shot X-Men Blue: Origins (a whole other mess) is integral to this series despite not being really marketed that way. This final issue barely works without one having read that issue, especially since it borrows panels and moments wholesale.

This is a concept that feels like so much more could have been done with it, if there had been time to breathe and less of the worst parts of Nightcrawler we’ve gotten the past few years. Oh, and there of course was the predictable reveal of the little white Bamf that Kurt has been seeing, as pet character Legion was there all along. A big old shrug was what I just did both when reading that moment and now.

Just like quite a few other Fall Of X things, nothing is really fully resolved or earned by the time the issue closes. Sure, there are still the big era-ending minis to go, but so far it feels like most of these books could have been combined or just one-shots that set pieces up for those final minis. A whole lot of wheel spinning is going on.

Speaking to the crunched nature of these minis is the artistic deadlines that clearly were tight. Once again there is an artistic change, but this time rather than a full fill-in there is a second artist to help out Garbett with some pages. There is a sharp difference between their work, as Garbett and Buonfantino have unique styles, yet it’s close enough to not be a wide jump.

There’s plenty of solid movement and paneling to be found, with a good sense of depth and weight. Some of the details slip a bit in the very confined fight scenes (backgrounds become colors, faces are distanced phased out, etc.) but not in any way that harms the page goals. Both artists have that bold big styling that fits superhero worlds, pairing the right amounts of realism and whimsy.

The same can be said for the color choices that Milla employs, displaying both a grounded toned-down sense but also a vivid fantastical air. A softer use of shadows and darker tones helps create good depth without stripping away too much of the brighter nature of the story and art. This is a darker tale but one that is also pulling away from that side of the spectrum with the overall narrative and hopeful inner struggle that Nightcrawler ends up winning out by the story’s end.

So many gorgeous pages, but the most stand out one still in my mind is the final page of a cold wintery gorgeous New York City shot. With Nightcrawler and Silver Sable perched atop what I assume to be the Chrysler Building, darkness radiating away in the sky fleeing the big bright hopeful sun rising in the background. Light banishing away the darkness, pretty on the nose, but gorgeous.

Plenty to be said by characters here, and Caramagna balances it perfectly as always. A nice mix of bubble colors and font choices mix things up while giving characters unique voices. Powerful emotions are clear as day, character personalities dripping from every word. Love a good bubble with words bursting out in a way that changes the bubble, or the choices made to place things in the great sentence case. Allowing words to naturally take on a more neutral tone so that any shifts in the size or case instantly make yelling, whispering, or other tonal changes crystal clear.

Uncanny Spider-Man #5 is now available from Marvel Comics.