What Big Robots You Have! — Reviewing ‘Spider-Punk: Arms Race’ #3

What’s got eight limbs and ready to get a punk beat down by the musical arachnid hero and his pals? Well, that would be one Otto Oktavius, otherwise known as Doctor Octopus.

At least, that was how the heroes were hoping it would go in Spider-Punk: Arms Race #3. The bitter scientist has his own score to follow as Cody Ziglar, Justin Mason, Morry Hollowell, Rico Renzi, and Travis Lanham bring the sides together.

Hot punky damn, do I love this book and creative team.

I know, I started the previous review with a similar sentiment, but that’s just how much I love this book. Punk rock versions of young Marvel heroes doing their thing against Otto, smashing & being smashed by his robots, and we’re about to get a freaking mech battle! Yes, it’s about to be a big giant robot rock ‘em sock ‘em blow-out final issue.

Don’t mind that sound, it’s just me squealing in joy.

Honestly, I’ll read anything that Ziglar writes. This guy just knows the Marvel universe, and really just how to pull the best out of any character or premise. On paper this is a solid idea but there are so many ways that with execution it might not land. Never a worry with Ziglar leading the way.

Plenty of quippy zingers, solid character beats, deep meaningful logical world building, and plenty of just good superhero cape sentiment. All of it is built around very relatable real-world issues or situations, without having to really hammer home that these issues are in play.

Powerful dense rough but also emotionally smooth artwork is what Mason delivers time and time again. Any action scenes spread across the page like the smoothest river, until it reaches a point where it’s a rapid violent waterfall situation. Everything is paneled and paced in a way that keeps the viewer close to the action. Plenty of dark heavy shadows move through it all, bringing more of that aforementioned dense weighty feeling.

It pairs perfectly with Hollowell and Renzi’s colors, bringing in those darker tones alongside the flashy vibrant ones. Going this route lets the fun elements really hit, allowing this world to feel almost surrealistic in some senses, while also very grounded.

Just as much fun and heavy are the things that Lanham is doing with the letters. Continuing the work to throw in red into some bits of dialogue here or there, such a stark in-your-face powerful punch. Right alongside it is the SFX that are just as loud and striking as anything else that one finds on the page. Most importantly, Lanham just has a great sense of how to make the words flow on the page while exuding all the right levels of energy, emotions, and personality.

We better be getting more of this series after the upcoming concluding issue. There is so much more rich material, character beats, and warped versions of heroes & villains to throw into the mix. I could read one of these minis (preferably and ongoing) every year.

Spider-Punk: Arms Race #3 is now available from Marvel Comics.