The Silent Spider
The Good: Let me start with Miguel's costume. That thing is REALLY stylish. It's a great futuristic update to Peter Parker's own threads.
Miguel has different powers than Peter. That's a great way to go about things. His origins make it clear his powers are still spider based, but he has a totally different ability set, which means he has a completely different movement style in combat. I don't feel like I'm just retreading Spider-Man's steps with a futuristic sheen, this genuinely feels like a whole new unique thing.
On the world side, things are pretty standardly futuristic and dystopian. But it works very well, Things are blended together in a way not completely generic. We've got a city layout that reminds me of the cities in Samurai Jack, but a plot style more reminiscent of.... I cant think of a good example, but corporations seem to run things here. It explains why Spider-Man is on the run from the law.
I love the way this issue starts out. We KNOW we want to root for Spider-Man, he's freaking SPIDER-MAN! Perhaps Marvel's most recognized character. But in his debut, we're genuinely not sure how to feel about this character. He's not quipping, he's fighting the police, and he's not saying much at all really. Is it possible our 'hero' is in fact a villain!? 'Tis not so, but creating that moment of hesitation was a very effective beginning.
The art's a little outdated, but I quite like it. It's nice and sharp in some cool ways, and flows with Spider-Man's wild movements very well.
Future Spider-Man's origins are really interesting. We get to see that Miguel is more flawed than Peter Parker. He's a drug addict, he hit his fiancee, he's a snide jerk to his boss. (Ok, two of those were out of context.) Even though his boss probably desrves his jibes, Miguel does have a tendency to occasionally come across as a genuine asshole. He's got some great redeeming factors, so it makes him interestingly flawed.
The Bad: Shock? That's TERRIBLY stupid 'future lingo.' Batman Beyond wins this category with flying colors. "What the shock was that?" Just sounds hilariously DUMB when read.
There's a few scenes with some awkward dialogue.
I had trouble telling Miguel's main boss apart from Miguel's direct superior. Up until the end I wasn't paying enough attention and thought they were the same person. They're both bosses of Miguel who are manipulative jerks with no regard for human lives, and want only what is best for the corporation.
The issue feels plenty long, but it's not well balanced. We only get a tiny bit of Spider-Man in action, then a lot of time dedicated to backstory, but the backstory doesn't finish.
In Conclusion: 3.5/5
I haven't read a 'future' series with this much potential since Batman Beyond. So far this isn't quite on BB's level, but it's still pretty damn good. A lot of the flaws I can chalk up to 'First Issue' details that needed to get over and done with, so they should be cleared up by the second or third issue. All I know is that I definitely do want to read more.
