When it comes to the topic of Gwen Stacy’s re-emergence, it’s imperative to ask the following question: “Why does she have to come back?”. Her death was iconic and radically changed the face of the Spider-Man mythos. In short, her death mattered.
In the great wide Battleworld of Secret Wars spin-offs and tie-ins, Spider-Verse #1 stands out as a unique story that seeks to better understand the confusion and strange sense of familiarity our characters (and readers) find themselves in. With a variety of alternate worlds and timelines mashed together is a bizarre patchwork, one has to wonder which characters still exist and what they remember from their past lives. Written by Mike Costa with art by Andre Araujo and Steven Sanders, this debut issue is a fun and intriguing set-up for a tale of multiverse mystery.
Well, it’s finally over. After six months and nearly thirty books, including set-up and tie-in issues, “Spider-Verse” has finally come to an end. After putting an end to the Inheritor threat, the remaining Spiders get a chance to find their way home and get back to their lives. But before they can do that, there’s a last bit of convoluted exposition to wade through before Peter Parker – and the readers – can move on.
After being forced to flee from the Inheritors at every turn, the army of Spider-People finally gets a chance to take the fight directly to their pursuers. This is the final battle, the last stand against an unstoppable force. Can the Spiders save themselves before the Inheritors carry out their master plan?
The penultimate chapter of “Spider-Verse” begins with the ragtag band of Spiders scattered and lost. However, having perhaps finally found a safe refuge from the Inheritors, they find a Spider-Totem tied to Peter’s personal history unlike any other. But can an army of Spider-Men fight back against the greatest enemy of all – a plot so wrapped up in itself it forgets it’s own potential?
Picking up immediately after the big reveal of last issue, part 4 of “Spider-Verse” begins with Solus, the father and apparent leader of the Inheritors, kidnapping Mayday Parker’s baby brother Benjy, proclaiming him to be the “Scion” foretold in their prophecies. After the deaths of several Spider-People, and a very literal deus ex machina, our heroes manage to escape by the skin of their teeth. But all this running is useless unless they can come up with a plan to put the Inheritors to bed for good.