A young man is transformed into a hideous spider hybrid by the ruthless Oscorp Corporation in their pursuit for eternal life. When Oscorp begins to use the secrets unlocked by his mutation to create more human-animal hybrids, he must embrace his grotesque new form to fight back. Midnight Spider-Man #1 is a solid start that delivers a new spin and weaves an interesting web for the origin of the classic character.

Written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Midnight Spider-Man #1 is a solid start to the series adding to the “Midnight Universe,” a new line of comics from Marvel. The comic has a lot of the familiar concepts and characters, Peter Parker, Uncle Ben, Oscorp., but the specifics have been changed for something new and intriguing. Johnson seems to be leaning into the body horror aspect of Spider-Man, something that has at times been center but usually not a major focus. And with that body horror, Johnson also dives into the lack of ethics in modern tech companies.

Midnight Spider-Man #1 gives us some interesting familiar basics for Peter. He lives with his Uncle Ben, Aunt May is an unknown. He’s a science geek who wants to do amazing things with technology. He works for Dr. Connors as he and Ben struggled. There’s something mysterious that happened to his parents and Oscorp. Oscorp is the evil corporation running brutal experiments that are unethical, immoral, and outright criminal. They’re the modern bio tech company, the AI company, the worst of the worst when it comes to our oligarch overlords, abusing individuals for their amusement. Kennedy focuses a lot on the torture and glee the mysterious leaders of Oscorp show in their experiments. It’s a complete disconnect from any empathy, much like current “tech leaders” have displayed in recent years. The basic DNA is there for the character and world.

Johnson though gives us a lot of small details to flesh things out. There’s basics of what Oscorp is doing, hints at Peter’s past with them. Familiar names that work for the mega corporation. And then there’s visual teases like a picture on a table or the events going on around Peter and his Uncle as they drive down the road. Johnson does a fantastic job of building this world and allowing the art to tell more of the story and expand the world.

Scietronc provides the art with color by Neeraj Menon and lettering by Joe Caramagna. The style feels a little like Humberto Ramos with pages that switch from Ramos’ energy and flair to outright horror. As Peter learns a hard lesson as a kid, the panels focus in on the result of his actions. It’s disturbing and likely to unnerve some readers. The comic doesn’t hold back in that sense with death and body horror present throughout. It’s an issue that balances the youthful exuberance of Peter with the darker world around him.

Midnight Spider-Man #1 is a solid start to the series that leans into aspects familiar but not often explored. It teases some key things to come and with its introduction of so many familiar characters, it’s hard to not imagine what might come down the road. It’s a fantastic beginning for Marvel’s “Midnight Universe,” that has us excited to see where it goes.

Story: Phillip Kennedy Johnson Art: Scietronc
Color: Neeraj Menon Letters: Joe Caramagna
Story: 8.25 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.25 Recommendation: Buy

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle