Marvel’s new Midnight Universe had not been met with huge anticipation from fans when it was announced. Many saw it as an attempt to keep up with DC’s Absolute line by simply copying their formula. Darker takes on the Marvel Universe have been done before but it will take something extra to standout if Marvel want this gamble to be successful. Read our Midnight Spider-Man #1 review to see why it might just tick this box.
Spoilers ahead for Midnight Spider-Man #1
The creative team
Penning Midnight Spider-Man is Phillip Kennedy Johnson. Johnson is also currently writing one of Marvel’s best ongoing series in Infernal Hulk and seems to be continuing one of the big themes from that: body horror. More on that later.
Midnight Spider-Man #1 is illustrated by ScieTronc and coloured by Neeraj Menon. With these two, Marvel may have hit a winning combination. ScieTronc effortlessly juxtaposes visually charming versions of Peter Parker and Uncle Ben with extreme, bloody gore. The unnerving switch between the two is built up with the pallet changes from Menon, moving to reds, browns, and purples when the organs start flying. More please!
Midnight Spider-Man premise
‘The light had its turn‘ is the strapline Marvel have chosen for the Midnight Universe, emphasising the darker themes for the new series. Midnight Spider-Man #1 has the usual ingredients for a Spider-Man origin-story; Peter as an orphan, Uncle Ben, Oscorp, spiders etc. However, there is a shift in the approach.
In mainline Spider-Man comics, Peter follows the famous line of ‘with great power comes great responsibility.’ Midnight Spider-Man #1 introduces a new version of this in ‘power makes monsters‘. We see this in the issue as Peter is presumably given powers from a spider-bite, but at the cost of becoming a monster.
The world Peter Parker inhabits is a dark one, far more so than Earth-616. There is obvious inequality and H.A.M.M.E.R. agents dish out brutality on the streets to the homeless. Oscorp are the major firm in the world, having many of Marvel’s top scientists working there, including Otto Octavius and Henry Pym. Oscorp though are working on some inhumane projects.
Peter Parker: the little guy
The Midnight Universe’s Peter Parker is familiar in tone to Earth-616 as he is affable and smart. Peter is younger though, working with Curt Connors, and living with Uncle Ben. Peter is still involved with current affairs, however rather than taking photos for the Bugle, he is an online citizen journalist/streamer known as Sagan Ritual.
As Sagan Ritual, Peter exposes the darker side of corporations, including Roxxon and Oscorp. This role however was exposed by Oscorp, who then offer him a job through their Head of Talent, Felicia Hardy. Much to Uncle Ben’s distress, Peter is interested in joining. He believes that he can change them from the inside, doing more there than he can alone.
This idea is opposed from his dad telling him ‘power makes monsters‘. Peter is well aware that Oscorp are an evil corporation, just not how excessively evil they are. However, he tells himself ‘power with responsibility‘. This is of course shortly before he is bitten by a monstrous spider, beginning his transformation.
What are Oscorp up to?
Felicia walks a stunned Peter around Oscorp, giving him a whistle stop tour of the giant building. He is impressed by all the incredible equipment and the army of brilliant minds working there. All of this seems to be hiding a very dark secret.
As Sagan Ritual, Peter noticed an odd situation in the corporate world of three very interesting businesses being bought up. One was focused on removing a person’s need to eat. Another, a prison, incentivised prisoners to trade organs and limbs for time served. The other was working on reversing aging, but test subjects had horrific bodily mutations as a result.
It is fairly obvious that Oscorp are the purchasers of the above companies. As readers, we see a experiment in Project Augstine, as an employee is subjected to Mutant Growth Hormone and gamma radiation. The subject swells grotesquely, before bursting and sending organs everywhere. He was merely the latest victim out of many, but the spider that entered the testing with him survived. We do not know what Oscorp’s end goal is though yet.
Johnson really hits home with the depravity of those behind the experiment. They are bored by the subject’s pain and death. Video footage is sent to some of the donors. One keeps the subject’s eyes and genitalia. Another is given the victim’s young daughter.
Where is Aunt May?
One of the really interesting dynamics of this comic so far is that of Peter’s family. He is once again without his parents. Uncle Ben hints at how Oscorp are responsible for their deaths and this is why he is suing them (without success). How or why they died is still a mystery.
The big change is Uncle Ben is still alive, at least at the start of the issue. He seems to have taken Aunt May’s role of guardian. So where is she? Well, Ben leaves a voice note for someone, which is likely to be May. The tone of the message is left open-ended however despite a suggestion they could visit. May might be living somewhere else, living in a carehome, or Ben might be suggesting visiting her grave. We do not know yet.
A really interesting and promising start to Midnight Spider-Man from Johnson. Lots of intriguing questions raised in this first issue. Most readers will be most excited to see the reveal of Peter’s transformation. Will we see an Osborn introduced next issue? Mary-Jane? Gwen?
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Buy Midnight Spider-Man #1 Cover G Peach Momoko – Forbidden Planet UK
Pre-order Midnight Spider-Man #2 Cover A – Forbidden Planet UK
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