Spider-Man: Origin of the Species

amazing spider-man origin of the species cover trade paperback review
6.5 Overall Score
Story: 6/10
Art: 8/10

Feels a little more like a traditional Spider-Man story than some other recent storylines

Basic Spider-Man story

Comic Info

Comic Name:  Amazing Spider-Man (Volume 2)/Web of Spider-Man (Volume 2)/Spider-Man Saga

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Writer: Writer

Artist: Artist

# of Issues: Movie Rating

Release Date: Release Date

amazing spider-man #645 cover origin of the species

Amazing Spider-Man (2) #645

Reprints Amazing Spider-Man (2) #642-647, Web of Spider-Man (2) #12, and Spider-Man Saga (November 2010-December 2010). Menace is about to give birth to her child, and the son of Menace and Norman Osborn could be a biological combination that could be sold to the highest bidders. With the baby targeted and only Spider-Man able to defend it, Spider-Man finds himself the target the media who thinks he is somehow the real threat to the child…but Spider-Man could make another discovery that could change everything.

Written by Mark Waid with back-up stories by Roger Stern, Fred Van Lente, Zeb Wells, Bob Gale, Joe Kelly, Marc Guggenheim, and Dan Slott, Spider-Man: Origin of the Species is a Marvel Comics superhero comic book. Following Spider-Man: One Moment in Time, the collection features art by Paul Azaceta, Matthew Southworth, Philippe Briones, Max Fiumara, Michael Del Mundo, Karl Kesel, J.M. Ken Niimura, Paul Azaceta, Graham Nolan, Mark Pennington, and Adam Archer.

At this point, Spider-Man has been kind of hit or miss. It doesn’t necessarily feel like “my” Spider-Man, but it also isn’t as bad as some of the storylines that cropped up in the ’90s (especially in Amazing Spider-Man’s spin-off titles). Spider-Man: Origin of the Species just feels like another typical story.

amazing spider-man #646 cover origin of the species mysterio chameleon

Amazing Spider-Man (2) #646

Both Brand New Day and One Moment in Time were rather controversial Spider-Man storylines and this volume tries to rebound from the story by telling a more traditional Spider-Man tale. Though it is not written by Slott, it is generally a real continuation of Slott’s storyline and characters that he helped create and round. The story essentially serves as a mean to wrap-up the Harry Osborn story for the time being.

Though I kind of liked the idea of Spider-Man’s biggest villains teaming-up under the control of Doctor Octopus, I felt that the ending of the collection was kind of a cop-out. Throughout the story, Spider-Man is trying to keep a newborn infant safe while swinging through the city. Rightfully so, people take notice of the event and accuse him of child endangerment. The ending just has Captain America saying a few words and everything goes away…it isn’t that different from Mephisto changing reality because it also doesn’t seem that realistic.

This collection ends up being essentially a filler story. Fortunately, if you read Spider-Man as a monthly comic at the time, you probably wouldn’t know this, but if you are playing “catch-up”, the story takes a big turn next volume and has Peter getting his life together. The wrap-up of the Menace-Harry Osborn-Norman Osborn story was necessary, but aspects seemed unsatisfying. The next collection of Spider-Man changes things again by bringing back Dan Slott as the full time writer and launching the Big Time storyline which runs for a number of issues. Spider-Man: Origin of the Species is followed by Spider-Man: Big Time.

Followed By:

Spider-Man:  Big Time

Author: JPRoscoe View all posts by
Follow me on Twitter/Instagram/Letterboxd @JPRoscoe76! Loves all things pop-culture especially if it has a bit of a counter-culture twist. Plays video games (basically from the start when a neighbor brought home an Atari 2600), comic loving (for almost 30 years), and a true critic of movies. Enjoys the art house but also isn't afraid to let in one or two popular movies at the same time.

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