Spider-Man/Deadpool #9 Review

The Itsy Bitsy Spider

Written by: Joe Kelly
Art by: Ed McGuinness, Mark Morales, & Jason Keith
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: September 28, 2016
Review by: Branden Murray

As the self-proclaimed Spider-Man advisor around these parts I feel confident in my proclamation of following statement; Spider-Man/Deadpool has been a pleasant, if not mildly important, addition to the Spider-Man mythos.  Being tied to Civil War II in no way, shape, or form also is a huge bonus working in its favor at this moment in time.  With that being said lets tune into the duo’s latest escapade and see what trouble these two manage to stir up.

The issue starts off with an introduction to a group of villains, some new, some old, banding together in a Rodney Dangerfield-esque attempt to get a little respect. It’s the first of several small interludes placed throughout the issue providing the background information for the events that led to this giant face-off. As Spidey and Deadpool mix it up with the Hateful Hexad, aptly named by White Rabbit, they seem to be having a jolly old time trading one liners and special moves.

Really, for the most part, this is a generic and extremely well drawn fight issue. Our two heroes  easily dispatch of this newly assembled group of villains, all with an animal motive. Some neat tidbits are dropped throughout the issue concerning how Spider-Man and Deadpool’s bromance has progressed since this series began.  It also appears that Deadpool’s marriage with Shiklah despite his best intentions, efforts, and even a fully repaired face can’t fix.

The majority of actual story progress comes into play in the last quarter of our issue. Our heroes take a moment to look around and admire their handy work only to notice some of the “bad guys” have been taken down via means they don’t recall employing. Our cliffhanger is the reveal of who Patient Zero was pumping Spider-Man and Deadpool’s blood into and its ensuing results.  It appears a Spidey/Deadpool blood cocktail created Itsy Bitsy, a bad ass Spider mutant hybrid assassin who don’t take no shit from nobody (yeah Cool Runnings).  The issue winds down with Itsy escaping from our sarcastic duo and leaving our heroes to deal with a pissed off police force.  

Overall we get a pretty well packaged comic book as this creative team flexes its comedic muscle and artistic chops.  I’m a sucker for well written and creative Spidey/Deadpool one liners, the characters trying to one up each other in that department is always a highlight of these team up issues.  The art team of Ed McGuinness, Mark Morales, and Jason Keith have put down some great character designs colored to pop of the page and grab the attention of anybodies eyeballs with in sight range.

Bits and Pieces:

I’m admitting that I’m a Spider-Man fanboy through and through however I have also read a ton of the All New All Different Marvel lineup and this is one of the books I’ve been having the most fun with.  This issue continues the series trend of strong art, well-constructed story beats, and jokes that hit the mark.  If you have any love for either of the two title characters in this book you won’t regret jumping in at any point.  

8.0/10