Spider-Man and Wolverine: Betrayal Unleashes Epic Rivalry!

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In the world of comic books, it can be challenging to harmonize a writer’s style with an artist’s, even though we’ve witnessed many legendary collaborations. Often, a writer’s style may not align well with the artist they are working alongside. When you have a renowned artist known for a particular style, it can be disappointing if the story doesn’t complement that art style. This is especially true when iconic characters like Spider-Man and Wolverine are involved in a team-up series, as the expectations are higher. However, I believe Marc Guggenheim has managed to create a narrative that fits well with Kaare Andrews’ dynamic action-oriented artwork, allowing him ample room to showcase his artistic talents, while still maintaining a storyline with depth that necessitates both heroes for its success, as opposed to a typical team-up adventure.

The comic book originates from Marc Guggenheim, Kaare Andrews, Brian Reber, and Travis Lanham. It offers a nostalgic adventure with classic superhero ideas, and a battle against a villain that would seamlessly blend into a Gardner Fox issue of Justice League of America. While the art might be more contemporary than Mike Sekowsky’s, you’ll understand my reference once I describe it.

What brings Wolverine and Spider-Man together?

In a nod to the classic “The Slaver’s Crusade” by Christopher Priest and M.D. Bright, known for its unique spin on spy stories with an unexpected hero like Spider-Man, Guggenheim has returned to this theme in his new series. The plot revolves around a looming threat: someone is planning to leak a comprehensive database detailing every undercover agent’s past, including their missions, which could potentially stir up chaos for the families of these secret agents, such as Wolverine’s longtime friend, Charlemagne. It was Charlemagne’s predicament that once brought Spider-Man and Wolverine together (leading to a tragic turn of events where Spider-Man unintentionally ended Charlemagne’s life, a fact worth emphasizing given that she had voluntarily put herself in harm’s way due to her status as a burned spy at the time).

In this scenario, Wolverine enlists Spider-Man to retrieve data from an idle SHIELD helicarrier, but their mission is soon disrupted as they encounter Kraven the Hunter and Omega Red. This style of villain pairings teaming up is reminiscent of the Silver Age comics, a trope that was popularized by Gardner Fox during his run on the Justice League of America. Notably, one of Aquaman’s rogues in this era was created by Fox as Aquaman didn’t have many established villains yet. Coincidentally, Jeremy Adams has since developed this villain into a major antagonist. Additionally, Guggenheim and Andrews playfully expand on this concept by having the two heroes engage in battles against their respective rogues.

What drives Spider-Man against Wolverine?

Essentially, Guggenheim tends to frame the narrative around maximizing the number of visually striking elements Kaare Andrews can illustrate. Given that Jonathan Hickman has also generated numerous eye-catching scenes for Greg Capullo, I believe this approach is quite shrewd. Kaare Andrews excels at creating grand, extravagant action sequences, so it makes sense to construct the story in a way that includes as many of these as possible. Brian Reber further enhances this by ensuring the colors match the boldness of Andrews’ illustrations.

A new antagonist emerges, and there’s an outstanding scene where Andrews blends elements from Wolverine and Spider-Man’s lives in a thrilling manner. Andrews seems to be heavily influenced by Todd McFarlane in his portrayal of Spider-Man, making his depiction of Wolverine (as Spider-Man) battling Venom especially captivating. However, all of the fusion scenes were skillfully executed, such as Mariko’s demise after being thrown off a bridge by the Green Goblin.

In this reimagined plot, a significant revelation unfolds linking Spider-Man’s parents, who were covert agents (an unusual choice by Stan Lee, one that may not have occurred had Steve Ditko continued working on Amazing Spider-Man), to the events at hand. As Spider-Man delves into a vast data source, he uncovers evidence suggesting his parents might have been assassinated by Wolverine. While it’s well-known that the Red Skull (specifically, the Soviet version) was responsible for Spider-Man’s parents’ death, here we discover that he employed Wolverine as his executioner (Guggenheim skillfully hints at Wolverine’s past involvement in the Red Skull’s operations).

Is it indeed accurate? It’s uncertain, but what we can confirm is that by the conclusion of this storyline, Spider-Man comes to believe it as truth. His reaction mirrors Iron Man’s when he discovered the Winter Soldier was responsible for his parents’ death. This sets up an intriguing conflict for the following issue, and I anticipate the artwork from Kaare Andrews will be particularly impressive in the next installment. Guggenheim seems to have a clear vision for this narrative.

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2025-05-24 01:23