Spider-Man Noir #1 is out March 4, 2020. — **Spider-Man Noir #1** is out March 4, 2020.

By Zack Quaintance — The competition is fierce, but Juan Ferreyra might be the most slept on artist in all of comics, or at least in Big 2 superhero comics. His work in recent years has evolved rapidly through a series of lightly-appreciated projects, including the DC Rebirth Green Arrow run (which is the best treatment that character has gotten in years), the very adult Killmonger mini-series, and, most-recently, Punisher Kill Krew, an action comedy romp that ranks among the most fun I’ve had with this medium in I don’t know how long.

Ferreyra’s work in all these books brings a visual acuity rarely seen in capes and tights comics, paired with an uncanny ability to create two-page spreads that pack action into a visually engaging and always-coherent set of loose panels. It’s really stunning work, and I point all of that out as a means of explaining why I was so excited for today’s Spider-Man Noir #1. This is essentially an alternate reality Spider-Man comic (yes, another one), that presumably got green-lit because the Nicolas Cage-voiced character of the same name stole some scenes in the Miles Morales Into the Spider-Verse animated movie, thereby reviving a comic book idea that had largely fallen dormant in recent years. It is not, in other words, the sort of superhero comic I’d normally spend any time with. Not unless an artist as talented as Ferreyra was involved.

So, was I satisfied by this book? Indeed, I was. I’ll get more into why (obviously) below, but first let me share my favorite two-page spread from this book, since I went on about how good Ferreyra is at this above. Check it out…

These are pages four and five of this comic! Clearly, it wasted no time showing us the sort of visual excellence we can expect throughout the five-issue run of this mini-series. What we’re getting through this book is Spider-Man at a high and kinetic level, filtered through Ferreyra’s more complex and grittier visual sensibilities. This first issue wasn’t as bombastic as some of his recent work — see, again, Punisher Kill Krew — operating instead with a higher level of restraint. It is, after all, a noir mystery set in an alternate 1930s timeline with all the familiar Spider-Man characters: Peter, Mary Jane, Aunt May, Jonah, etc. Still spreads like the one above hint that there is more action to come...that this series will be a slowburner that eventually erupts in high stakes chases, shootouts, misdirects, and all the other narrative goodness one can expect from this genre.

Speaking of this genre, writer Margaret Stohl does some stellar work with the dialogue in this comic, too — really hamming it up and leaning into it as if it were a lost Bogart or Cagney movie but with Spider-Man. I heard a different voice for Peter as I read this one in my head, hard-boiled and grumpy and self serious. It was great, and there were even a few lines that made me laugh for the sheer absurdity of this genre mash-up. In the end, I really enjoyed this comic, which does so much of what I love about superhero comics well: it gives its artist a chance to do fantastical high-octane illustrations, it plays to the absurd, and its relentless in its wielding of pop culture tropes and references, all while going through narrative structural paces with due diligence. I do hope the pacing picks up a bit, but that’s a small gripe. Not bad, kid, not bad at all.

Overall: This book does so much of what I love about superhero comics well: fantastical high-octane illustrations, tons of absurdities, and relentless pop culture tropes and references, all while going through narrative structural paces with due diligence. I do hope the pacing picks up a bit, but that’s a small gripe for a stellar comic. 8.4/10

Spider-Man Noir #1
Writer: Margaret Stohl
Artist: Juan Ferreyra
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $3.99
Solicit: MURDER AND MYSTERY IN THE MIGHTY MARVEL MANNER!
DATELINE, 1939! As the specter of war looms on the horizon, SPIDER-MAN: NOIR fights the good fight at home, stopping the injustices of a more friendly-neighborhood variety. But after a dame is murdered at The Black Cat nightclub and all clues point overseas, Spidey will have no choice but to board the next flight to Europe and kick off a globetrotting adventure through yesteryear of the Marvel Universe!

Read more great comic book reviews here!

Zack Quaintance is a tech reporter by day and freelance writer by night/weekend. He Tweets compulsively about storytelling and comics as Comics Bookcase.