Spider-Man ’94 #1 – A Long Awaited Return to greatness

Hello there! Padawan J here, the resident Star Wars expert from the ODPH! This week I’m going to be reviewing the FIRST issue of Spider-Man ’94 from Marvel Comics!

This series is one I’ve been eagerly anticipating since it was first announced. As the title of the series suggests, it’s a continuation of the animated series that aired of Fox back in the 1990’s for 5 seasons! So does it live up to how great the animated series is? Let’s jump into it!

Spider-Man ’94 #1 by J.M. DeMatteis (Writer), Jim Towe (Artist), Jim Campbell (Color Artist), VC’s Joe Caramanga (Letterer) is full of nostalgia and love coming together for a must read issue that is sure to delight all.

The Story

J.M. DeMatteis does an absolutely masterful job at capturing the magic and the voice that was the Spider-Man animated series. When I read Peter & Mary Jane, I could hear Christopher Daniel Barnes (Peter) & Sara Ballantine (Mary Jane) voicing the characters like it was a new episode. To go along with that the story feels like one that fits in perfectly with the series itself.

A mysterious force is pursuing Peter, and it appears it will go to any lengths to get what they want. Long time readers of the Spider-Man mythos will be familiar with who they are, but they’re entirely new to the mythos of this universe!

The story really soars when it comes to the interactions between Peter & Mary Jane. It’s those interactions that really drive the story forward, because family is the most important thing to Peter.

That is as true here as it is in any other iteration. There’s also some unresolved mystery surrounding what happened to Peter & Mary Jane prior to this issue that feels pretty monumental. It’s a story that I’m sure will be addressed at some point, and I can’t wait to read when that tale is told.

The Artwork

If you’re going to do a comic series based on an animated series as beloved as Spider-Man, you HAVE to nail the artwork. Jim Towe & Jim Campbell absolutely excel at that and capture the look & feel of the series to absolute perfection. The artwork captures that nostalgic feeling you get from rewatching a beloved series years later. You can really tell how much care, love & effort went into their work and it really comes across the page.

FINAL POINT: The only thing missing from reading this series was a bowl of cereal & milk for me to eat. It’s an incredible continuation of the animated series that is perfectly captured from a compelling story and immaculately done artwork. This series is ABSOLUTELY one that you need to read, and is well worth the purchase.

Overall Grade: 10/10

Thanks for checking out my review on Nerd Initiative. For more of my content, check out ODPHpodcast.com, follow me on Twitter, and check out more of my reviews here on Nerd Initiative: https://nerdinitiative.com/author/padawanj/!

What did you think of the issue? Be sure to comment your thoughts below, or reach out to me on social media!