For this review, let's have a look at yet another alternate Marvel Universe's incarnation of the web-crawler, this time with one of the most underrated and overlooked ones...
The Marvel Mangaverse!!
For more stories of AMAZING FANTASY check those out!!
Comic title: Marvel Mangaverse Vol. 3: Spider-Man: Legend of the Spider Clan
Art by Skottie Young with Pierre-Andre Dery & Khary Randolph
Story by Kaare Andrews
Published by Marvel ComicsFrom 2003
Lineup Marvel Mangaverse
Format: Trade paperback collecting issues #1-5 of Spider-Man: Legend of the Spider Clan.
First of all...what is Marvel Mangaverse?
The Mangaverse was Marvel's original attempt at cashing in on the manga phenomenon.
There's been various interpretations of the Mangaverse, they sort of follow each other story-wise, but the whole concept of the brand is every time played with and totally different.
The original Marvel Mangaverse was launched in 2000.
It was mostly drawn and imagined by artist Ben Dunn. This first Mangaverse was a very Americanized hybrid Manga/Comics series (some call the style "fusion"), things were very exaggerated and stereotypically Japanized.
Antman was a musician, most mutants were monsters, catgirls, etc.
This series made itself popular by specially featuring a lot of mechas, anime-inspired robots. Iron Man was a giant robot and there was a lot of mechas directly resembling those from Mazinger Z and Neon Genesis Evangelion.
This entire on-going series was collected in trade paperback as Marvel Mangaverse Vol. 1 & 2.
Next were produced various mini-series focused on several characters, with some bookends opening and closing it all in 2002.
Young artists clearly drawing influences from both mangas and animes they watched in their childhood were able to let their art style and improvise upon what was done before.
The style was again sort of fusion, but more cartoonified instead of stereotypical.
New characters that had been missed earlier were introduced such as Spider-man and the Fantastic Four. Others were reimagined, their appearances modified from the earlier Mangaverse to make them less cliché.
These were collected as the following Vol. 3, 4, etc.
Finally in 2005 the Mangaverse was brought back one last time.
The third iteration of the Mangaverse was titled New Mangaverse.
It was actually drawn by a manga artist this time, Tommy Ohtsuka.
This time some characters were once again reimagined, the previous "super deformed" chibi style from the second series was dropped for a more natural Japanese style, though somehow influenced by Evangelion again.
It was published as a mini-series, closing some old plots left open and opening new ones for the future.
This graphic novel was one of the books released during the Mangaverse's second edition.
Forget everything you've known about Spider-man - this is a completely new interpretation of the web-head!
In a world were the Avengers assembled as a giant Voltron-like robot and the Hulk was a Gozilla-style monster, Peter Parker wasn't the puny human you were used to.
His parents still died when he was only a child. He was still given to life with his Aunt May and Uncle Ben.
Only it was Uncle Ben Sensei here.
Peter learnt martial arts since he was a kid at his family dojo.
The day his sensei Uncle Ben died from the hands of the shinobi called Venom, Pete donned his Spider-clan costume to avenge his uncle.
But things were a tad bit more complicated. You see Venom was also "sort of" his brother, Ben-sensei's only child...
Venom was following the path of evil. He murdered the Kingpin of crime and took control of his ninjas.
Meanwhile since the incident that made Peter become Spider-man, Petey's been having nightmares or visions of his Uncle Ben still coming in for advices...and waking up violently screaming in the middle of class!
One day as the class his helping in the rumbles left by a rampage of the Hulk, Peter finds a very strange amulet...
The story sorts of goes everywhere at once and tries to cover a lot of classic and cult aspects of Spider-man's mythology.
Peter encounters the Black Cat pretty early on. But after a confrontation with Daredevil she is "disposed off"...which results later in an upgraded cybernetic Felicia!
Norman Osborn was searching for that amulet...he ends up giving everything for power and becomes the Green Goblin!
Peter can't take of the mysterious amulet and awakes a strange symbiotic costume which both Venom and the Goblin are after!!
It's nice to both see how the Mangaverse adapts elements from the regular Spider-man series as well as giving new spin on things.
Like Doctor Octavius, easily one of my favorite interpretations of the lil' guy, it's nice to see him as one of the good guys for once.
Kaare Andrews did a pretty nice story that feels both complete and open enough for further adventures!
It sort of feels like a perfect basis for an animated series.
Andrews also wrote the original one-shot issue that introduced the Mangaverse Spider-man. (not included in this book!)
And Skottie Young's art is perfect for this title!
It looks like a fun modern cartoon series! The art is quite dynamic.
Not overly manga-designed - since it's actually an American comic book - yet fitting for the line.
The way Skottie Young came up with some character designs is pretty cool.
I love his Mangaverse Daredevil, quite unique.
Overall, it's a fantastic little series!
It doesn't aspire to much, Marvel didn't try making this into a full-on brand like they did with the Ultimate or 2099 comics.
But as far as little events go this is some top notch quality story-telling.
I gotta admit, I'm not a big fan of several of the ideas from the Mangaverse, though Spidey's title is as usual pretty solid on its own.My only complaint would be that they didn't include the issue that came before this Legend of the Spider Clan mini-series.
It stood alone as well but contained the origin story of the Mangaverse's Spider-man.
Couldn't they put it in this book instead of another collection?
You know, to make it feel "complete".
Anyways,
It's an enjoyable read.
I'd recommed it, try it!
I give it:
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