I've been sitting on this book for a while. With the release of No Way Home this weekend, I thought now would be the appropriate time to review it.
Starring that scene-stealer of Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, Spider-Ham has been a previous featured character of Family Comic Friday. Introduced in the 1980s, Peter Porker was a spider who gains the powers and features of a pig after being bitten by a radioactive Aunt May!
Spider-Ham has long been a kids feature starting with his first appearance in Marvel Tails: Starring Peter Porker: The Spectacular Spider-Ham one-shot from November 1983. Reprinted in this volume, that first comic also starred animal versions of the Hulk and Captain America.
Shortly after that initial appearance, Spider-Ham returned a couple years later in a short-lived but very well received series under Marvel's all-ages STAR COMICS imprint. Sadly none of those issues are reprinted here. I say sad because I am still missing a few issues from that run.
After cancellation, Spider-Ham starred in about 3 dozen shorts in the back of the Spider-Man reprint title, Marvel Tales. A trio of those stories are added to this book. There's also the first modern starring a team of Spidey variants called the Web Warriors, a teen rated tale set firmly within the confines of the Spider-verse. Lastly, Spider-Ham's movie inspired Spider-Man annual is included.
I was okay with the inclusion of the Web Warriors story. But that annual is a bit of a stinker. I've read and reviewed it before as it's a book I own in my personal collection. The first story is all over the place. The follow-up starring Porker and Howard the Duck is just too meta to enjoy. Maybe it's cause I am looking at everything in this book being enjoyed by a family as a whole as to why I am more negative than previously reviewed. But those later stories are too complicated for readers under 15 to enjoy. There's a bunch of mash up characters that only the parents will know and appreciate. Plus, the whole existential thing between discussed by Spider-Ham and Howard is something that even the adults might get confused on.
I understand that this book is trying to show a progression of Spider-Ham through the years. But I would have rather had more of the older stuff included. Keep the Web Warriors thing. And maybe just show a fraction of the stories from the annual. This collection starts off so well and then shows how lame Marvel Comics has gotten in the past 5 years or so. I can't understand why Marvel kills DC in sales. The talent at the House of Ideas just isn't up to par of 75 previous years of artists, writers and colorists. If it wasn't for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I don't think Marvel COMICS would be relevant anymore!
A collection of Spider-Ham tales that span the ages. Just not something that could be shared for family members of all ages.
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.
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