#david liss

Before I even start to read, I know this book won't have the same emotional impact as the game. The game's ending demolished me in a way I can't see the book doing. Especially since it's a prequel; I already know what's gonna happen. No matter what happens to the characters, I know what'll happen to them later. And that's another problem I already have going into this - I know what will happen, more or less.

The back of the book raises the questions,

"When a new threat-a deadly doppelganger with Spider-Man's suit and abilities-wreaks havoc in the streets, can the real wall-crawler prove his innocence? With the clock ticking and lives on the line, can Spider-Man stop the brutal rampage of the Blood Spider? Will Spider-Man fall to his fears and foes, or will he rise and be greater?"

Lemme guess: yes, yes, and rise and be greater?

So the stakes don't feel very high, do they? If there are other characters or events introduced, there can still be suspense and such, but that can't change that at the end of the day, I know Peter will succeed. I know he'll live to see another day. I know that, even if his enemies win, it won't have a monumental impact. And so on...

Another thing: no Miles. :( I mean, as long as the book ends before the game begins, which I'm sure it will. Even if I'm wrong, I doubt we'll see Miles, which sucks.

But despite all that, I decided to go into this with an open mind. After all, I've always loved prequels. Something about seeing what life was like before the main action of a story is fun to me, and I love learning more about my favorite characters. So while I'm talking about it, what are some things I hope to see as I read? Clearly, Miles lol

And Harry! I want him to have face to face interactions with his friends, I wanna see more of the impact of Emily's death. I wanna see subtle hints that he's not going to Europe like he says. I also want Peter and Norman to interact more, out of pure curiosity. I'll be sad if I have to see more bonding moments between Peter and Otto, but I definitely want it to happen anyway. And two of my favorite aspects of the game are the social media feed and the encounters Peter has with normal civilians (Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is best Spider-Man). So if that carries on into the prequel at all, I'll be happy. :)

chapter 1

Right off the bat, the first page weirded me out. I really wasn't following. Something about the way the snake thing was introduced was weird but I can't quite put words to it. However, I'm glad to know the amazing Spider-Man is afraid of snakes, or at least grossed out by them. ("...it was a snake and it was icky.") (To clarify, the snake thing is a robbery conducted by a lone guy in a reptile store. When he spots Peter, he makes a break for it with what seems to be a bag of snakes, leading to a short chase scene to the nearby docks, where he's quickly webbed up.)

The intro to Peter and explanation of his powers felt useless but didn't take up too much time in my opinion. I guess it's good to include for people new to Spidey. Still boring to read though if you're already familiar with the character.

Then we get our first taste of action in the form of the aforementioned chase scene. It was fairly entertaining and kept my attention. Didn't have me on the edge of my seat or anything, but I can excuse that, especially since it was a fairly simple chase (young guy with no super powers running down the street for awhile before being easily taken down). Even so, it's kind of disappointing to start with a lame action sequence?? That's kind of the appeal of the whole superhero thing. :/ I'm sure there's better stuff like that later, but still-

The criminal in question, Andy, was kinda fun. I felt his cluelessness on an emotional level and I like a criminal who can and should be redeemed. I was really rooting for him and wish he could've gotten the chance (more on that in a later post). I'm also glad that Peter tried to give him that chance; it gives an early look into Peter's morals better than any exposition ever could (actions speak louder than words, as everyone says all the time).

Oh yeah, and Peter and MJ are together, which means we'll get to see what their relationship was like (PeterMJ stans, rise up). Plus we'll get to see them break up, right? I'm curious to see how that went down, including the buildup to it, which starts immediately as Peter calls MJ several times in hopes that she'll pick up. Too bad she's busy doing something she doesn't want him to know about. So basically, the same dynamic the game presents us with. Nice. 👌 (And here's to hoping that that's not the only kind of interaction they have.)

Another fun thing about this chapter is the humor presented in the Snake Store Incident™. There are some good bits along the lines of the earlier comment about Peter not liking snakes. I'd include them but I can only focus on one thing for so long.