Month: January 2025

  • Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Prequel Comic #2: What We Know

    Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Prequel Comic #2: What We Know

    We’re back with Issue #2 of the Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man prequel comic! (Click Here if you missed the write-up for Issue #1!) Now we didn’t get as many reveals about this universe’s lore as we did in the first issue, but we got to see Spider-Man in action for more or less the first time. Without anymore delay, let’s get into it Brigadier!

    We begin with the well known wrestling match between the new masked figure Spider-Man (in his OG wrestling outfit from Amazing Fantasy #15) and Crusher Hogan. But as we established last time, Uncle Ben is already dead and gone. So the placement of this historic match is definitely off course from the usual canon.

    It’s being run by a rich kid named Trip in his parents’ backyard, who so aptly named it Trip’s Tournament of Titans. Peter reveals that he specifically wanted to be called Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man because people are scared of spiders, and he’s trying to be ‘approachable’ and ‘local’. Good to know they’re actually working the title into the plot as opposed to the fact that every other Spider-Man TV show and movie have taken all of the usual adjectives!

    Peter mentions he’s fighting for back rent, remember last ish we established he’s dirt poor in this universe. After getting walloped by Crusher, Peter, determined to win the cash, decides to go all out and chucks the poor guy into the stratosphere.

    Peter does catch Crusher, thankfully, and informs Trip to wire the winnings to an account he gave them, which is smart because that’s a problem Peter faced in the original books. Spider-Man once got a check he couldn’t cash because it was made out to Spider-Man, and the bank can’t do anything with that. After Crusher accuses the match of being rigged, Spider-Man deposits him into a trash can, and declares that until he figures out exactly how strong he is, it’s “Spider-Man no more”, leading to a clever little callback from the famous scene.

    So after tossing around a couple of water heaters to test his strength and stick ’em powers, Peter brainstorms he needs a way to snag things out of reach, like Crusher was, and take down bad guys without hurting them. This of course leads him to developing the Web Shooters, with his chemistry nerd knowledge and a little left over cash from the match. First try is an explosive bust, which then gives him the idea for the self-dissolving agent…

    … which he quickly discovers needs to dissolve faster than two hours because he hilariously ends up stuck to a criminal he takes down. I know it varies from iteration to iteration, but typically Spider-Man’s webs dissolve in one hour.

    The next day Peter catches up with Nico at their new school. It’s called Rockford T. Bales High. Now I’m not sure if this is where he’s going to be in the show, but Midtown was destroyed in that mysterious battle, so if it isn’t repaired, this is where Pete and Nico are going to school. Peter already ends up on Trip’s bad side for no reason, he goes to the same school apparently. But Nico gets him to back off and the two agree that they’ll be unstoppable if they stick together. That was a sweet little moment solidifying their friendship, I think.

    That night, Peter perfects the Web Shooters and hits the town, preventing a car accident and declaring himself officially Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. Which doesn’t make Silvermane very happy at all. So he makes good on the threat from last issue and calls in the infamous classic Spidey villains: The Enforcers! They more or less resemble their comic counterparts, and they fit very well with the 60’s-inspired aesthetic they say the show is going for.

    Peter switches up his outfit a bit to the hockey jersey we see in the show, no emblem yet but he’ll figure out something that ‘says Spider-Man’ later. He finds that the web tank’s a bit big, having trouble fitting through the window, so that’s probably why he eventually goes for the horizontal design on his lower back we’ve seen in the trailers.

    While on patrol he happens upon The Enforcers shaking down a shopkeep, noting he’s got an instinct, maybe a sense (get it?), to find people in danger. He gets into it with Ox and Fancy Dan, and I really like this fight. He starts strong, but Fancy Dan easily registers Spider-Man’s Thwipping gesture as a ‘tell’, and gets the drop on him, while Ox joins the walloping.

    But Spider-Man adapts mid-fight. As he says, they’re pros, but he can do things they can’t. He relies on his Spider-Sense. He adjusts the kind of web he uses to catch Fancy Dan. He packs a bit more of a punch to pummel Ox. It’s really great stuff that makes watching Spider-Man fight so amazing!

    Unfortunately, Montana gets involved, severing Spider-Man’s web tubes and letting The Enforcers get the upper hand once again.

    The issue ends with poor Spider-Man, defeated, in the middle of the street, surrounded by The Enforcers. An honest-to-goodness “To Be Continued!” if I’ve ever seen one!

    And that’s all we’ve got for this one. Big takeaways are notably designing the webs, the wrestling match, and his new, maybe permanent school. I didn’t mention earlier, but Aunt May shows up a few times, who Peter is becoming uncomfortable with lying to, the ease of it bothering him more than anything. But that fight between a novice Spider-Man and The Enforcers was the highlight of the issue for me. It was such a good comic book battle that took me back to the old days of reading Spider-Man! More of that, please, in the comic and the show!

    Next issue the fight obviously continues, as he’s featured on the cover taking on the three troublemakers. Solicits have it dropping February 19, which is well after the show’s January 29th premiere date.

    I don’t know if this was planned and coordinated with the show’s release schedule to add context or if it’s still supposed to be filling in that time gap they mentioned this story takes place in. But either way, I’ll probably still do a write-up. For the show itself I plan on doing a Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Aftershow on Thursdays, so stay tuned to Face Front’s YouTube channel for more info on that. I hope you guys are enjoying these, I can’t wait for the next issue, and of course the show! Until next time, Face Front True Believers, and I’ll see you in the Multiverse!

  • Spider-Man: Return to the Spider-Verse Episode 12

    Spider-Man: Return to the Spider-Verse Episode 12

    Whatever happened to Gwen Stacy? Watch below, and find out. But ONLY if you’ve seen every other episode of Return to the Spider-Verse! If not, please Click Here to watch those first. If you have, then proceed…

    Well, that was a lot, wasn’t it? The twists, the turns, the reveals, the heartbreak! Oh my, it was nearly too much to bear! I hope this was as worth the wait for you as it was for me!

    A lot of dots have finally been connected. All of those post credits scenes (you have been sticking around for those, right?) have been tied together. Gwen’s rise, or rather fall, to become the Master Planner revealed at last.

    Bringing Gwen to life is the always incredible Eileen Nestman. Have I praised her enough? The answer is a big NO! I haven’t! Because I literally can’t for the heavy lifting she did in this episode. My goodness, Eileen always comes to play but I’ll tell you, True Believers, I think this was her BEST performance to date. She really sold Gwen’s descent into the Master Planner. Such raw emotion, I am so grateful every day that she’s my friend.

    And a few months ago, you all helped thank her for her contributions to Face Front by voting her for Super Mom! She unfortunately didn’t win, but we helped get her up to 11th place! And as promised, I put the names of everyone who voted in the credits of this video. Let’s see them again:

    The_Graytforever
    Wars the Marvel
    MrMisterMelon
    The Amazing Gamer Djmc
    Anselmo Gutierrez Pérez/SemISkUIZ
    King VA Productions

    Thanks again guys! Eileen and I really appreciate your support.

    Rounding out the cast was Emily Tatsumi who never fails me as Peni Parker, and my sister Jaelen Westbrook, who gave me Lyla’s lines literally the night before the episode went live. Lyla’s role was so small I forgot she was in the video and had no one to voice her! Thank goodness Jaelen always comes through for me in a pinch.

    Now, this video had a ton of references, homages, and Easter Eggs, so let’s not waste anymore time and get right to them.

    Let Her Go

    The video begins with some eerily familiar dialogue during the logo which then transitions into a recreation of the death of Gwen Stacy from The Amazing Spider-Man 2, everything down to the score. A cold open to be sure, but, I feel like from even the video thumbnail, you guys knew what you were in for.

    The New Goblin

    I put up a Friend or Foe poll a while ago and you guys voted to reveal a friend, after which I revealed Harry Osborn, the New Goblin, would be making his debut in the Face Front Universe. Harry arrives in Loomworld referencing the events of Spider-Man 3. From confusing Gwen with Bryce Dallas Howard’s version to the final battle of the movie, Harry makes it evident that he remembers everything up to his death. And look, his face is fine too! (I always personally believed the Goblin serum would fix that eventually.)

    Unfortunately he freaks Gwen out, so he has to take off. But that just means that he’s out there somewhere in Loomworld. Maybe, just maybe, we’ll see him again…

    The Rose

    While Gwen is wondering through the Noir portion of Loomworld, she bumps into a rather polite masked man in a suit, who gifts her with a rose before leaving. Spidey fans know this man as Wilson Fisk’s son, Richard Fisk, aka, the Rose. What was he doing there, though? Who knows? Well, I do. Maybe you will too. Eventually…

    Lyla

    As mentioned earlier, Miguel O’Hara’s AI assistant Lyla makes an appearance in this episode. She collects a Spider-Bot that appears to be gathering data and reports to Miguel that there are quantum anomalies everywhere. A mysterious little cameo, that perhaps holds something further? Only time will tell.

    Loomworld

    Gwen names this new patchwork world she’s found herself in “Loomworld”. Fans with a sharp ear will have heard this before in Spider-Man: Web-Warriors episodes 3, 10, and Turning Point. But what exactly is Loomworld? Well, in the comics, it’s Earth-001, and HQ for the Inheritors, made up of worlds they conquered and pieced together. It was the location of quite a few battles in the original Spider-Verse comic, way back in 2014, and was at one time an access point to the Web of Life and Destiny. It’s been home to the Inheritor-turned-Master Weaver Karn, and the Web-Warriors from the comics.

    In my series, Loomworld is this new world that’s been created out of pieces of different Spider-Man universes, apparently pulled together by our one and only MCU Peter. There are still many mysteries behind this world’s conception, but that is, at least for now, the gist of it.

    Sandman

    Flint Marko, aka Sandman, appears in Loomworld, confused and using familiar lines (No Way Home anyone?) This is indeed the Spider-Man 3 version of Sandman, as noted by his demanding where his daughter Penny is. Yes, that also means that Marko is hiding out there somewhere as well! By the way, Sandman was the Foe option for the Friend or Foe poll, in case you were wondering.

    Daughter of Captain Stacy

    Gwen mentions that she studied Captain Stacy’s suspects boards and knew how to get into the minds of criminals. This was a little tidbit I got from the Giant-Size Gwen Stacy comic book, which tells the story of Gwen before she meets Peter Parker. Surprisingly, that hadn’t been explored until that 2022 comic. Technically it began in 2020, but COVID paused it 2 issues in and they put out the Giant-Size two years later, finishing it. Which I was very grateful for, because I really wanted to know how that story ended. Doubly grateful, actually, because it was reading this comic that got me past a serious writer’s block I had writing this episode. Seriously guys, if you ever need inspiration for your stories, read the comics!

    The Prowler

    Prowler’s been working for the Master Planner since literally the post credits scene of episode 1. Now we finally see how that team-up came to be. Having just died saving Miles, Prowler’s now unemployed, and back in an unfamiliar world. Gwen’s offering him a chance to not only return to normalcy, but to save the nephew he gave his life to protect. Harry Osborn’s black card doesn’t hurt either.

    The Web of Life and Destiny

    When attempting to explain how Loomworld will inevitably be destroyed, Gwen uses a metaphor, a web that controls the life and destiny of all living beings in the multiverse. A not-so-subtle reference to the Web of Life and Destiny, the great web that connects all the Spider Totems in the Spider-Verse!

    Amazing Spider-Man #121

    When running failed Super Collider trials, Gwen gives up after 129. But the first number I have listed up there is 121, which is a reference to the issue of Amazing Spider-Man where Gwen Stacy was killed by the Green Goblin.

    The Sinister Six

    The “Special Projects” file on Oscorp’s computers is from The Amazing Spider-Man 2. The mystery man in the end of the movie who approached Harry in his cell was Gustav Fiers, someone called “The Gentelman”, as I subtly have Gwen state. They talk about turning a small group of men in to super criminals, stating everything they need is already at Oscorp. It doesn’t seem like their plan ever came to fruition, but Gwen dug it up, and reactivated it to form the Sinister Six.

    Also note that a lot of the members, when being recruited, use lines from the previous movies. Mysterio’s capes and lasers rant from Far From Home. Electro’s “I got my body back” from No Way Home. Vulture’s comment about the food from Morbius (yeah, I know). And Doc Ock’s “NOOOOOO” from Spider-Man 2. Remember how in episode 7 Doc Ock said he heard the Master Planner’s voice on repeat, telling him to destroy Spider-Man? Yeah, now you know what that’s about. In addition to that, the same alarm sound was used in episode 2 to flip Connors into the Lizard, who Gwen finally got revenge on for killing her father.

    Another callback, when recruiting the Spectacular Green Goblin, is from the Christmas episode, where he tells Spectacular Spider-Man he was approached by the Master Planner but refused, stating it would be “The end of everything”. The Dafoe Goblin, on the other hand, uses a line from the Spider-Man movie video game. When he kidnaps Mary Jane in a cutscene, he tells her “Put your heart into the screams my lovely girl! The better to bait my trap!” Of course, this is because he kidnapped Mary Jane to lure Spider-Man.

    The Master Planner

    Now in the comics, the Master Planner was an alias Doc Ock used to lure Spider-Man to his doom. I of course made it clear from early on that the Master Planner was someone completely different in this series. We finally got the reveal last episode, but now we know how she came upon the name! Granted, it was more or less an accident, but she owned it. Especially later in the video…

    What the Heck was That!?

    Okay, so Gwen definitely saw something here. What is it? Zoom and enhance! Turn up the brightness! Look closely.

    Got a Minute?

    Now, in Across the Spider-Verse, they recreated this moment where Gwen comes to get Miles. He’s listening to Hummingbird, she’s got a pink sweater, they’re both a bit older. But in Into the Spider-Verse, he’s clearly listening to Sunflower, and it’s not much longer after the first movie ends. And even back in 2020 when I made Return of the Sinister Six, I had always imagined that this is where Gwen picked up Miles before they arrived to help. So that’s when my version of the “Got a minute?” scene takes place.

    Vanessa67

    The Kingpin’s password to access the encrypted Collider file (which we never actually discovered in episode 4) is Vanessa67. This is a reference to his wife, Vanessa Fisk, and the year of Kingpin’s first appearance, 1967.

    Christmas Records

    When Prowler mentions he has some Christmas records from his brother, this is actually a reference from the Insomniac game Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales. At one point in Miles’ apartment, you can play his father’s Christmas records. In the next game, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Miles hears the records playing downstairs and rushes down to find that Uncle Aaron is now in possession of them. While it’s technically a different version of Aaron Davis, we know from Into the Spider-Verse that he does own a record player, so it’s not entirely out of the realm of possibility he got some Christmas record from Jefferson!

    One More Day

    When Prowler asks how close they are to completion, Gwen states that she needs one more day. This is a direct reference to the (universally hated) comic One More Day, where Peter infamously makes a deal with Mephisto and dissolves his marriage to Mary Jane, a decision that’s affecting Spider-Man comics nearly two decades later. Unfortunately. It’s also revealed after the credits of this video that the finale of Return to the Spider-Verse will be called One More Day! Now I’m not arrogant enough to state that I’m gonna do a better job than the House of Ideas, but I promise my One More Day at the very least won’t be universally hated!

    The Night Gwen Stacy Died

    Notice how this episode doesn’t have a title? That was intentional! In Amazing Spider-Man #121, they don’t have the title at the beginning of the book like they usually do because the story was called “The Night Gwen Stacy Died”, which was obviously a spoiler. So, as an homage to that, I gave episode 12 the same name, and revealed the title at the very end!

    So there we have it. Answers, at long last! But more questions yet have arisen from this chapter in our tale. Why was Spidey in that void? What the heck happened around the 34:30 timestamp? What will happen to Loomworld now that the Master Plan has been initiated? Will the Amazing Friends be able to reconcile before it all goes boom!? All good questions. And they will be answered in Spider-Man: Return to the Spider-Verse Episode 13: One More Day. The finale. The end. Man, it’s frightening and exciting! I’ve had this planned for years, and to be so close… Thank you all for coming on this journey with me. Thank you all for watching, for supporting Face Front, I do this for you guys. I hope you enjoyed this episode, and I can’t wait for the next. Face Front True Believers, and I’ll see you in the Multiverse!