In this review of The Spectacular Spider-Men #15, we say goodbye to the Spider-Men!
THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MEN #15
Writer: Greg Weisman
Art and Main Cover: Andres Genolet
Main Cover: Mark Bagley
Page Count: 22 pages
Release Date: May 14, 2025
This review contains spoilers
The Spectacular Spider-Men #15 begins as upon realizing Juliet is gone, the Spider-Men call in everyone they can to find her. Superheroes and civilians alike come together to search the city. Mia, the apprentice sorceress, followed Julet’s trail to the pier, but the trail ran cold. With Hydro-Man searching the water, they conclude that Juliet either returned to her civilian form or jumped into the river and let herself dissipate.
The Spider-Men continue to search and eventually conclude that she must have gone to the Arcadium, where it all began. They change out of their suits and approach her as Peter and Miles, her friends, instead of the Spider-Men. Juliet says she just needed time to think and has come to terms with Anna not feeling the same way. She wants to go back to helping people as Elementary.
From there, several loose ends get tied up. Anna, Rickie, and Juliet hug it out. Billy Connors joins Miles at Brooklyn Visions Academy. Peter visits Raymond’s grave. The Electros decide to move out of New York. Miles Warren and Hammerhead meet in jail before they get sent to the Raft, where Warren states he has a friend there, the Jackal-Hulk Clone, who can help them.
Arcade and Mentallo reveal the new Arcadium to Turk Barrett, alongside a repaired K.N.A.I.V.E. Finally, the Lizard enters the Bar with No Name. The comic ends with a private party at the Coffee Bean, with everyone who helped search for Juliet in attendance. It’s revealed that Libra is also there, and he sends the entire Coffee Bean, along with everyone in it, to another dimension, with the Spider-Men coming in to say that’s a story for another time as the issue wraps up.
Analysis
The Spectacular Spider-Men #15 was a cute ending to the series, but definitely a byproduct of the series’ cancellation. There’s no big fight, no dig into Juliet’s emotions, no lead into another story. As an ending, it’s not bad. There were cameos from nearly everyone who had been a part of the series so far, and watching them team up to go out to find Juliet was sweet, but it also feels a bit hollow.
The reader knows Juliet is safe in the Arcadium, so the stakes feel incredibly low throughout the entire issue. The moment where Hydro-Man discusses the possibility that Juliet fell into the water and let herself disappear could have been a moment of suspense and emotional connection, but some of that is lost because the reader already knows she’s okay.
The choice to have Peter and Miles approach Juliet instead of the Spider-Men was good. Even though it was clear that they had to wrap up her story on short notice, they still went the extra mile to give it a more personal touch. The other “loose ends” that get cleared up feel similar. While it would have been nice to see the Spider-Men face the Electros again and learn more about where the Lizard goes, the endings feel like everyone finds their places, although it feels a bit cheesy.
Some of the endings, however, are cliffhangers, and it feels a little odd to end like that, knowing that these stories won’t be properly wrapped up. The most curious one was the decision to end the series at the beginning of another story. Everyone getting picked up into another dimension while the Spider-Men tease the fact that they can’t tell us that story felt weird for me.
The art in The Spectacular Spider-Men #15 was an upgrade from the previous one. The interesting use of angles and shadows has returned, and with so many characters appearing, the colors, shadows, and movements are more interesting than before. Though it also has several characters outside of Spectacular Spider-Men’s main cast, the cover feels plain, with no background and the characters just posing with each other. It lacks the motion and color that I would expect from the final issue of a series.
Final Thoughts
This series finale is sweet and improved visually, and delivers on cameos and heartfelt moments that feel good despite the rushed ending. However, low stakes, cliffhangers that cannot be resolved, and the lack of an emotional resolution make The Spectacular Spider-Men #15 an underwhelming conclusion to the Spectacular Spider-Men.
