In this issue of The Spectacular Spider-Men #11, the Spider-Men come face to face with the Seelie Court!
THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MEN #11
Writer: Greg Weisman
Art: Andrés Genolet and Von Randal
Main Cover: Emilio Laiso
Variant Cover: Pasqual Ferry
Page Count: 19 pages
Release Date: January 1, 2025
This Review Contains Spoilers
The Spectacular Spider-Men #11 begins with Peter and Miles shrunken and being attacked by Seelies riding on a snail. They are rescued by a Seelie wearing an outfit that resembles theirs who can shoot webs from her mouth. It is revealed that they are in Central Park and were shrunk and captured by the Seelies after they saw Elementary practicing her powers. As she is a human with powers similar to the Seelies, they want to take her to their queen, Mabh, and prince, Oberon, for judgment.
Before judgment is cast, two of the Seelies approach the queen and tell her that Elementary should be spared because she has a beautiful heart. Mabh examines her heart, a bright rainbow glow, and agrees. They examine Jade’s and Mia’s hearts as well as Peter’s and Miles’, who they say have the hearts of heroes, before letting them go. Before they leave the park, Mabh warns Juliet, telling her that she knows her heart has been broken and must be careful because darkness can slip through the cracks.
While this story plays out, it is revealed that Doctor Connors brought his wife and his son to the sewer hideaway that the Spider-Men discovered during the Arcadium arc. They plan to stay there for safety while Doctor Connors works on a cure to turn them back to humans from lizard people. But his son, Billy, escapes and walks the streets of New York, coming across the Electros as they discuss the Spider-Men and their relationship.
The Spectacular Spider-Men #11 ends as the Electros kidnap Billy and use him as leverage to get Doctor Connors to create something to help them defeat the Spider-Men once and for all.
Analysis:
I like it when comics remind us that this is not just a world with incredible science but also magic, so I enjoyed the appearance of the characters in the Seelie Court. The story for The Spectacular Spider-Men #11 had a few good moments, such as the segment where the Seelies examined the hearts of the heroes, but they were overshadowed by the confusion that I felt throughout the majority of the issue.
Until more than halfway through, it felt like I had missed an issue or a story beat, and I even went back to check that there was nothing I had missed out on. The time jumps in The Spectacular Spider-Men #11 did not make that any easier. While the last issue used its time jumps in a way that felt put together and used the information we were already aware of to avoid confusion, this one was disorienting nearly from start to finish.
Throughout the story, I found myself more curious about what was going on with the Electros and Dr. Connors’ family than with the Spider-Men and the Seelie court. The near kiss between the Electros nearly made my jaw drop, and I was hoping we would get to see more of what was going on between them and Dr. Connors, just for it to be shown as another cliffhanger. I was hoping for something that would put the Spider-Men back into the spotlight, as they’ve been playing a supportive role in the last few chapters, but I’ll have to hope we see that in the next issue.
As for the art, I enjoyed the way Elementary is drawn on the cover with all four elements. A few panels stood out, such as the last panel of Dr. Connors’ furious expression. The members of the Seelie Court also had interesting designs, but the environment felt surprisingly dull for all the magic that was shown.
Final thoughts:
Certain moments and character designs shine in The Spectacular Spider-Men #11, but the disjointed narrative and lack of engagement with the main story left me wishing we could move on to the next story beat as fast as possible.
Marvel Comics provided The Comic Book Spot with an advanced copy of The Spectacular Spider-Men #11 for review purposes. Find more reviews here. You can find this comic and help support us in the process by ordering this issue digitally on Amazon or a physical copy of the title through My Comic Shop.
