A Very Entertaining Webhead Tale!

Spider-Man: The Darkest Hours by Jim Butcher

Hello everyone! I wasn’t intending to take another detour but I quite simply...had too much fun! I haven’t enjoyed myself this much since listening to Realmslayer! For clarification check my review here. https://theorkneynews.scot/2019/02/25/audiobook-review-realmslayer-warhammer-age-of-sigmar-by-david-guymer/

Those of you who have followed my reviews for a while will be aware of the fact that I am something of a casual comic book fan – mostly thanks to watching the Spider-Man cartoon in the 90s. My three part dissertation of sorts on the History of Carol Danvers – Captain Marvel – is all the proof my readers will need. But I think its only fair I give a bit of my history with these Marvel audio productions.

They aren’t actually audio original superhero stories. There is a company which produces prose book adaptations of select comic book storylines ranging from Iron Man classic Extremis and other Spider-Man storyline Kraven’s Last Hunt to recent superheroine superstar Kamala Khan – Ms. Marvel – and her introductory storyline No Normal. But recently it was announced that Dreamscape Media would be releasing not only these and others in audio but producing new audio adaptations of the newer prose books. Strangely I had no awareness of these newer releases at first. I ordered this Spider-Man release out of curiosity, only to realise after the fact it was a Dreamscape release. Now let’s start the review itself with the plot.

Things have been going well recently for Peter Parker. There’s been no world ending supervillains hanging about, him and Mary Jane are peacefully enjoying married life and his job as a grammar school teacher has been going well. Naturally something has to come along and ruin it. The Rhino starts causing chaos in town – big stupid lug – and of course that means it’s time for Spider-Man to make an appearance! But there’s a big problem. The Black Cat – ally and good friend – warns Spidey that The Rhino is just a lure. Years ago Spider-Man defeated a vampiric hunter who hunted through some form of totemic magic. Morlun. And Morlun’s brothers and sister are out for blood! But how can Spider-Man, normal everyday Peter Parker stop beings called The Ancients? And how can he keep MJ safe while trying to stop hunters who care little for collateral damage?

This story is really entertaining. You don’t need to know tons about comic book history – or watch at least a dozen full length films – to get caught up in swinging along the New York skyline with Spidey catching yourself on the silver lining of the clouds. The story does a very good job at giving the gist of previous events so you feel up to speed without stopping to question everything. And the writing is very well done! This story really has captured Spider-Man’s quippy one liners and cheesy jokes really well whilst also managing to pull off the quieter moments. Breakfast scenes with MJ, small talk at work, even the occasional call to Aunt May. It all feels one hundred percent believable. I very easily found myself closing my eyes and seeing everyone of these conversations in my mind’s eye as well as all the action scenes. That makes sense since the story was written by Jim Butcher – author of The Dresden Files series – and I’d be more than happy to see him channel his inner Peter Parker once again. Especially when he is able to make the main villainess Mortia and her brothers chill the blood. She’s enjoying this chance for revenge just a little too much.

The narration was supplied by Jack Meloche and he does a very good job! He is a pitch perfect Spider-Man and his performance as Mortia really makes her feel like a remorseless huntress with only one thing on her mind. Blood. The comparison to vampires is more than apt! His Mary Jane and Black Cat are also very believable as I could easily lose myself in the world his narration provided. I hope to hear him again if Dreamscape do any more Spider-Man stories. Any superhero stories at all! I’ll be keeping an eye and ear out for Jack Meloche just like I do for Johnathan Keeble and Toby Longworth when listening to Warhammer.

The story really is quite the ride! I almost listened to the entire thing in a day because I lost all track of time. You know a story’s good when you look at the clock and can’t believe it! Even if you are only casually interested in superheroes and their ilk I recommend giving this a chance. It can be quite gripping! And if you have any family members who are Marvel Comics or Cinematic Universe fans or webheads? Buy this now! They’ll thank you for it I’m sure! I might just review a few more in future.

In conclusion this story really is quite the package and I recommend it highly. I couldn’t stop grinning while listening or while writing most of this review. I’ll be back when I can but there may be a short review delay for a while. I’ll return as soon as I’m able to finally keep my promise and return to Good Omens!

Sayonara!

Nephrite.

3 people found this helpful

Not what I expected.

I am not a big Marvel fan but I am fan of Jim Butchers work. I enjoyed this version of Spider-Man and it made me care about a villain that, in my younger years, was just a there for the sake of it. If Jim Butcher was to write another one of these or carry on of this version if Spider-Man, I would not hesitate to pick it up.

3 people found this helpful

Entertaining. Helps to know about other “supers”

I picked this up not because it was Spider-Man but because it was written by Jim Butcher, one of my favourite authors.

First the disclaimer - I’ve never read any Spider-Man books, graphic novels or comics, so my only knowledge of him is a couple of the early films. What I failed to appreciate is the presence of so many other “supers” in his stories. This I found distracting. I could happily suspend disbelief in the main character as everything was related from his point of view. The other “supers” though, not so much. I was thinking of giving up on the book, but I am glad I persisted.

The writing is classic Butcher - bags of tension leavened with humour and snark; amazing escapes; a bit of philosophising; a strong moral code in the lead character, and a couple of subplots running alongside the main one.

The narrator was good, giving distinctive voices to all the characters.

I did enjoy it, in the end, though I could have done with a crib-sheet with some background to all the “supers” mentioned so that I could appreciated their significance. But that’s just me. I will probably listed to it again, though not as often as I listen to the Dresden Files.

1 person found this helpful

Great Adventure...

This was a great Spidey story. Managing to convey a tightly woven plot around few characters. It was slightly letdown by the performance of Meloche. His voice felt nasally and monotone, with little to any difference in characters. It's worth a listen, just not the quality of Vox I've come to expect.

my favourite version of spider-man

A story of Peter Parker set during the time when he was still married. I enjoyed it very much.

Didn't expect to love it as much as I did

Going into my first comic novelisation I was skeptical as to whether this would feel like an authentic Spidey experience but it ended up being one of my favourite Spiderman stories to date. The writer is clearly a fan of the character and what Peter Parker is meant to stand for. Characters are written extremely well with each plot point being used as a means to further explore each of Peter's relationships. There's satisfying conclusions to pretty much every plotline and character arc. Can't recommend this enough!

Really enjoyed it (warning nerd written review)

I'm a huge Marvel comics fan and when I saw a Spider-Man novel written by the author of one of my favourite book series I had to give it a listen and I wasn't disappointed. Butcher's clearly a fan of the wall crawler, shown by references in The Dresden Files, and the story is filled with references to classic Spider-Man lore and the wider Marvel universe. However, it's not just an Easter egg hunt.

The main story is set up as a sequel to a more recent Spider-Man comic storyline, from J Michael Straczynski, concerning the aftermath of the big bad of said story, Morlun. I bring this up as a heads up to followers of the comics because this was clearly written before the first Spider-Verse event and contradicts in a few ways how Morlun is later portrayed.

Butcher builds off the ideas from Straczynski's run in a really interesting way and treats the long time characters with respect and dignity, the guy made me feel sympathy for the freaking Rhino I love it when writers make me like the villains. He does a great job balancing drama and comedy, at one point I had to pause for almost five minutes until I stopped laughing.

The story is set before Marvel got rid of Peter and Mary Jane's marriage and I love it. Hearing one support and reassure the other about their struggles is wonderful, whether it be trying to get a part in a play or fighting a trio of ancient soul sucking monsters.

Jack Meloche does a great job as narrator, he's easy to understand and he tells the story well, personally he sounds pretty close to how I imagine an adult Peter Parker would. He even reads other characters lines differently, his Russian accent for Rhino is really fun to listen to and Black Cat is delightfully catty. And the villains he really makes them sound chilling and alien.

Great Spidey title

Very much enjoyed this one. Didn’t know the source material or the “big bads” going into this one, but might go pick up the TPB now I’ve listened to the story.
Great characterisation and brought the villi and including the rhino to life. Having the cat / MJ mixed into this, and the down to earth moments of Peter Parker woven throughout I’d class this as a must for any spider-man fan.
That said, this isn’t just for comic book fans. The performance is great, the story has the right mix of humour and levity to actual tension. Give this a go, and enjoy.

Is Spider-Man darkest good?

This is amazing the performance is great, Jack meloche is a great narrator I really like him narrating,the story is amazing especially rhino part. I really like the music at the beginning, overall it is amazing I would definitely recommend this

Really great story for web heads!

This was a really great spider-man story with just the right amount of humor action and wall crawling action. By the end i had a big smile on my face and I can’t ask more then that.