Reviews

Spider-Man: Life Story by Chip Zdarsky

anton25360's review

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4.0

Enjoyed the 60-year view of Peter’s life (1 decade per issue) that showcases his life and relationships through time, including everyone else getting old around him. Also has some good story moments like Ben Reilly and an old Kraven.

johnnywendy's review

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5.0

There are some books that make me regret my rating skill since I tend to skew heavily towards 4 and 5s. I’d like to think it’s because I tend to appreciate people’s efforts and art but maybe I’m just a wimp who doesn’t like to give low scores. Neither here or there. Here, right now, is a wonderful story detailing a continuity of Peter Parker’s story as Spider-Man. It starts early on in his career all the way up to the present day.

It is amazing. I read X-Men Grand Design which was a similar take of collecting all of continuity in one place but that did not work for me at all. It felt all-over the place, random and weird. Chip Zdarsky’s take on Spider-Man felt so much more personal and real. Admittedly, that might be easier when it’s focused on one person versus a group but seeing a life play out over the 6 issues was truly marvelous. The ups and downs and then some more downs of Peter’s life was both exciting as a fan but also deep as a human. There’s the meta portion of it seeing decades of story come together as one cohesive take but there’s also the element of seeing a character go through life and the challenges with that - super problems and otherwise.

I loved this book and makes me regret that I haven’t really read very much Spider-Man. I guess I’ll need to correct that!

dk89's review

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adventurous dark reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

bookishkrys's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional inspiring reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This book takes Peter Parker/Spiderman as if he truly aged over the years. It was incredibly interesting, but also felt…rushed at parts. Some things didn’t make sense. Still a fun read!

3rian's review

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2.0

I love the idea: What if Peter Parker had aged in real-time since his 1960s debut? Each chapter covers a decade and incorporates twists on landmark storylines from Spider-Man's history. I wanted to like this more than I did.

Even though I knew the source material and was open to a remix of plotlines and slightly different characterizations of familiar faces, I just couldn't vibe with the relentlessly depressing tone of the book. Some of my favorite Spidey stories are darker in tone, but even those had glimmers of hope. Not the case here. I'm not sure how accessible this would be to someone not already in the know, anyway.

btdill's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

peeeebs's review

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adventurous dark emotional inspiring reflective relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

It’s a mixed bag but when the art and story is this good it’s hard not to love it. I don’t love the writing done for Peter but I can’t lie it’s very emotionally impactful to see his life play out entirely throughout all 6 issues. The ending is just as hopeful as it is sad.

cmbussmann's review

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3.0

***1/2: nice to see Mark Bagley back on art. Chip Zdarsky’s story is inventive, a great premise: aging Spider-Man in real time from 1962 to the present and using that conceit to reinterpret each decade’s major Spider lore. The problem is that, as a limited series tackling one decade per issue, things are inevitable rushed. Chip also doesn’t really vary his contemporary writing style across the decades so his dialogue feels retroactively anachronistic. That said, I really enjoyed the story: the new wrinkles on familiar events as they unfold in real-time with an aging Peter Parker was engaging.

austinpd24's review

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4.0

Good Sons Book Club: March 2022 (David)

rants_n_reads's review

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adventurous emotional funny tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0