The Vulturions aren’t exactly marquee menaces in Spider-Man’s world. They’re actually two-bit hooligans who joined forces to claim power and riches after their eventual leader, Honcho duped an imprisoned Adrian Toomes (better known as The Vulture) into spilling the technical secrets of his by-now infamous wings. When Honcho gets out of the slammer, he does so fully prepared to assemble four pair of wings, one for he and the thugs in his crew.

It’s pretty slick getting a look at the first appearance of The Vulturions, but that’s not the only awesome aspect of this story. This particular book also features some of the very scenes that are showcased in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3. I don’t want to completely spoil the story for anyone determined to – at the very least – hunt for a digital copy, but I will say that some of the occurrences centered around the symbiote that clings to Parker are on full display in this issue.

Web of Spider-Man starts on a strong note. I own every issue of this particular Spidey book, and while the later issues took on a more matured degree of intensity, the earlier entries in this series held onto that idea of incorruptibility that Parker has toted off and on since he was bitten by a radioactive spider (which subsequently led to his hefty list of responsibilities) about 55 years ago. Regardless of tone, however, this one is just a lot of fun in general. It’s very charming, in a weirdly nostalgic way.

Personally, I’ve always viewed Web of Spider-Man as the most underrated Spidey book there is. If memory serves me right, just about every major villain in the Spider-Man universe make vengeance fueled appearances. I know we get the chance to see The Vulture, Doc Ock, and The Shocker in the first 20 or 30 issues, but there are quite a few others who also pop up, and those appearances feel heavenly these days.

If you’re interested in getting away from the chaotic position that Marvel has left us in, but you still want to sneak in a little superhero worship, order the paperback collections of the book. They’re cheap, and they offer about 500 pages of solid entertainment.

Rating: 4/5