Spider-Man: Reign By Kaare Andrews

Thirty years in the future and all hope is lost. New York City is terrified of terrorism and will do anything to protect itself. Even if that means imprisoning the city in a big laser powered barrier, ironically called the Webb. The Webb is meant to keep the terrorists out and the citizens, good and bad, trapped in.

Peter Parker is old now and long ago gave up the fight to protect the city as Spider-Man. Disillusioned and half crazy, he spends his days talking to his long dead wife, Mary Jane. J. Jonah Jameson, Peter's old boss, is now an even crazier old man who has sold the Daily Bugle to a corrupt corporation controlled by the the even more corrupt politicians. Of course there is a little more to the story line that involves some background knowledge of Spider-Man, but if you've seen any of the movies you should be somewhat prepared to read the futuristic Spider-Man: Reign.

Kaare Andrews writes and draws Spider-Man like no other, making him seem dark and angst ridden. The characters are all lean and full of emotion. This Spider-Man could not be played by Tobey Maguire. The novel is too dark and full of despair for the youthful innocence of the movie's Spider-Man. He cracks none of his signature jokes and doesn't even don his signature red and blue spidey suit until the end of the novel. Although, for classic Spider-Man fans there are some old super villains to be fought.

This book would probably be good for older middle school students and up. There is quite a bit of violence, blood, and death in this novel so I would keep it away from the younger Spider-Man fans. But there is a message, as there often is in Marvel comic books. Andrews uses the story to tell of a city so scared of terrorism that it puts itself in a cage locked away from the rest of the world with no hope or truth.