Spider-Man - Life Story has the potential to be a classic for Marvel, and its not hard to imagine it being a contender for the Eisners and other comic awards this year. A lot will depend on the execution down the line, but with a book firing on all cylinders like this, that hardly seems like itll be a problem. Dont miss out on what may go down as a modern classic. Read Full Review

One of the most thematically rich Spidey stories, not to mention Marvel stories, in years. Read Full Review

Spider-man: Life Story is a wonderful premise and a solid start to the series. There are missed opportunities since the concept deserved a wider breadth. Marvel could have published a mini-series for each decade and still left fans with unanswered questions. Fortunately, any Spider-man fan with at least a passing awareness of the character will find something to enjoy, even if the book is over too soon. Read Full Review

I realize that’s I’m probably jumping the gun here, but I think Spider-Man: Life Story is on track to be a modern(?) classic. This book asks all the right questions, handling the answers gracefully. The visuals are an appropriate update to the character’s origins, embracing the tone of the protagonist’s life and the given setting. Fans new and old will have much to look forward to. Everyone should check it out. Read Full Review

The concept of the series--Spider-Man and a Marvel Universe aging in real-time, with issues a decade apart--is fantastic, and Zdarsky, Bagley, Dell, DArmata, and Lanham are clearly the team to pull it off. This issue is a solid start, using familiar characters and beats (with one extremely tantalizing swerve on the last page) to set up what will hopefully be an exciting study of what makes Peter Parker tick. Read Full Review

Spider-Man: Life Story #1 puts a fresh, exciting spin on a familiar era for Peter Parker. Read Full Review

Chip Zdarsky and Mark Bagley truly created something special with Spider-Man: Life Story #1. Zdarsky truly created something special with this Spider-Man story that makes full use of the 1960s setting. If you are a Marvel fan this is one comic you should not miss out on. Read Full Review

Marvel is hitting it out of the park with their stories, just lately. This one is certainly a mini series that you'll want to watch. Read Full Review

Some might say the book is just a rehash of classic Spider-Man stories, and they wouldn't be wrong. However, the added twist, the change in perspective, is reason enough to justify its existence and to make you wish Marvel decided to do a similar thing for some of its other characters. Read Full Review

For Spider-Man: Life Story, writer Chip Zdarsky and artist Mark Bagley subject the wall-crawler to the biggest punishment of all: the all-too-human horrors of aging. Read Full Review

A good first issue that establishes the main conceit of the series while dropping readers into an unfamiliar world of 1966. This is a celebration of Spider-Man, but also the era in which he originated. Zdarsky and Bagley have got themselves the cleverest of ideas here, most likely to be copied with future heroes. Read Full Review

Which is what makes the book's final two pages " which I'm not going to spoil here " feel all that much more jarring. For now, Spider-Man: Life Story feels a lot like the story we've already read and known and loved before " if anything, it's two other Marvel icons who wind up getting a much more exciting shakeup. That said, some books pay off their slow burn in time, a sort of calculated risk to get readers invested in the characters before the high concept " and there's no denying that Zdarsky and Bagley know how to get readers invested in the Webhead's adventures. Here's hoping that this book continues to distinguish itself further with time. Read Full Review

Zdarsky's take on Spidey hits all the right notes and creates a lot of interesting potential for the future of the run. This should not be missed! Read Full Review

SPIDER-MAN: LIFE STORY is a perfectly remastered and consolidated history lesson for both longtime fans and newcomers. Read Full Review

We all know how it goes. We know it by heart. Putting the "real time" frame on it gives old events a new twist. Chip Zdarsky and artists Mark Bagley and John Dell deliver a solid book but it never quite reaches the wow factor it's hook inspires. The flow of the book is uneven at points but there's enough meat on the bone to bring me back for the second issue. Read Full Review

As a whole, Spider-Man: Life Story is a good initial effort for the mini series, however doesn't truly explore the time period to the fullest extent it maybe should have, instead focusing on just one singular event. The twists and turns do a good job keeping any Spider-Man fan on their toes though and I really am excited to see how these differences play out over the next issues going forward. Some good work, that has room for improvement, but still has me looking forward to next issue. Read Full Review

Marvel's SPIDER-MAN: LIFE STORY #1 is more than just a great nostalgia trip. This series looks to be an intelligent journey into the heart of its themes by way of some pure representations of fan-favorite characters. A loving display of what comics are capable of and where they've been that manages to feel like it's being read with a fresh set of eyes. There is action, thought-provoking writing, and everything you love about a conflicted Spider-Man. Bring on the 70s. Read Full Review

I am not sure who this book is aimed at, if am being totally honest. With the differences between than and now Peter, is there any real resonance for the current Spider-Man reader; is the book too different from the past to service the older fan who has been there and seen that albeit done with more quality and back when it was original? Guess you will have to drop $4.99 to find out. Read Full Review

Spider-Man Life Story #1 is a missed opportunity to do something really great. Instead, the issue is a subpar retelling of a pivotal moment in Peter Parkers character development " and Flash Thompsons too. Perhaps this issue will work as a part of a completed work than on its own, but as it stands this is just a straight misfire. Read Full Review

Awesome!

THE GOOD:

-Wow. I loved this. There's not much else to say. It's a solid premise, with great execution.

-I loved the nostalgic feel of this issue. It's been a while since a series properly reminded me of a class Marvel comic.

-If you've ever been a Spider-Man fan, at any time, this is the series to read.

-I think I liked every character in this issue.

-Mark Bagley's art is damn perfect. And there's not much else to say.

-This war storyline is really quite solid. A nice addition to the storyline.

-Ha ha! The new JJJ is fun, but nothing quite lives up to the old one, as proven by this issue.

-The Flash/Peter dynamic was incredibly solid this issue.

-And wow! Green Goblin was just an incredibly well-executed villain this issue.

-The end was just perfect.

-I'll say it. Chip Zdarsky is the best Spider-Man writer of this generation. If he writes more issue like this, he'll get rid of the Spider-Man and just be the best writer period.

THE BAD:

-Nada more

That ending was genuinely shocking. I loved it. We may be seeing a classic in the making boys and girls!

This was great!

Very Interesting Elseword. Really only thing that doesn't bring me joy is the art.

Four years into his Spidey career, Pete frets over Vietnam, has a major showdown with the Green Goblin, and charts a dramatically different path with his supporting cast. This issue's storytelling lived up to the sky-high expectations set by the premise, just, but I'm slightly worried about Cap's role -- particularly that shocking final scene. It risks overshadowing Spidey; I'm really eager to see if/how their relationship continues to evolve further down the timeline.

Chip always knows how to hit me in the feels.

ok im back and its a very fun issue

While the title of this series is certainly misleading, as this issue only tells of one little bit of the 60s rather than the whole decade (therefore not the “Life Story” of Peter), this issue still managed to hit all the emotional tones that I expected it too. I love classic Spider Man tales and Life Story seems to be no exception. Zdarsky is one fire right now and Bagley was pure gold this issue

Felt like a proper Spidey book straight from the Silver Age. I'm really keen on this idea of Spidey ageing in real time, but the bigger pay off from this issue will probably start from the next issue, once we actually see what's happening in the next decade. I must also mention that I've absolutely loved Bagley's art here, as per usual.

Very different than what I expected but it still was very good. Plays off spiderman history and has some good art to match. The ending to me was a little out of place but lets see what happens

At this point the retelling of a super-heroes origin is as commonplace as variant covers, re-boots, and characters returning from the dead. A retelling of a specific moment or time period is something less customary but that does not guarantee a captivating or entertaining story.

Set in the 1966, four years after a radioactive spider bite transformed teenage Peter Parker into the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, we find a more mature character who is enjoying being a costume crimefighter, but still finds it difficult to talk with girls (even if it’s just his girlfriend Gwen Stacy), deal with his demanding boss J. Jonah Jameson, juggling his life in and out of costume, and struggling with the moral dilemmas of the Vietnam War.

Placing fictional characters in and around real-world events is a tricky proposition for any writer. Using a character like Spider-Man that represents so many different things to different people, to examine the moral complexity of the Vietnam War is, offers a host of pitfalls and hazards. Trying to encapsulate the entirety of such a complex time into thirty-two pages is complete insanity. Fortunately Zdarsky and company don’t attempt such folly but instead offer us a fun Spider-Man tale with just a touch of social commentary. If you are expecting more than you should look elsewhere.

Marvel has always been willing to assimilate modern social issues into the pages of their comics with a balanced, almost apolitical approach. Walking a fine line between progressive relevance and simplistic moral conservatism in order to appear “woke” but without the problems that come with taking sides on any issue. This book follows the same formula debating between patriotic duty the moral ambiguity of war, only to interrupt the argument with the relatively straightforward problem of a maniacal Green Goblin threatening to blow up a bar full of innocent people - only to end with a simple message of “Trust your heart”.

If you are looking for anything more meaningful out of mainstream superhero comics I am afraid you will be disappointed more often than not. That being said, this is a fun Spidey book with a retro feel, featuring terrific art that does at least try to offer some interesting things to think about. Do we really need, or even want more out of a Spider-Man comic?
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I'm not into this. Don't get me wrong: the idea of Spider-Man's story through the decades and real events is intriguing, but the execution is poor. I don't even get what the target is for this. Hardcore fans will know 3/4 of the things here and new fans will be confused by all the references. Everything is too quick, if you're not a huge fan you will feel lost because the pace is terribly rushed.