I do not think that there can ever be enough books about anything and I say that knowing that some of them are going to be about Pilates.The more knowledge the better seems like a solid rule of thumb, even though I have watched enough science fiction films to accept that humanity’s unchecked pursuit of learning will end with robots taking over the world.-Sarah Vowell

Wednesday, September 16, 2026

Spider-Man Noir: The Gwen Stacy Affair by Erik Larsen (Writer), Andrea Broccardo (Artist), Marika Cresta (Artist), VC's Joe Sabino and Travis Lanham (Letterer), and Simone Di Meo (Cover Artist)


Set in 1939, right before the invasion of Poland, Peter Parker is a private eye whose business is failing and who has lost his apartment, going back and forth through history and different worlds to help.  His relationship with Mary Jane also fell apart, and his Aunt Mae knows about his secret identity, but deplores his use of guns.  He uses them because he is often outnumbered by gangsters with lots of guns.  He is about to lose his office, where he is currently living, if he doesn't get a client soon to pay the rent.  Then, a beautiful young woman named Gwen Stacy walks through his door, asking him to look into her father's, Chief Commissioner Gordon's, death.  She doesn't trust the cops because her father told her not to.  

Peter has been working on putting away the Scorpion Gang and uncovers that her father was a member of the gang, taking a cut of criminal activity.  Peter is also busy dealing with homegrown Nazis wanting to take over America and join Germany in taking over the world.  A German scientist, working on monstrous things, gets put away by Peter, but one of her experiments escapes and starts zapping energy from men.  Peter gets zapped and loses his Spidey powers. Now he's not sure how to help his city.  Also, it turns out that he killed Gordon in self-defence, but how can he tell Gwen that when she wants vengeance for her father and the two of them are kindling a romance?

The language is pure 30s and 40s slang, and the dark artwork places you in the noir setting. I really liked how the lettering that was used when Parker was thinking- squares were used with an old-fashioned typewriter font, which takes you back to another time and place.  This graphic novel is my first introduction to Spider-Man Noir in his own time and place.  I think that I'm going to go back to the beginning and read what happened before this novel.  Erik Larsen, the author of this book, has written many comics, including:  Savage Dragon, Spider-Man, Aquaman, Wolverine, Nova, The Defenders, Thor, the Doom Patrol, Captain America: The End, and Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Comics Magazine.








 

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