Spider Punk – Battle of the Banned 

Writer – Cody Ziglar 

Artist – Justin Mason 

Did you ever put comic books aside to read and then have a hard time finding where you put them or what you did with them? That was the case with my issues of Spider-Punk. I was lucky to find a copy of the trade at my local library. 

Hobart “Hobie” Brown is the Spider-Man of Earth 138. He fought the law (President Norman Osborn) but this time the law did not win. A power vacuum has been left in the wake of Osborn’s death and those with villainous intentions are looking to ascend to the top. Hobie and those that round out the self-proclaimed “Spider-Band” must protect the community center they call home from Kraven and his Hunters. Kraven reveals he’s been paid to destroy the center to gain access to a secret Osborn bunker underneath the building. Spider-Punk loads up his Spider-Van to travel to Washington D.C. to find the central hub of Osborn’s operations. It won’t be an easy road trip for Hobie and his friends and there is a surprise waiting for them in the seat of democracy. 

Spider-Punk was the breakout star of both the Spider-Verse comic book crossover in the mid-2010s and the recent animated feature Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Spider-Punk’s character design is absolutely badass and helps him stand out amongst the bevy of other Spider-People. This mini-series delves into the backstory of Hobie as we learn that beneath his cocky and confident exterior beats the heart of a man that is afraid to fail himself and his friends. I won’t talk too much about his friends and foes here, but there are some familiar faces we have seen before with just the slightest twist to differentiate them from their Earth 616 counterparts. My favorite design was Ta$kmaster, the misfit merc sent to back up Kraven and his Hunters at the very end of Issue One. 

Artist Justin Mason and Colorist Jim Charalampidis help bring Earth 138 to stunning life. Their styles mesh very well – taking the punk aesthetic we have seen before and grown to love and adding their own personal touchesz. Some of the neon colors really jump off the page and help add to the action of the story. My favorite sequence is the final battle in Washington D.C. in Issue Five. The art and paneling remind me of battle cut scenes in video games that are in your face, as close as you can get without actually being in the middle of the fray. 

Spider-Punk Battle of the Banned will keep your head banging from start to finish. There is a very deep message of our own society and how we view the haves and have nots that lies beneath the surface of this story that is important now more than ever. I’m sure it will only be a matter of time before we see Hobie back in a sequel mini-series or one shot, most likely before the premiere of Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse in 2024. 

Spider-Punk Battle of the Banned is available to borrow instantly on Hoopla. You can also check your local library to see if its available there as well.