Spider-Man: Long Way Home #1 review

We’re a little over a month away from Spidey’s next big-screen adventure, Spider-Man: Brand New Day. So, of course, what better way for Marvel to build anticipation (or capitalize on it) than to release a brand new series starring the Webhead alongside two other familiar faces set to share the screen with him: Punisher and the Hulk. The three have shared comic panels plenty of times in the past. Sometimes as allies. Other times as antagonists. But in this new story from writer Jonathan Hickman, the trio stands to find themselves coming against each other as full-blown enemies as they become entangled in a mess of cosmic proportions. 

*Mild spoilers ahead for Spider-Man: Long Way Home #1*

Set in a time “before the Punisher,” when the Hulk is “but a whisper of a rumor,” our story begins in Mexico. Specifically, in a Mexican church, where a priest speaks to a man in a confessional. Though uncommon, the confessional has heard its share of Americans’ sins. Usually, those whose sins are of the covert, special ops manner. 

On this day, however, the man in the confessional is neither military nor covert ops. Rather, he is “much, much worse.” Though he refrains from revealing his name, a flash of a radioactive green eye as he removes his sunglasses to rub his weary eyes is all the evidence we need to confirm his identity. 

The story then whisks us away to a covert military operation being carried out by a group of your typical 80’s action movie-style commandos. Amongst them is a familiar face, painted to resemble his infamous skull logo: Frank Castle. Not the Punisher we’re familiar with, though he still uses the moniker as his call sign in the field. 

The group’s target is an A.I.M. facility hidden deep in the jungle, where they’ve been sent to neutralize all operatives and retrieve an item referred to simply as “the device.” As they come upon the facility, however, they find it is already under assault by another group: Hydra. The good news is that the Hydra operatives have effectively cleared a path into the facility. Bad news, Hydra has a head start on them. The much worse news awaits them inside, as Hydra and A.I.M. both quickly become the least of their worries. 

Given that this is a Spider-Man book, you might be wondering where our favorite Webhead is, much less how he fits into what has so far been more of a covert ops story far from New York City. Don’t worry, he soon makes his appearance, albeit in a surprisingly small capacity given it’s his name on the cover. It’s also interesting the way in which he’s drawn into the story, with S.H.I.E.L.D. forcing him from his sleep to board a helicarrier to go deal with an undisclosed problem. You can probably guess what that problem is going to be.

While not a typical Spider-Man story (and not just because he barely appears in this issue), Long Way Home is already building towards something big. And no, I’m not just talking about the inevitable confrontation with the big green elephant in the room. The entire premise is exciting, offering a fresh take on familiar characters without going so far as to create an alternate universe for them. Had Marvel’s official description not told me otherwise, I might have assumed this was just a standalone story set within the main timeline. The differences (so far) are fairly minuscule. The Punisher is a black ops soldier rather than a vigilante, and nobody seems to know who (or what) the Hulk is in this universe. Meanwhile, Spider-Man is seemingly well enough established that S.H.I.E.L.D. not only knows his identity but can call on him to help in situations that require someone with powers. In another story, they might have called upon someone like Captain America, or perhaps even Iron Man. That they chose to call Spider-Man here paints an interesting picture of the world Hickman is crafting. 

But what of the issue itself? Well, for the most part, it feels like an 80’s action movie. If you took out the Marvel elements, it would pass perfectly. There’s lots of shooting, running through a jungle at night, and a terrifying monster chasing down the unfortunate soldiers. It’s a fun ride, and I’m excited to see where Hickman takes us from here. 

Spider-Man: Long Way Home #1 is available now from Marvel Comics.