Radioactive Spider-Man (2025) #1 Review

Another Wednesday, another load of comics hitting your favourite comic book retailers! Today is not just any comic book Wednesday though, today brings us a series which has been highly anticipated since it was first announced, the new Spider-Man series, Radioactive Spider-Man! Will this title live up to the hype and ultimately the Spider-Man legacy? Well, let’s talk about that in our Radioactive Spider-Man #1 Review!

This review will be mostly spoiler free, however, we will discuss minor plot details so if you want to go into this issue completely blind, this is your queue to pick up your issue now and continue this review later.

---

The Review

Image by Marvel Comics

In Radioactive Spider-Man, the X-VIRUS has infected the U.S.A after the detonation of a bomb. Millions were killed, and those who weren’t have been left mutated, including none other than our friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man.

Radioactive Spider-Man #1, after a short intro to explain what is going on in this world, throws you straight into the action. The first thing you will probably notice is Spider-Man, mutated or not, is exactly the Spider-Man we have grown to love – throwing out quips to mock his enemies and just straight up kicking ass. They have really captured this icons energy so perfectly here, absolutely nailed him. The world they have created here however, does feel a little ineffectual. That could just be because we have yet but I really expected more of a post apocalyptic atmosphere.

Not only does this series draw inspiration from X-Men, but even includes one of their most underrated mutants, Cecilia Reyes. Cecilia has often been overlooked, it is nice to see that she will play an integral part to this story as Spider-Man’s partner. Spider-Man has often worked closely with the X-Men, and this opens up many opportunities for Spidey to join them in taking down the series’ big bad.

Image by Marvel Comics

On paper, Radioactive Spider-Man sounded as though it would end up being Marvel’s equivalent to DC’s Absolute Universe, when in actual fact it is way tamer. This series you could absolutely enjoy with your children, maybe not the really young ones, but it just feels like a else world Spider-Man comic. As someone who tends to read the darker, more adult comics out there, I was very surprised with how much I enjoyed this. If anything, at lot of comic books have been borderline too edgy recently, this was a nice break from that.

This is the part of the article where I talk about the artwork. It is beautiful, but unfortunately I’m not a fan of the new suit. At times the webbing on the suit just looks a little scribbly, but that kind of flows with the rest of the comic, the thing that bugs me is the colour. It’s almost a burgundy shade which makes the comic feel a bit more dull when compared to other Spider-Man comics. I do not think in anyway that it is bad thing, in fact it does make for a cool aesthetic comparable to the Absolute Universe, but it just was not what I am used and will take a few issues for me to warm up to I believe.

Considering everything I just said, this issue was a great start for Radioactive Spider-Man. The story is solid and there is some really strong world and character building happening, which is more than enough to keep me reading the series. Cannot wait to see where it goes from here.

Image by Marvel Comics

Radioactive Spider-Man #1 is a great start to this unique and gripping else world story. Writer Joe Kelly has perfectly captured the very essence of this iconic character we have all come to love.

What are your thoughts on the Radioactive Spider-Man #1? Where do you think the series will go from here? Whatever your thoughts and feelings, share them with us in the comment section of this article or on our Instagram page. Until next time, excelsior!

See also: Spiderman Villain Ranking

• ShareCopied to clipboard
• X
• Facebook