Writer: Tom Taylor

Art: Juan Cabal, Nolan Woodward, Federico Blee, and VC’s Travis Lanham

Cover Price: $3.99

Release Date: May 8th, 2019

The Sinister 60, a Spider sidekick, and the Heart of New York City all in this week’s Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #6 by Tom Taylor. Let’s swing into this brilliantly heartwarming issue!

WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!

The Sinister 60!!!

This issue opens in a very confusing way. This reviewer wondered why we had a special box that was the heart of New York City and how Spider-Man could just openly expect this new pint-sized sidekick to help him out of nowhere. But even though I was confused, I knew Tom Taylor’s track record required him the benefit of the doubt to explain what’s happening when the time was right. So, I kept reading wondering if I missed an issue somewhere along the way.

Turns out, I didn’t miss anything because Taylor introduces the Sinister SIXTY, which is where everything began to make more sense….. kind of. This was definitely a dream.. or at least I thought. However, what was the point of the dream? How did Spidey get stuck in a dream? So, like every fan, I read on through Juan Cabal’s amazing panel layouts that walked readers through the epic battle between Spidey, Spider-Bite, and the Sinister Sixty ( again 60… 6-0). Each panel flowed into the next showing a play by play of how the two arachnid heroes defeated their greatest foes one by one. Not only was Cabal’s illustrations great, but Nolan Woodward and Federico Blee’s colors were sharp, vibrant, an elevated the mood of the issue. The dynamic duo of Woodward and Blee brought the issue to life while this reviewer’s eyes danced along with each page.

Tom Taylor’s got Heart

Taylor then throws two huge twists into the issue that this Spidey fan never saw coming. The first twist was that the mastermind behind this evil plan of ”stealing the heart of New York City” was non-other than Stilt-Man! You betcha, Stilt-Man whose stilts can grow as tall as a skyscraper after his upgrades. Now, as much fun as this issue was, here is when Taylor lays it on extra thick (with 3 c’s) and pulls the old switch-a-roo. Readers finally see that this wasn’t a dream and that Spider-Man was actually in a Children’s Hospital playing imagination with a little boy named Nathan. This boys dream was to be Spider-Man for the day.

After Spidey is done playing with his new sidekick, Nathan’s parent pulls Peter aside to tell him that their son is scared to go to sleep because he’s afraid that he may never wake up. Now, this is where I totally lost it. Being a father of three little boys myself, I can tell you that I never want to see them scared, hurt, alone, frightened, or ever have to go through anything in which they had to battle for their life at the age of 9. Something like cancer, for example, is difficult for any adult let alone a child. But seeing Nathan’s simple fear of not waking up crushed this reviewer making me feel so helpless and praying that I never have to watch my children go through this.

As a parent, we just want to take their pain, fear, and insecurities away. No one wants to see their child suffer. Nathan’s parents were at a loss and didn’t know how to help their child but they tried their best to give him his wish. However, once the wish is over, its back to the norm. And at that moment, all of Nathan’s fears rush back like a tidal wave and Taylor uses his narrative genius to show comic readers how truly amazing Spider-Man is as a hero and a human being. Taylor ends the issue with Spider-Man taking Nathan on a web-swinging tour of the city all night long in order to get his mind off of his greatest fear.

Final Thoughts

Tom Taylor brilliantly hits fans right where it counts while still managing to make this issue fun, exciting, and full of life. Taylor let’s loose and throws every possible rogue in Spidey’s path while finding a way to warm readers hearts by the end. In addition, the art team captures the mood of the story so well by drawing readers in with their crisp, vivid colors that light up the page and complement Taylor’s writing so well. If you’re a Spider-Man fan, comic book fan, or even just a parent, this issue is for you. Just be warned that you may shed a tear before it’s over. Excellent job to all involved!