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This week, we’re discussingSymbie #1, the physical collection of the 2026 Marvel Unlimited Series,Symbie;Marvel Mutts #18;and a tie-in toAmazing Spider-Man.Plus, Civil War: Unmasked #3!
It’s Symbie #1
Writers:Jacob Chabot, Mackenzie Cadenhead, Joe Kelly
Artists: Rachelle Rosenberg, Enid Balam, Pepe Larraz, Nick Bradshaw, Nathan Stockman, and Cory Smith.
Colorists: Andrew Dalhouse, Marte Gracia, Erick Arciniega
Cover Artisst: Jacob Chabot & Rachelle RosenbergLetterer: VC’s Joe Sabino, VC’s Joe Caramanga
There looks to be a lot to talk about with the eleven content issues Marvel is providing, so we’ll break this up to make it easier
First, we’ll talk about Symbie #1-6,which overall is a pretty fun read. The humor really uses Symbiote’s symbiote biology to engage in various hijinks across the Marvel universe. Whether that humor sticks is entirely up to the reader, but for me, it made me smile more than chuckle. The interactions with the Marvel heroes are all amusing, especially when they drag Spider-Man into it, and each section doesn’t feel like it overstays its welcome. Neither joke feels as if it comes at the expense of a character’s established personality, which is great.
The best one, in my opinion, is the Thor one, only because I think any joke that involves Mjolnir’s weight is an entertaining one, but there isn’t a bad joke all around. I could see how these were enjoyable on a mobile platform, something quick and digestible to read. The art is also very appealing and captures each character’s expression amazingly. I’m actually very interested in seeing more ofRachelle Rosenberg‘s art on these characters
After Symbie was Marvel Mutts #18. Which, personally, I don’t think was as fun to read as the initial ones. The advantage of Symbieis the dialogue of the characters and their reactions to Symbie’s behavior. The mutts of marvels don’t have dialogue, so all of their reactions are read through their expressions, and for me, that didn’t work super well. I also have to be honest, I don’t know the pets of Marvel characters very well. I recognized Cosmo and Lockjaw, but everyone else felt like a blur, especially since most of them just felt like normal dogs, so minus Lockjaw’s teleportation powers, nothing of interest happened with Symbie and the puppies. But, on the plus side. You do get to see puppies, and it has a pretty cute ending that made me audibly swoon thanks to Enid Balam‘s cute art.
Finally, time to talk about Amazing Spider-Man. This one is difficult to review in a vacuum; there’s context for the issue that readers would miss if they didn’t have experience with Joe Kelly’s time on ASM. Peter’s time in space is a great departure from what he’s normally doing. These new characters with him are so extreme and unique both in design and personality that if you don’t even know their names, there’s a large chance you’ll end up more confused than not, especially Raelith’s and Peter’s relationship. There’s just a lot to unpack, and I’m not sure why Marvel included this in the collection. Symbie’s role in these issues is next to none, and the page-to-page transition between issues is nonexistent. One second, Peter and Symbie are locked in combat, and then, on the next page, the entire crew is on Earth. I feel as if this brief look into what’s going on with Spidey and his Space Friends is more confusing than appealing. I can see why Marvel would want to have a call to action to pick up Amazing Spider-Manat the end of this, but this wasn’t the way to do it.
Overall, this collection is very charming, but I don’t see it endearing anyone to Symbie any time soon. The issue shows that he’s mischievous and cute, but reminds readers right at the end that he’s part of an arguably strange moment in Peter Parker’s lifestyle. I’m also unfortunately not the best target audience for this, since I never bought into the Jeff the Shark hype. For me, I’ll have to give this a Weak Browse. But if you’re a Symbie fan, you’re likely already excited to add this to your physical collection, and I’m more than excited for you to have it.
Rapid Rundown!
- Civil War: Unmasked #3
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Civil War: Unmasked #3 With the 20th anniversary of the beloved Civil War mini-series, Marvel has activated the memberberries with a mini-series that dances between the panels with untold tales of certain characters during that period. In full disclosure, I haven’t read the previous Unmasked issues, I just randomly jumped in because every comic should be a person’s first comic, and that part was accomplished. With no real expectations for this book, I was, in fact, pleasantly surprised by this poignant and very personal story. Writer Christos Gageand artist Edgar Salazargive us time with the new Goliath, Tom Foster, nephew of Bill Foster, the former Goliath who was killed during the events of Civil War. Tom is a replacement character and is really a C-lister in the Marvel Universe, so for Gage to give him more depth in dealing with his grief and rage over the murder of his heroic uncle and his disbelief of Tony and Steve’s reconciliation after the events of Civil War, as if nothing mattered. Also of note, Gage gets to wrap up a storyline that had been left unresolved in a different comic is a nice easter egg in its incorporation into the story. Overall, Salazar’s artwork is fun, with some cool fights, but as a New Yorker, this comic should come with a trigger warning, especially today in New York City, with concerns of buildings collapsing. All in all, it’s a solid book, and I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed it. – GC3
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Read past installments of the Marvel Rundown here!
Next Week? What if Jessica Jones got bitten by the spider? Marvel Zero (2026) details upcoming events for the Marvel Universe, and Punisher and Spider-Man go head-to-head!
