For those unaware, there's a prequel novel (321 pages, 37 chapters + epilogue) to the upcoming Marvel's Spider-Man called "Hostile Takeover." It's written by David Liss and is set several months before the events of the game, and even leads directly into its opening. I've been wanting to discuss it for a while now and thought that it would be the perfect time for a thread now that the game is only 7 days away!
The cover illustration is by Alexander Lozano and yes, I wish that was the game's cover as well...
Anyway, first off, I definitely recommend the book; it's a great introduction to Insomniac's Marvel Universe. We get to know their version of Peter and MJ, and I especially enjoyed how their relationship was written. More importantly, however, it really fleshes out Spider-Man's relationship with one Wilson Fisk. Understanding Spidey's struggle fighting the Kingpin over the past 8 years is sure to make it all the more satisfying when we he's brought to justice in the game itself.
I do have two major issues with the novel, sadly:
Moving past the negatives, there are some pretty exciting things the novel sheds a light on with regards to Insomniac's Marvel Universe, its characters, and what we may find in the game!
So if you're dying to play the game and wanna learn more about Insomniac's rendition of the ol' Web-Head without spoiling yourself, or simply want a good Spider-Man story, then you cannot go wrong with this. Great way to spend this final seven days of waiting. Well, you know, if you can make the book last that long.
Also, kind of not really related, but this was my first E-book. That was pretty damn neat. I can totally see the appeal of the medium now and I think I'm changing my mind on them. Don't get me wrong, I didn't think they were bad at all, but I just loved physical books so much that I thought the idea of me going digital with my books was silly. Fuck that. It is incredibly convenient being able to read a book like I was reading posts here on ERA. Unlike physical books, I can just put it down without having to hold down either sides and easily read it. I can take notes and easily bookmark. It's amazing! E-books are cool.
Amazon Link
Google Play Store Link
The cover illustration is by Alexander Lozano and yes, I wish that was the game's cover as well...
Anyway, first off, I definitely recommend the book; it's a great introduction to Insomniac's Marvel Universe. We get to know their version of Peter and MJ, and I especially enjoyed how their relationship was written. More importantly, however, it really fleshes out Spider-Man's relationship with one Wilson Fisk. Understanding Spidey's struggle fighting the Kingpin over the past 8 years is sure to make it all the more satisfying when we he's brought to justice in the game itself.
I do have two major issues with the novel, sadly:
- I was worried that all of the characters introduced in the novel (i.e. not yet seen in the game's trailers and not appearing in the game as far as we know) would, by the end of the book, find some reason to not show up in the game. Sadly, that does happen to all of them.
- Anika Adhikari, an original character introduced in the novel as Peter's new co-worker, was a fun character and I liked her a lot. I was hoping to see her in the game. Cool, right? Well too bad, because she gets fridged. *sighs*
Moving past the negatives, there are some pretty exciting things the novel sheds a light on with regards to Insomniac's Marvel Universe, its characters, and what we may find in the game!
- Some other Spider-Man villains are briefly mentioned, such as The Lizard and Gibbon. I'd never even heard of the latter before, so that was a fairly pleasant surprise.
- Daredevil exists in this universe.
- Peter's boss/mentor from work is left completely unnamed, but thankfully it doesn't feel forced at all as he wasn't present in the story. We do learn what their work is all about, though: prosthetic limbs. Curt Connors, perhaps? My bet is still on Otto Octavius, though. (theory for the game, i.e. potential game spoilers) Especially since The Lizard was already mentioned in the book.
- Two of the major characters in the novel are Maya Lopez and Michael Bingham, better known as Echo and Blood Spider, respectively. Maya was such a cool surprise as she was a character I met in one of my favorite Marvel books, Bendis' New Avengers. Blood Spider was exciting as I didn't know the character much but his introduction in the novel was intriguing.
- We meet a police officer named "Jeff Davis." He is almost definitely, in my opinion, Jefferson Davis. The father of Miles Morales. While he's not a cop in the Ultimate Universe, the upcoming Into the Spider-Verse film depicts him as a police officer so Insomniac/David Liss could have taken inspiration from that. Or... not. He was a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent in the comics, so it's not such a stretch for two new unrelated versions of him to be cops instead of a spy.
- Not much of a surprise, but Norman Osborn is definitely a bad guy despite not being the Green Goblin. I expected him to not be the Goblin and while that was technically not confirmed, he's still regarded as a very dangerous man that Peter isn't exactly fond of.
So if you're dying to play the game and wanna learn more about Insomniac's rendition of the ol' Web-Head without spoiling yourself, or simply want a good Spider-Man story, then you cannot go wrong with this. Great way to spend this final seven days of waiting. Well, you know, if you can make the book last that long.
Also, kind of not really related, but this was my first E-book. That was pretty damn neat. I can totally see the appeal of the medium now and I think I'm changing my mind on them. Don't get me wrong, I didn't think they were bad at all, but I just loved physical books so much that I thought the idea of me going digital with my books was silly. Fuck that. It is incredibly convenient being able to read a book like I was reading posts here on ERA. Unlike physical books, I can just put it down without having to hold down either sides and easily read it. I can take notes and easily bookmark. It's amazing! E-books are cool.
Amazon Link
Google Play Store Link
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