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Publisher:  Marvel
Writer:  Cullen Bunn
Artist:  Dan Brereton
Cover:  David Aja

“The Spider’s Song”: After reading Immortal Weapons # 1, I was so excited to get this book and learn more about the next Weapon that I never considered the alternative – that I would be sorely disappointed. Now I’ve spoken to many people about this title and seen several opinions about this issue, and it seems as if I am in a small minority.

This tale focuses on The Bride of Nine Spiders and begins in 1935.  Martial arts master Murderous Lion has just defeated one thousand enemies to prove himself worthy to be the Bride’s mate. She on the other hand, feels as if the opponents were just fodder and could barely be called warriors.  Not one to stand around and let a woman berate him, Murderous Lion attacks the Bride and draws first blood!  By the end of the fight both have been mortally wounded, and the Bride stumbles off into a portal. One of her spiders in particular has been wounded, and watches as his mistress disappears into the portal leaving it stranded in our world.

Fast forward about 70 years and the spider is being auctioned off, and two bidders seem very interested in the acquisition.  Upon winning, the young man Desmond Guille is warned by rival bidder Mrs. Morse, that he doesn’t know what he’s truly acquired with the spider, and lets him know it’s a key to a door that should never be opened. He rudely assures her that unlike his father, he knows what he is doing. Many months later he is not heard from, and so Mrs. Morse assembles a team to steal the Singing Spider. From here on, the story turns into a sci/fi horror B movie, and not a good one either.

After giving it several reads, I found that Cullen Bunn’s story doesn’t give near enough info on the Bride and how she came to be. When it’s over you still don’t know who she is, and you have but the smallest pieces of her personality. There is nothing wrong with mystery, but when the audience is just left clueless it seems like a waste. It is evident that the Bride in the beginning of the story isn’t the same one that shows up later in the story, but how did she get the title? What was her story in that 70 year gap? These are but a couple of the many questions that came up as I read this.  Dan Brereton’s art was decent, though at some times it seems like he was in a hurry. I mean, how much cross hatching does one face need?

The Caretaker backup story by Duane Swierczynski provided 6 pages of a more intriguing story. Iron Fist is still trying to help his young student find her kidnapped little brother, and hopefully stop her from going down a dark path.

I’m going to stick with the series and hope this one bad apple doesn’t spoil the bunch!

Infinite Speech
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