One of Spider-Man‘s many hi-tech Spider-Bots has become a multiversal hero in a series that shows how Marvel can best utilize its Infinity Comics format. As part of the lineup of Infinity Comics exclusive to the Marvel Unlimited app, the Spider-Bots have been given their own series, and the unique format lets charm and humor in this series designed to be fun and kid-friendly. In its latest mission, a Spider-Bot teams up with the Inhuman’s trusty hound, Lockjaw.
The Spider-Bots have gotten up to a wide-array of antics since getting their own solo series, from fetching a sandwich for Peter Parker to taking down a Spider-Bot symbiote. Written by Jordan Blum with art by Alberto Alburquerque, Spider-Bot #7 sees the bots helping out Miles Morales, one of three current Spider-Men in the main Marvel Universe, with a school project. When Ms. Marvel shows up asking for Miles’ aid, she leaves behind Lockjaw, the Inhuman’s royal dog. The Spider-Bots are tasked with babysitting Lockjaw, and things go south quickly. With a bot webbed to his collar, Lockjaw goes on a sprint through the Multiverse, taking quick stops in some strange places, including the home of Spider-Ham, Larval Earth, the Marvel Zombies universe, and the 1960s Spider-Man cartoon, interrupting the iconic “Spider-Men pointing at each other” meme, before joining the battle with Miles and Ms. Marvel, just in time to make a heroic save.
While Spider-Bot is not likely to start any multiverse-shattering events, the series embodies exactly what the Infinity series offers for Marvel Comics. Spider-Bot is a series that, most likely, would not survive as a printed comic. There isn’t exactly a massive market for 10-page stories about Spider-Man’s obscure gadgets, but making it an app-exclusive gives Marvel a place to tell stories that are less marketable, but still have potential. On top of that, reading comics on a phone can be clunky and awkward, but Infinity Comics avoid that by being in a continuous scroll format, helping readers new to digital reading an easy way to get started.
Even with the low-risk format and app-exclusivity, the series is written with charm. Spider-Man is known as much for his quips and humor as he is for his powers, and the Spider-Bots capture that same energy. In the bot’s Multiverse tour with Lockjaw, it makes plenty of fourth-wall breaking jokes and nods to other properties outside Marvel’s main canon. The bots bring all of Spidey’s energy to the mobile platform, packaged in a bunch of puppy-sized spider robots.
While Spider-Bot is unlikely to get its own print series one day, it does embody how successful Marvel has become with their Unlimited app. The digital backlog of comics will always be the Marvel Unlimited app’s main selling point, but giving new writers freedom to explore niche ideas without the pressure of physical sales can’t be understated. While the Unlimited app is far from perfect, the treat of seeing Spider-Man‘s adorable pet Spider-Bots scurry through the multiverse in their own Infinity Comic is worth the download.
