Fan created series features married Spider-Man

       Fan fiction is a dirty term. It conjures up images of Mary Sue’s, shipper wars and poor storytelling. Perhaps there is some good fan fiction out there, but when 99 percent of it is poor, it’s hard to look at anything labeled fan fiction seriously. Against odds, one particular piece of fan fiction has gotten some attention.       

            The series is called “Spider-Man: Crawl Space” and it’s received attention from various places on the internet. Spiderfan.org, one of the biggest and oldest Spidey-sites, wrote “We don't normally get involved with Fan Fiction, but this looks substantial enough to merit a mention”. What is it that makes this different from what other fan created series?

            “Spider-Man: Crawl Space” is a fan created series written by aspiring writer Kevin Cushing. Some Spider-Man fans know Kevin as a panelist on the “Spider-Man Crawl Space Podcast” and an administrator on its message board (for which the series is named after). The series features Spider-Man and Mary Jane’s continuing adventures as a married couple.

The series diverts from continuity after the “Kraven’s First Hunt” storyline which is a surprising choice. Many would have expected Cushing to discount “Brand New Day” entirely and branch off earlier. Throughout the first six installments (and one special) the Mephisto deal is reversed, Norman Osborn is murdered, the Daily Bugle is destroyed and we meet a previously unseen member of the Parker family. 

There is an understanding of the character evident in the writings. Peter’s reminiscing about Aunt May during issue 2 is surprisingly more heartfelt and spot on than I’ve seen some comic writers produce. Kevin also pulls from different points in Spider-Man’s history to bring characters and elements into his stories, including the return of a certain Osborn many people have forgotten. There are some weaknesses here and there though.

            Many supporters of the series applaud Cushing for his portrayal of Carlie Cooper. I don’t see it. I find her placement in the series minor and it’s a role I could easily see filled by almost any other female supporting cast member. Mary Jane’s reaching out for friendship to her seems overly aggressive and random.       

I almost didn’t write a review for this because I feared it may be unfair due to some bias. Kevin Cushing is someone I’ve listened to on podcasts for years, argued with and agreed with on message boards and even personally corresponded with. Would I be able to review this fairly? After some debate I decided there was no bias issue. Every comic reviewer has some sort of bias going into whatever reviews their writing. If you’re a Judd Winick hater, there is bias going into reviewing a Winick comic.

            This extends to reviewers of all media. However was I more than averagely biased in this case? Looking back, I haven’t hesitated in the past to tell Cushing that an idea or opinion of his is one I don’t find accurate. The more I thought about things, the more I realized how bias is one of the biggest factors in the success or failure of “Spider-Man: Crawl Space”.

            Those who are against the current direction of “Amazing Spider-Man” and want the marriage reinstated may look at the series in a different light, hoping for it to succeed. Those who have a preconceived opinion of fan fiction and are enjoying the current Spidey books make look down on the series going in. Kevin Cushing is also an administrator of a popular Spider-Man website where he has made friends and enemies. It appears “Spider-Man: Crawl Space” is having a constant battle with bias.

            Forget bias. Forget your preconceived feelings on Spider-Man’s current direction. Forget your feelings on fan fiction. Check out the series with an open mind. You may be surprised at what you find.

Check out the series here.