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Spectacular Spider-Month Fashion Friday: Spider-Men

Comic Books

Spectacular Spider-Month Fashion Friday: Spider-Men

Spidered men? Spiders-Man? Spider-Men? Whatever it is, we’re here ranking all their best looks!

Spectacular Spider-Month Fashion Friday: Spider-Men

In celebration of everyone’s favorite web-head, July is Spectacular Spider-Month at AiPT! We have a series of amazing articles in store for the month. Movies, television, gaming, and of course comics will all be covered with great responsibility as we honor one of comics’ greatest heroes.

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Here’s a simple fact we can all agree on: Peter Parker isn’t the only Spider-Man. Heck, he’s not even the only Peter Parker! Here’s something slightly more controversial: not all of Peter Parker’s costumes are created equal. And, here’s something even more controversial: Peter Parker’s costumes aren’t the best of the Spider-Men. Quickly eclipsed by Miles Morales, spidered men of different nations, and more, Peter has a lot of competition to keep up with. Which non-Peter is the best one, though? We’ve brought in Manga Editor Eric Cline, Contributor Nathan Simmons, and Content Manager and Comics Podcast co-host David Brooke to answer that very question. Check it out below!

Scarlet Spider I (Ben Reilly)

Spectacular Spider-Month Fashion Friday: Spider-Men

Credit: Marvel

 

Forrest: This Scarlet Spider is so close to perfect. They channeled a lot of the aesthetic of Peter’s suits while changing enough up to feel unique, especially the all red bodysuit, but then missed the mark with the pointless ankle and wrist pouches. I’ve been looking for that hoodie my entire life… 7/10

Eric: A simple suit that lets the embellishments add personality without getting too busy. In other words, I dig the hoodie. 8/10

Dave: Full disclosure I own this blue sweater top with the arms cut off. That said, I think this is a costume that needs to grow on you. It reads very much like a man in disarray hence the thrown together sweater. The ankle pouches are great 90s touches if you’re into that sort of thing too. 8/10 

Nathan: This one has always felt a little odd to me due to the roomy hoodie over the skintight leotard, which seem to be at opposite ends of the design spectrum. Still, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a bit of nostalgic love for this one. 6/10

Scarlet Spider II (Kaine Parker)

Spectacular Spider-Month Fashion Friday: Spider-Men

Credit: Marvel

Forrest: I’m going to be a little contrarian now, and say that THIS Scarlet Spider needs something. I think a little web pattern or a touch of color on the feet or mask would do it. I do love the wrist spikes (not pictured) though. 6/10

Eric: Meh. It’s not offensively ugly but it does nothing for me. 6/10

Dave: I love the inverted red eyes and black head. He’s evil, but not too evil. It’s quite simple though and I can attest the action figure is a bit boring when posed. 5/10

Nathan: I think it’s cool, albeit a little on the nose in terms of incorporating the “scarlet” into the suit. I also feel like it’s missing a webbed pattern. Otherwise, it’s fine. 6/10

Spider-Man (Miles Morales)

Spectacular Spider-Month Fashion Friday: Spider-Men

Credit: Marvel

Forrest: See how there’s that linework on the gloves? That’s what’s missing from Kaine’s suit — an all-encompassing aesthetic that like everything else about the suit, and Miles’ whole identity, was so thought out from the get go that you can’t help but love it. I think the thrown together, spray paint look in Spider-Verse also works well for the teenage angle, but this is very good 9/10

Eric: A modern classic. The layout of the red webbing against the black is really great, and it reads completely as Spider-Man despite being so different from the classic red and blue. 9/10

Dave: How on earth did this design work and it doesn’t look evil?! The use of black typically lends a more villainous feel but not so here. The white eyes certainly help. The red fingers give the hands a gloved look I dig and the spider symbols might top the original costume’s spider symbols. A good “newer” look. 9/10

Nathan: This costume rules. It feels new and different without trying too hard. This is how you use negative space in a suit design. The logo pops beautifully. 9/10

Spider-Man 2099 (Miguel O’Hara)

Spectacular Spider-Month Fashion Friday: Spider-Men

Credit: Marvel

Forrest: Drop the super impractical wrist spikes and I’m there. The color scheme, the over-the-top detailing, the ridiculous webbing cape, it all screams not your MJ’s Spider-Man and I’m with it. 8/10

Eric: YEEEEAAAAH BOY!!!!!!! 10/10

Nathan: I always think it’s just nostalgia that gives me a love for this suit, but then I remember how rad it really is, every time I see it. The sweet wrist spikes, the talon fingers, and the suit made out of a crazy person’s hang glider (and that’s canon, folks) all add up to my favorite Spidey suit next to the O.G. 10/10

Dave: I love this costume. The skull chest, the spiked gauntlets, and the webbing under the armpits are all so iconic. It’s practically better than the original costume. Practically… 9/10

Superior Spider-Man (Otto Octavius)

Spectacular Spider-Month Fashion Friday: Spider-Men

Credit: Marvel

Forrest: This is much better than the Iron Spider, largely because it actually suits Otto’s character, unlike Peter, but also because it’s so significantly less garish than all the gold. The claw hands rule, the sleek look of the legs is cool and slightly alien feeling, and the red to black fade really works thematically as well. I’m as big a fan of this as I am of Superior Spider-Man which is to say a lot 9/10

Eric: As with the Iron Spider look of Peter’s, I dig the mechanical arms, but not this actual suit. 5/10

Nathan: Not wild about the gauntlets, but I love the color scheme on this one. It’s very clean and I love the reflective eyes. 8/10

Dave: What sells me on this costume is the use of black. This is a darker Spider-Man for obvious reasons. The web, at least in the recent run, is also dark further aligning with the aesthetic. 9/10

Spider-Punk (Hobart Brown)

Spectacular Spider-Month Fashion Friday: Spider-Men

Credit: Marvel

Forrest: All the other spiders dump on Hobie solely because his costume is one of the best across the ‘verse. Simply put, Spider-Punk F**ks. 9/10

Eric: I’m a fan of silly looks. The spikes and jacket work really well with the classic expressive mask. 8/10

Nathan: It’s goofy, but I also love how far this one goes to stand out. The Mohawk spikes are a ludicrous and wonderful touch. 7/10

Dave: The mask is what makes this due to the spiked mohawk. The way the lines break the top of the chest and torso into two pieces is also very pleasant on the eye. 8/10

Spider-Ham (Peter Porker)

Spectacular Spider-Month Fashion Friday: Spider-Men

Credit: Marvel

Forrest: The big fault with Ham’s design is that his nose looks like a smaller face. It makes any angle aside from this one confusing, toys are especially bad, and it’s such an easy fix that I can’t help but think someone out there wants it that way. Why? Other than that, a simple, funny but not really engaging design. 5/10

Eric: I think I’m the only person I know who doesn’t like Spider-Ham. 4/10

Nathan: I wanna boop his mask-snout! 10/10

Dave: I never understood that damn nose! The design of this costume is moreso a good one because of the stubby arms and legs. This thing ain’t human. 7/10

Spider-Man U.K. (William Braddock)

Spectacular Spider-Month Fashion Friday: Spider-Men

Credit: Marvel

Forrest: I’ve always been impressed with how smartly done this one is. Both characters elements are immediately recognizable and still somehow fashion-forward. 8/10

Eric: Another simple and silly look. As a gag, it works. 6/10

Nathan: It’s an elegant mix of classic Spidey and Captain Britain, without overthinking it! 8/10

Dave: I’ve always been fond of this costume for one reason and one reason alone: Spider-Man UK is a bulky dude. He’s not sleek and slender like Spider-Man so he can pull off the top of this costume which is solid and angular. 8/10

Spider-Man India (Prateek Prabhakar)

Spectacular Spider-Month Fashion Friday: Spider-Men

Credit: Marvel

Forrest: It’s cool but probably thinking about it a little too hard, unlike U.K. I love the shoes, which I would custom order in a heartbeat, but I’m not a big fan of the exposed hands or calves. Like 90% of herodom should be protecting your identity and body and this doesn’t try for that at all 6/10

Eric: Not bad. I like how it adds a bit of flow to the design with the bottom half, and the neutral tan tone of the pants contrasts well against the more vibrant red and blue. 7/10

Nathan: I love the movement of this suit. It really fits the almost fairy tale tone of the comic, as well. 7/10

Dave: I like the way the arms go up the back of the hand, but aside from this I’ve always felt this was a bit lazy. The top is basically the original costume and it flows down into a Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon dress. 5/10

Doppelganger (Uh…Doppelganger)

Spectacular Spider-Month Fashion Friday: Spider-Men

Credit: Marvel

Forrest: There’s a rumor that Erik Larsen hated Venom as a character so much that he challenged himself to draw him as gross and despicable as possible in every issue. That’s what Doppelganger reminds me of. Somewhere between Symbiote and Man-Spider, a monster that channels all the right aesthetics but makes them feel totally off. It’s not really a good story but man is it a good look. 10/10

Eric: Hell yeah, multi-arms! 8/10

Nathan: Have we ever figured out if this is Doppelganger’s skin or if that suit just smells impossibly bad? Who cares? It’s rad, especially with the segmented, insectoid eyes. 9/10

Dave: This one is all about the eyes! It’s like a real spider and a spider you’d want to smash with a newspaper! Admittedly though the rest of the costume is a retread of Spider-Man’s original look. 7/10

Winner: Spider-Man 2099

Spectacular Spider-Month Fashion Friday: Spider-Men

Credit: Marvel

With a picture perfect win of just one point over Miles Morales, the most futurest Spider-Man snags the win. Maybe it’s because he’s on some future sh*t that we can’t comprehend but appreciate anyways. Or maybe he just went back in time and designed the perfect costume to beat the competition. We wouldn’t put that kind of fun pettiness past Miguel in the long run. He’s still guilty of wearing white after Labor Day with that other suit, though.

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