Friday 1 March 2019

Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse the Official Movie Special – Book Review



Originally published on Set The Tape

The release of Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse in late 2018 saw a change in comic book movies. For the first time in decades an animated comic book movie not only hit cinemas, but also wowed audiences around the globe, sweeping up dozens of awards.

The new Titan Books Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse the Official Movie Special explores the creation of the film, from the first beginnings of an idea to the scripting, design and casting.

Unlike most of the modern comic book films, Into The Spider-Verse was a big gamble. Not only would it see several new versions of characters introduced to audiences, along with some that they may never have encountered before, but it would also need to develop its own distinct visual style. It delves into the early stages of this process, talking to the film’s directors Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsay and Rodney Rothman, as well as production designer Justin K. Thompson amongst others.

The book goes into great detail on all of the film’s main characters, looking at the six heroes one by one before moving onto the villains. These insights are great, not only going into in-universe info on them, but spending time discussing why the filmmakers mad the choice to include them, how they went about adapting them for their story and why they cast their actors.

Whilst some behind the scenes books can be packed with writing, this book breaks up the contents with beautiful pieces of artwork that perfectly capture the style and tone of the original film. The artwork is exceptionally pretty, making the book a piece of art in itself, filled with snapshots from the film, design sketches and character sheets.

The book also incorporates many of the design elements that are used within comics, and the film, such as bold narration boxes. These small design choices makes the book feel less like a standard making-of book, standing out from the rest of the crowd as something a little special.

Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse the Official Movie Special might be a brief book at only 96 pages, but it covers the film in great depth, providing the reader with insight into the film that adds further context and understanding into how what has quickly become a critically acclaimed film. With such huge success surrounding the film, and a sequel and spin-off in the works, the book plays an important part into building a successful and beloved Spider-Man franchise.


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