Thanks to the deal between Marvel and Viz Manga, English-speaking fans can enjoy a wealth of manga inspired by our favorite superheroes. One of the latest series to join the catalogue is Spider-Man: Kizuna: a kid-friendly new series that combines one of Marvel’s most enduring heroes with grade-school manga antics. What happens when the Green Goblin sets his sights on one city in Japan? Why are familiar superheroes here instead of New York? Read on and find out!



The Story

Spider-Man: Kizuna takes place on Earth-8989. In this corner of the multiverse, Peter Parker finds himself in Okahama City, once again fighting the Green Goblin. But something’s gone wrong: his last battle has left him ghostlike, and only grade-schooler Yu Yamato can see him! Yu is practically a ghost himself, overlooked by the rest of his class as he quietly sketches manga. But it just so happens that the two can “bond,” resulting in the new hero Spider-Man Kizuna!

Yu’s creativity allows him to turn Spidey’s webs into just about anything he can imagine, Green Lantern-style. Until Peter can make himself solid again, he floats around as Spirit Spidey, guiding the young hero through a series of battles. And long-time Marvel fans will notice that things are a bit familiar.



The Fights

While Spider-Man: Kizuna takes place far from New York City, the battles Yu and Spidey fight issue straight from the Big Apple. This universe’s Green Goblin has brought Villain Badges with him, each possessing the power of a familiar villain. Now, locals are finding themselves turned into new versions of these familiar antagonists: Black Kitty-Cat, Petit Sandman, and many more.

Part of Yu’s fight is recognizing that the villains aren’t actually villains: they’re victims, too! When the fight is over, he works to build bonds with these troubled classmates while keeping his secret identity secret. At the end of volume 1, he’s gained several new friends, and possibly even a love interest. But what is the Green Goblin really aiming for as he recreates these classic encounters? That’s an answer for a later volume, it would seem!



Fun for All Ages

The main draw of Spider-Man: Kizuna is that it’s super cute. Setta Kobayashi’s sweet and uplifting plot pairs well with Hachi Mizuno’s adorable art. Getting used to Peter Parker floating around like a ghost is a little unsettling, but Spirit Spidey is so dang cute that you’ll almost forget he’s in peril!

While this is absolutely a great read for kids—especially kids who love manga—older fans will get a kick out of this series, too. Come in with an open mind and heart. This isn’t gritty realism, nor is it meant to expand the canon. It’s a sweet little “what if” story, tucked away safely in its own corner of the multiverse. And while its body-sharing antics share a bit of a theme with Spider-Man: Octo-Girl, it’s much more lighthearted and episodic.

A great pick for readers of superheroes or manga who might be wanting to branch out and try the other genre/format.

While this looks and feels really young, it's till a really cute and enjoyable read. I adore the art style! Lessons about making friends and learning to trust ourselves can often come of really heavy handed, but I think this one strikes a good balance. I really enjoy how our Spidey Power manifest; art is power!

I feel this would appeal to elementary age readers, especially those interested in Spidey and His Amazing friends, or Japanese manga (Comics). The main character is Yu Yamato with Spiderman playing a supporting role. The art is on the cute side and the endings positive. The ARC has the pages in the standard western format from right to left. However, the panels on the pages themselves are from right to left. I feel some readers will be confused by this.

I will admit, I'm simply too old to enjoy this. Luckily, this manga was clearly not written for adults, so my preferences does not matter! As a librarian, I will order this for my library. I think the kids will like it, although I'm not sure if it can compete with Dog Man or Big Nate in term's of popularity. I do think it was a unique retelling of Spider-Man. I also loved the chibi Spidey, it was simply too cute!

Great for kids who enjoy superheroes but also want to read manga instead of the graphic novels that most are published as. It is funny and full of action!

Thanks to NetGalley for the Advanced Readers Copy.

This is a weird manga. I was kind of expecting something more like Deadpool Samurai or Spider-Man Octo Girl (those are two Marvel Manga I've read recently), but this i definitely geared more towards kids. It's got such a retro manga feel that I wanted to like it, but it got a little crazy for me after only a little bit. I think reading this in a print version will be better. Definitely looking forward to more!