The following contains spoilers for Spider-Men: Double Trouble #1, now on sale from Marvel Comics.
Spider-Man has gone through plenty of reinventions over the years, taking on all sorts of genres during his adventures. Even at his darkest, there's typically still some sort of comedy to his stories -- and some make a good case for why humor should be the primary approach to any given story.
The goofy tone and tenor of Spider-Man: Double Trouble #1 (by Mariko Tamaki, Vita Ayala, Gurihiru, and VC's Cory Petit) highlights how well the character works in a pure comedic setting. It could also be an inspiration for a funny take on the Spider-Verse franchise.
Double Trouble Turns Spider-Man into a Comedic Cartoon
Spider-Men: Double Trouble focuses on a younger Miles Morales, still fresh into his role as Spider-Man (and without the recent developments in his life, like his little sister). He's actively working alongside another version of Peter Parker who appeared in a previous story with Venom, and views Miles as his official sidekick (to Miles' perpetual annoyance). The colorful and cartoonish version of the heroes is accompanied by an equally goofy world, where the typically fearsome Venom is a messy roommate, and all the villains' tech are stored in a surprisingly easy-to-breach warehouse.
The issue is a largely silly affair, with no real conflict to speak of. While the two Spider-Men and Venom may annoy each other, it's all with a playful edge that keeps things from ever becoming too dramatic. When Miles accidentally unleashes a mysterious and potentially dangerous furry creature into New York, Peter spends the rest of the issue trying to catch it -- unaware that Miles is hard at work trying to catch the rest that he accidentally unleashed, all while trying to keep Peter none the wiser. Even the ending -- which sees Miles accidentally shrunk down and kidnapped by a mysterious foe -- is played more for laughs than for tension. The issue is full of silly jokes and straightforward gags, which works given the rapport between Spider-Man, Spider-Man, and Venom. In fact, it highlights how well this corner of the Marvel Universe works.
The Case for a Spider-Verse Comedy
Comedy is inherent to Spider-Man as a concept, with the Wall-Crawler spitting out wisecracks since his creation. The versatility of the character in terms of tone and tenor has allowed him to be played for drama, horror, romance, tragedy, action, and everything in between. There has also always been at least some element of comedy and banter to him, regardless of who's under the mask. Spider-Men: Double Trouble leans heavily into this angle, producing a Spider-Man story that's primarily centered on being funny instead of action-driven -- and it works. The characters all bounce off each other with a certain amount of wit, while still being distinct characters in their own right. Their unique personalities provide the comedic pattern, and it's proof of how well a Spider-Man comedy would likely do.
The issue leans heavily into the kind of dynamic that Peter Parker and Miles Morales developed in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, bouncing off each other and constantly shifting in terms of who's in control of any given conversation. It makes a good case for a fully comedic take on a Spider-Verse film. It would be a breath of fresh air to lean more heavily into that angle and offer a lighter take on a genre that has traditionally been more dark and dramatic. The colorful all-ages element of the characters' rapport could also help a comedic Spider-Man stand out from the rest of the increasingly mature genre. A full-blown Spider-Verse comedy could be the perfect follow-up to the likely epic multiversal struggle in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and it could easily look to something like Double Trouble for inspiration.