Weavers is not your typical mobster versus rival gang kind of story. This story has a creep factor relatable to those familiar with the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode, “Conspiracy,” or an earlier scene in the film, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn. If you’re not a Star Trek fan, then perhaps think of Spider-Man meets Alien. In this case, your body isn’t bitten by a spider or eventually destroyed once the Alien matures and plunges through your chest; however, a spider does invade your body, giving you special abilities and eventually twisting your thoughts to the will of the collective – the Weavers syndicate. Okay, so maybe the last reference is more of a stretch than the others.
Weavers is the unique tale of Sid, a junkie who finds himself at the wrong place at the wrong time. One of the crime family’s members gets taken out in an explosion at a local bar, and it looks like a turf war is about to start from a group that hates “the bugs.” Artist Dylan Burnett and colorist Triona Farrell create gritty imagery, with grotesque tentacles protruding from limbs when a spider’s power reveals itself, while bloodshot eyes emphasize when these powers are about to erupt. Bold hues also help identify important players; those with red ties handle “the cheap stuff,” while those in red shirts are of a much higher status. Backgrounds with various tones also standout when the spider starts taking more control over Sid, as it tries to convince him to do its bidding, for the good of the whole.
Writer Simon Spurrier dives deeper into Sid’s background as the story moves along. This linked crime family has a bug inside each person, and just like that, one spider erases part of Sid’s existence, including his desire to do drugs. He tries to use these new powers to his advantage, for his own means, but it’s uncertain if he can do it quickly enough before losing all control. Sid’s attempt to placate the mob, and the spider’s voice within, is not an easy task, and Spurrier, Burnett, and letterer Jim Campbell present this internal struggle quite well. Grimaced expressions, conversations with the entity inside, and varying styled and colored lettering tell the reader how difficult this new life is for the main character. These moments, plus a number of characters Sid doesn’t know if he can trust, provide a healthy scattering of mystery to an already duplicitous mix.
This trade paperback collects all six comic books in the series published by BOOM! Studios and all of the special spider powers that inflict some devastating injuries, which also explains the “15+ Only” rating on Comixology.
Weavers is now available in print and digital form.
