Amazing Spider-Man & Silk: The Spider(Fly) Effect is a 2016 webcomic limited series from Infinite Comics, an imprint of Marvel Comics. It's written by Robbie Thompson, with art by Geoffo and Todd Nauck, and color art by Veronica Gandini.
Set in the shared Marvel Universe, the series is a crossover between the titular characters, Spider-Man (Peter Parker) and Silk (Cindy Moon). Both heroes gained spider-powers after being bitten by the same radioactive spider - and although their lives since then have been very different, both have paid a high price for their heroism.
After a confrontation with time-traveller Chronosaurus Rex takes them over a decade into their own past, they're both very aware that they mustn't change the future. But they're also surrounded by their own regrets - Silk's missing family are still here, and Spider-Man's murdered Uncle Ben is still alive. Keeping their history at arm's length while dealing with Chronosaurus Rex may prove difficult... especially when the forces of the evil organization Hydra start to take an interest in events.
Amazing Spider-Man & Silk: The Spider(Fly) Effect contains examples of:
- Bad "Bad Acting": Spider-Man's famed for his wisecracks during battle, but during the staged battle against Silk in the first issue, his dialogue's wooden and stilted. Not only does Silk call him out for his awful acting, she points out that nobody can hear them anyway - it just needs to look good.
- Brought Down to Badass: The timeline changes erase Peter and Cindy's powers, but Peter's had a decade of fighting as Spider-Man. Even without his abilities, he's quite capable of fighting his way through Hydra goons. Silk's not quite so accomplished, but also acquits herself well.
- Butterfly of Doom: As soon as they realise they're travelling into the past, Cindy and Peter discuss the butterfly effect and the need to avoid disrupting the timeline. Unfortunately, one of the first people they meet is Peter's Uncle Ben, who died shortly after he became Spider-Man. The future shifts, as predicted, and they no longer have their powers - eventually discovering that, in this timeline, Ben will squash the radioactive spider before it can bite them.
- Fake a Fight: The series starts with a faked battle between Silk and Spider-Man. Over in Silk's solo series, she's undercover in the Black Cat's criminal gang - and a battle against a well-known hero like Spider-Man will help to strengthen her cover, so she asks Peter if they can stage one.
- Powered Armor:
- Chronosaurus Rex is a suit of sealed, powered armor with a reptilian helmet and an integrated time-travel device. It's also got shoulder mounted guns and a jetpack.
- Hydra's goon squad are supported by suits of powered armor, with Arm Cannons on one arm and a vicious pincer on the other. The armor's big enough that the pilot fits into the head and torso, with four spindly insectoid legs making it look a little like a centaur.
- Painting the Medium: When Peter and Cindy fall into the past, they're surrounded by panels and covers from previous comics, all the way back to Spider-Man's first appearances. They're curved in a way that suggests they're not meant to be three-dimensional, and still contain the original cover text, speech bubbles, thought bubbles and captions.
- Pun-Based Title: It's The Spider(Fly) Effect because the Butterfly Effect is a major plot point.
- Shout-Out:
- When Cindy talks about The Butterfly Effect, Peter comments that she must have seen Looper.
- During the first battle against Hydra, Spider-Man suggests that he's going to kick them all in the head, then throws in a reference to Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia.
- Webcomic Print Collection: The series was later collected as a print comic, with the first issue published in March 2016. Due to the Infinite Comics style, the print version includes a lot of duplicated art, to work around the panel transitions in the original online version.
