Spider-Man: The Darkest Hours

By: Jim Butcher, Marvel

Narrated by: Jack Meloche

Length: 6 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

Peter Parker's life has hit a peaceful stretch. No evildoers have tried to flatten him in weeks, his marriage to Mary Jane is stronger than ever, and he's enjoying his job as a high-school science teacher. Life is good. Naturally, that doesn't last. 

When Peter learns that his old enemy, the Rhino, is on a rampage in Times Square, he suits up as Spider-Man to stop the destructive villain in his tracks. But he's unexpectedly foiled in his attempts by the Black Cat, a former ally and old flame. The Cat informs Peter that the Rhino is just a distraction - the real threat comes from a group of Ancients, members of the same race as the being called Morlun, who Spidey defeated in battle years earlier. The Ancients are now looking to exact revenge - and hope to steal Spider-Man's life force in the process. 

To defeat such powerful beings, Spider-Man is going to need all the help he can get, especially from the Black Cat. But what will Mary Jane Parker have to say about that? Peter isn't sure which is worse - the Ancients trying to drain his life force or the wrath of a jealous wife....

©2019 Marvel (P)2019 Marvel

Jim Butcher is the best

I am not a big fan of Spiderman however I bought this book because Jim Butcher wrote it. He never disappoints he’s a master storyteller. Could you please write another Dresden novel?

If Dresden has super powers.

The title says it all. I am a huge marvel fan and a huge Dresden fan. I decided this had to be good. It did not disappoint. First person story told by Butcher. If the characters were different, and James Marsters was behind the mic, we’d have a new Dresden story (come on Peace Talks!)

But, Jack Meloche is a GREAT Peter.

Don’t worry, I loved the story without the similarities to Dresden.

If you’re on the fence at all, get this book.

Good book

I'm not a huge follower of Spider-Man but I am a Jim Butcher fan and with that being said I enjoyed the book alot and was able follow along with just the basic knowledge of the comic book s. So if you want a fun read about a superhero go ahead and get this book.

For 90’s comics fans.

I had so much fun listening to this book. Jim Butcher is the perfect author for Spider-Man. This book is short and sweet and like I said. Fun. The most important thing to know is it’s before the reboot in comics. He’s married to MJ and a teacher. He’s no teenager in this. 10/10.

Good story. Feels like watching the 90s cartoon!

if you're a Spidey fan at all you'll enjoy this. The comics, movies, and especially the 90s cartoon come to life in this story (no emo dance scenes, I promise).
The wall-crawler's famous quips are all over every fight scene. We get a few references to Uncle Ben and Aunt May, but thankfully don't have to sit through a lengthy retelling of Peter's origins or how Uncle Ben dies. This tale takes place after Spider-Man is well established in the super hero game and his past experiences and shortcomings are well shown. Lots of references to other Marvel characters, but it's not overkill. A few well placed cameos are thrown in as (un)welcome plot devices, and another main character adds conflict and spice to wrap up the story nicely (esp. to fans of the cartoon series).
There is, however, a tie-in to a big event in his recent life, but it's explained enough so that you don't need to be too familiar with that part of the tale. I hadn't read those comics previously and it didn't cause me to skip a beat. Overall I'd say it's a nostalgic feel inside a fresh story. Good stuff.

I love Butchers stuff, but this isn't his best

The Dresden Files are books that I have listened to more than once, and that is saying something considering how many books I go thru and how many I have waiting to listen to. Butcher is great. The sense of humor he puts into his books is amazing. This book felt like he was handed an outline and had to follow it to the letter. It didn't feel like the amazing things that I know Butcher is capable of, and it made me sad. Not a bad book, just not the amazing stuff that I know he is capable of.

Solid story

Interesting story. Wish they would’ve gotten two narrators for all the female parts as it was a bit hard to stay in the story. Also story had some cringy love parts that made MJ very tacky

Butcher Carves Up Another Excellent Spidey Story

This is a great introspective look at someone who is used to working alone and doing everything himself, yet is forced to grow and teach others how to grow as well

Written with the same stellar sense of humor as The Dresden Files, Butcher reminds us of why we love Spider-Man so much. With clever interaction between the cast, an opponent roster of frightening proportions and the unexpected sources of help (some may even call them strange), this story will even have you looking at old favorites in a new way.

Narration was very good and voice was fitting for a slightly older Peter Parker.
Pacing was excellent, as well as the build in tension.

Great For Fans!

I really liked this book. I've been slowly working my way through the Marvel novels and this one is probably my favorite so far. The story was engaging and fun to listen to, and I really enjoyed the narrator and his voice. He did a fantastic Peter Parker. Though, fair warning, the voice is similar to Peter's VA in Web of Shadows.

All in all, a great read/listen! Fully recommended!

If you are missing Dresden, try this.

This book had all I had been missing from Jim Butcher and Harry Dresden. Dry wit, multilayered plots and moral, interesting a dimensional characters. Marvel, please get Jim on as a writer.

A Very Entertaining Webhead Tale!

Spider-Man: The Darkest Hours by Jim Butcher

Hello everyone! I wasn’t intending to take another detour but I quite simply...had too much fun! I haven’t enjoyed myself this much since listening to Realmslayer! For clarification check my review here. https://theorkneynews.scot/2019/02/25/audiobook-review-realmslayer-warhammer-age-of-sigmar-by-david-guymer/

Those of you who have followed my reviews for a while will be aware of the fact that I am something of a casual comic book fan – mostly thanks to watching the Spider-Man cartoon in the 90s. My three part dissertation of sorts on the History of Carol Danvers – Captain Marvel – is all the proof my readers will need. But I think its only fair I give a bit of my history with these Marvel audio productions.

They aren’t actually audio original superhero stories. There is a company which produces prose book adaptations of select comic book storylines ranging from Iron Man classic Extremis and other Spider-Man storyline Kraven’s Last Hunt to recent superheroine superstar Kamala Khan – Ms. Marvel – and her introductory storyline No Normal. But recently it was announced that Dreamscape Media would be releasing not only these and others in audio but producing new audio adaptations of the newer prose books. Strangely I had no awareness of these newer releases at first. I ordered this Spider-Man release out of curiosity, only to realise after the fact it was a Dreamscape release. Now let’s start the review itself with the plot.

Things have been going well recently for Peter Parker. There’s been no world ending supervillains hanging about, him and Mary Jane are peacefully enjoying married life and his job as a grammar school teacher has been going well. Naturally something has to come along and ruin it. The Rhino starts causing chaos in town – big stupid lug – and of course that means it’s time for Spider-Man to make an appearance! But there’s a big problem. The Black Cat – ally and good friend – warns Spidey that The Rhino is just a lure. Years ago Spider-Man defeated a vampiric hunter who hunted through some form of totemic magic. Morlun. And Morlun’s brothers and sister are out for blood! But how can Spider-Man, normal everyday Peter Parker stop beings called The Ancients? And how can he keep MJ safe while trying to stop hunters who care little for collateral damage?

This story is really entertaining. You don’t need to know tons about comic book history – or watch at least a dozen full length films – to get caught up in swinging along the New York skyline with Spidey catching yourself on the silver lining of the clouds. The story does a very good job at giving the gist of previous events so you feel up to speed without stopping to question everything. And the writing is very well done! This story really has captured Spider-Man’s quippy one liners and cheesy jokes really well whilst also managing to pull off the quieter moments. Breakfast scenes with MJ, small talk at work, even the occasional call to Aunt May. It all feels one hundred percent believable. I very easily found myself closing my eyes and seeing everyone of these conversations in my mind’s eye as well as all the action scenes. That makes sense since the story was written by Jim Butcher – author of The Dresden Files series – and I’d be more than happy to see him channel his inner Peter Parker once again. Especially when he is able to make the main villainess Mortia and her brothers chill the blood. She’s enjoying this chance for revenge just a little too much.

The narration was supplied by Jack Meloche and he does a very good job! He is a pitch perfect Spider-Man and his performance as Mortia really makes her feel like a remorseless huntress with only one thing on her mind. Blood. The comparison to vampires is more than apt! His Mary Jane and Black Cat are also very believable as I could easily lose myself in the world his narration provided. I hope to hear him again if Dreamscape do any more Spider-Man stories. Any superhero stories at all! I’ll be keeping an eye and ear out for Jack Meloche just like I do for Johnathan Keeble and Toby Longworth when listening to Warhammer.

The story really is quite the ride! I almost listened to the entire thing in a day because I lost all track of time. You know a story’s good when you look at the clock and can’t believe it! Even if you are only casually interested in superheroes and their ilk I recommend giving this a chance. It can be quite gripping! And if you have any family members who are Marvel Comics or Cinematic Universe fans or webheads? Buy this now! They’ll thank you for it I’m sure! I might just review a few more in future.

In conclusion this story really is quite the package and I recommend it highly. I couldn’t stop grinning while listening or while writing most of this review. I’ll be back when I can but there may be a short review delay for a while. I’ll return as soon as I’m able to finally keep my promise and return to Good Omens!

Sayonara!

Nephrite.

Not what I expected.

I am not a big Marvel fan but I am fan of Jim Butchers work. I enjoyed this version of Spider-Man and it made me care about a villain that, in my younger years, was just a there for the sake of it. If Jim Butcher was to write another one of these or carry on of this version if Spider-Man, I would not hesitate to pick it up.

Entertaining. Helps to know about other “supers”

I picked this up not because it was Spider-Man but because it was written by Jim Butcher, one of my favourite authors.

First the disclaimer - I’ve never read any Spider-Man books, graphic novels or comics, so my only knowledge of him is a couple of the early films. What I failed to appreciate is the presence of so many other “supers” in his stories. This I found distracting. I could happily suspend disbelief in the main character as everything was related from his point of view. The other “supers” though, not so much. I was thinking of giving up on the book, but I am glad I persisted.

The writing is classic Butcher - bags of tension leavened with humour and snark; amazing escapes; a bit of philosophising; a strong moral code in the lead character, and a couple of subplots running alongside the main one.

The narrator was good, giving distinctive voices to all the characters.

I did enjoy it, in the end, though I could have done with a crib-sheet with some background to all the “supers” mentioned so that I could appreciated their significance. But that’s just me. I will probably listed to it again, though not as often as I listen to the Dresden Files.

Awesome

It was an amazing book MARVEL is the best .
The story was good 🕸️

Great Adventure...

This was a great Spidey story. Managing to convey a tightly woven plot around few characters. It was slightly letdown by the performance of Meloche. His voice felt nasally and monotone, with little to any difference in characters. It's worth a listen, just not the quality of Vox I've come to expect.

my favourite version of spider-man

A story of Peter Parker set during the time when he was still married. I enjoyed it very much.

Didn't expect to love it as much as I did

Going into my first comic novelisation I was skeptical as to whether this would feel like an authentic Spidey experience but it ended up being one of my favourite Spiderman stories to date. The writer is clearly a fan of the character and what Peter Parker is meant to stand for. Characters are written extremely well with each plot point being used as a means to further explore each of Peter's relationships. There's satisfying conclusions to pretty much every plotline and character arc. Can't recommend this enough!

Really enjoyed it (warning nerd written review)

I'm a huge Marvel comics fan and when I saw a Spider-Man novel written by the author of one of my favourite book series I had to give it a listen and I wasn't disappointed. Butcher's clearly a fan of the wall crawler, shown by references in The Dresden Files, and the story is filled with references to classic Spider-Man lore and the wider Marvel universe. However, it's not just an Easter egg hunt.

The main story is set up as a sequel to a more recent Spider-Man comic storyline, from J Michael Straczynski, concerning the aftermath of the big bad of said story, Morlun. I bring this up as a heads up to followers of the comics because this was clearly written before the first Spider-Verse event and contradicts in a few ways how Morlun is later portrayed.

Butcher builds off the ideas from Straczynski's run in a really interesting way and treats the long time characters with respect and dignity, the guy made me feel sympathy for the freaking Rhino I love it when writers make me like the villains. He does a great job balancing drama and comedy, at one point I had to pause for almost five minutes until I stopped laughing.

The story is set before Marvel got rid of Peter and Mary Jane's marriage and I love it. Hearing one support and reassure the other about their struggles is wonderful, whether it be trying to get a part in a play or fighting a trio of ancient soul sucking monsters.

Jack Meloche does a great job as narrator, he's easy to understand and he tells the story well, personally he sounds pretty close to how I imagine an adult Peter Parker would. He even reads other characters lines differently, his Russian accent for Rhino is really fun to listen to and Black Cat is delightfully catty. And the villains he really makes them sound chilling and alien.

Great Spidey title

Very much enjoyed this one. Didn’t know the source material or the “big bads” going into this one, but might go pick up the TPB now I’ve listened to the story.
Great characterisation and brought the villi and including the rhino to life. Having the cat / MJ mixed into this, and the down to earth moments of Peter Parker woven throughout I’d class this as a must for any spider-man fan.
That said, this isn’t just for comic book fans. The performance is great, the story has the right mix of humour and levity to actual tension. Give this a go, and enjoy.

Is Spider-Man darkest good?

This is amazing the performance is great, Jack meloche is a great narrator I really like him narrating,the story is amazing especially rhino part. I really like the music at the beginning, overall it is amazing I would definitely recommend this