Spider-Noir is swinging through screens with a hard-boiled pulp mystery set in the world of Marvel’s web-slinger.
As the first live-action Spider-Man show since 1979, the series is quickly becoming one of the most popular of 2026, garnering high praise in reviews across the board.
Radio Times exclusively spoke to writer of the original comic series, David Hine, on the joint Prime/MGM adaptation.
“I’m impressed by the cohesive world they’ve built,” Hine said. “It’s actually more ‘noir’ than our comic, though it retains a lot of the pulp origins. The black-and-white version is visually stunning, and everyone involved is so clearly enjoying their work and totally into it.”
He continued: “I’ll enjoy it for what it is. It can’t take away from the serious, authentic nature of our comic. If it brings more attention to our books, that can’t be a bad thing. We fought to get our version into print in the first place; I like to think the success of the character proved us right to do so.”
Hine also discussed the creative liberties taken in the show’s adaptation, particularly the noticeable softening of the comics’ sharp political tone.
“If I looked at it as a direct adaptation of the comic I did with Sapolsky, Di Giandomenico and the others at Marvel, I’d be disappointed,” he explained.
“Our version was explicitly political. We named names. We referenced the Friends of New Germany and the rise of actual Nazism in the US. Everything referenced was historical reality, except for the obvious elements of pulp weirdness.
“Our Peter Parker was a radical communist along with Aunt May and Uncle Ben. The politics of the show are soft left. Aunt May would have been scathing. I’d have been overjoyed if they took a more courageous political stance.”
To his delight, Hine enjoyed the nuances in the character portrayals, alongside the authenticity of Nicolas Cage’s Spider portrayal, even making comparison to the original 1960s comic run.
“Karen Rodriguez, Brendan Gleeson and Li Jun Li were standouts,” he said.
“They’re at the top of their game. I’ve a soft spot for Cage’s humour and the way he lets the arachnid side of his powers inhabit him. Not since Steve Ditko’s original comic has anyone made the movements so spidery.
“That doesn’t follow through to the web-swinging, where he comes across as a clumsy, stiff-limbed old man, but I love the way he slips into jittery spider-poses when he’s had a couple of drinks.”
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Spider-Noir is available to watch now on Prime Video, and the original comic noir saga is collected in the Spider-Man Noir: Hard-Boiled Origins trade paperback.
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