How to Read Comics the Marvel Way is a four-issue Spider-Man miniseries published by Marvel Comics in 2021 made to show readers new to comics the process of reading, creating, and publishing them, as well as the general history of the medium.
The story begins with Spider-Man frozen in time, unable to move, speak, or think. But all isn't lost—the reader can help him by turning the page! It turns out Mysterio, master of illusion, used the magical Cosmic Comic to trap Spidey in a comic book, and upon being read, time moves forward and Spider-Man slowly regains his faculties and powers. But when Spidey shreds the Cosmic Comic to pieces in the hopes of stopping Mysterio, his attempt backfires and traps half of New York inside their own comics, including Aunt May.
Now Spider-Man and Mysterio are in a race to utilize the shards of the Cosmic Comic to write their own story, publish it, and thus affect their reality as a whole, hopping through time and space and throughout comics' history. And from somewhere beyond the fourth wall, the reader keeps turning pages to see what happens next...
This comic contains examples of:
- Been There, Shaped History: Spider-Man and Mysterio traveling across time and into comics' history ends up adding them to every art form from history around the world until they finally reach modern comics.
- Fission Mailed: In the finale, Mysterio defeats Spider-Man and the comic seems to end there, complete with a "The End" caption, but there's more pages to go and the reader continuing turns the situation around.
- Fourth-Wall Observer: The Cosmic Comic talks directly to the reader as it teaches them how to read comics. When Spider-Man becomes aware of the reader, he pleads with them to keep reading and help him when necessary.
- From Beyond the Fourth Wall: The reader continuing to read the comic is what helps Spider-Man become unfrozen in time, battle Mysterio, and eventually save the day.
- Genre-Busting: The comic is simultaneously a how-to guide for reading, creating, and publishing comics, a meta-commentary on comics and their history, and a Spider-Man vs. Mysterio superhero story with the fate of New York and the world at stake.
- Her Code Name Was "Mary Sue": Mysterio creates a self-aggrandizing comic where he effortlessly defeats Spider-Man, outwits the Avengers, and has every lady swooning over him.
- MacGuffin: The Cosmic Comic is the impetus for the story's events, as it watches over the history of comics as a medium and can bestow reality-warping powers on those who possess it.
- Mundane Made Awesome: Several of the civilians turned comics have covers extolling The Stupendous Superintendent, Dog Walker War Journal, and Pigeon Adventures, with the latter having a stunning finale involving half a hot dog on the ground.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero!: Spider-Man ripping the Cosmic Comic, instead of stopping its power, disperses it around New York and traps civilians inside comics.
- Stylistic Suck: Mysterio's comic in issue #2 encapsulates how not to write comics, with an improperly formatted script, no introduction to characters for newer readers, inconsistent storytelling, and painfully bad art.
- Took a Level in Badass: Being stuck in an airport safety guide for decades taught Mysterio how to properly make a comic, and he uses his newfound power to wreak havoc.
- Trapped in TV Land: Spider-Man, and eventually half of New York, are trapped inside comic books thanks to the power of the Cosmic Comic. Later, Mysterio is trapped inside an airport safety booklet in a similar manner.