Spider-Noir swings into the shadows, brings a flask and a bad attitude (trailer).

Superheroes, as a rule, tend to be annoyingly well-adjusted. Bright suits, clear morals, helpful slogans about responsibility. Amazon’s upcoming Spider-Noir has taken one look at that tradition, poured it a stiff drink, and shoved it out into the rain.

Arriving this May, Spider-Noir introduces us to a Spider-Man who has seen better decades, better decisions, and possibly better mornings. Nicolas Cage dons the fedora and existential dread as Ben Reilly, a down-on-his-luck private investigator in a 1930s New York that looks like it was built entirely from cigarette smoke and regret. This is not your friendly neighbourhood web-slinger. This is your mildly alarming neighbourhood web-slinger who may or may not invoice you for emotional damage.

The premise is deliciously pulp. Once the only superhero in town, Reilly has long since hung up the mask, presumably somewhere between disappointment and a bottle labelled “for emergencies only.” But when a case drags him back into the shadows, he’s forced to dust off the old identity of “The Spider” and discover that the past, like an unpaid bar tab, has a habit of catching up.

Cage, never one to do anything at half-volume, has reportedly pitched his performance as part Humphrey Bogart and part Bugs Bunny. Which suggests a man capable of delivering hardboiled monologues one moment and mentally dropping anvils on criminals the next. It’s a combination that feels either inspired or like something that escaped from a fever dream. Possibly both.

Backing him up is a supporting cast straight out of noir bingo. There’s the optimistic journalist who hasn’t yet realised optimism is a punishable offence, the nightclub singer with enough secrets to sink a fleet, the loyal assistant who does most of the actual work, and a mob boss who sounds like he’d happily philosophise about your demise before arranging it. Throw in a few familiar Spider-adjacent names lurking in the alleyways, and you’ve got a series that seems determined to blur the line between comic book caper and smoky detective tragedy.

Visually, Spider-Noir is doing something rather cheeky. The show will be released in both black-and-white and full colour versions, meaning viewers can choose between “authentic gloomy despair” and “slightly more colourful gloomy despair.” The monochrome version leans into long shadows and moral ambiguity, while the colour version apparently looks like a painting that’s been left out in the rain but still refuses to give up. Either way, it’s a far cry from the usual neon splash of superhero telly.

The tagline, “With no power comes no responsibility,” tells you pretty much everything you need to know. This is a Spider-Man who has already had his inspirational speech, ignored it, and gone off to brood in a corner instead. Growth, but backwards.

Behind the scenes, the show has been assembled by a small army of people who clearly enjoy their pulp fiction with a side of artistic ambition. The result is an eight-episode series that looks set to blend alternate-universe Marvel antics with the sort of weary, world-hating tone usually reserved for detectives who haven’t slept since 1932.

Here at SFcrowsnest, we have a soft spot for superheroes who look like they might lose a fistfight with their own inner monologue. If Spider-Noir delivers on its promise, it could be one of those rare beasts: a comic book adaptation that swaps quips for quiet menace, and capes for crumpled trench coats.

Expect webs, wisecracks, and a lingering sense that saving the city might not actually make anyone feel better. Which, frankly, sounds about right.