Now here’s an interesting premise.
What They Say:
This is what you’ve been waiting for! The return of legendary artist Joe Madureira (X-Men, Battle Chasers) and fan-favorite Spidey writer Zeb Wells in a brand new, highly anticipated, monthly Spider-series that teams the wall-crawler up with some of the greatest heroes in the Marvel Universe. In our first issue, Spider-Man and Red Hulk take on a Moloid army during the New York Marathon! Stay safe until November because you’ll want to be here!
The Review:
Granted, I haven’t read a Spider-man comic since the mid-90s and a lot has changed, but that doesn’t change the character at its heart. The new series, Avenging Spider-man, takes concepts I am aware of and gives them, what I think is, a unique spin. Apparently taking place in the main Spider-man continuity, Avenging Spider-man bridges the gap in some thoughts I’ve always had about superheros that are members of a team, how can they be in the adventures of the team AND their own adventures? Each superhero typically has their own series in which there is a continuous string of events going on; then, said superhero also appears in a team comic where there are continuous events going on. One could just simply ignore any logic involved and enjoy the separate series or…one could ponder the logic and hope for it to be answered one day.
Avenging Spider-man is that answer. The comic starts with Spider-man on a mission with the Avengers to battle a giant A.I.M.bot. During the fight there is monologue text from Spider-man asking the questions we tend to ask, “You’ve got girl problems, a full-time job, membership on any super-team that will have you including two (TWO!) separate teams of Avengers. Spider-man, where DO you find the time?” What follows is Spider-man being the Spider-man that I love, a wise-cracking smart-ass that contributes to the best of his abilities and…bows out when he knows he’s in over his head.
Flash to New York City where Mayor J. Jonah Jameson (when did THAT happen!?) is hosting a marathon run that gets quickly interrupted by hundreds of Moloids. Luckily, Spider-man is on his way back to NYC with the Red Hulk just in time to find J.J.J. being abducted and a giant beast erupting from the Earth swallowing them whole. This was a really fun read! Spidey is in full wise-crack mode and his quips more than once made me laugh. Combined with the Red Hulk and it’s like a superhero buddy comedy that I thoroughly enjoyed. Of course as all superhero comics must, a larger threat than the tiny Moloids is revealed at the end but that doesn’t matter; with the comedy and chemistry established between Spidey and Hulk, any storyline, whether minor or major, will hold my attention. Coupled with some fantastically rendered action scenes that have a very fast, fluid flow and a plot that wastes no time is getting going, this is a #1 done right! Sure your mileage may vary, but for a more comedic/action approach you can do no better.
Digital Notes:
This comiXology edition of Avenging Spider-man #1 comes with the main cover as released with the print edition and no other extras. I however, bought the print edition of Avenging Spider-man #1 which came with a free digital copy code. The print edition also included a preview of Avengers Sanction #1 (which looks great by the way) which is not included with the digital version.
In Summary:
I had no idea what to expect from this comic and simply picked it up because it was a number 1 and a Spider-man comic. Needless to say I was more than pleasantly surprised. The comedy was spot on with what I remember loving about Spider-man and seeing the Red Hulk in action for the first time was a real treat. The situations are serious but the fun never stopped and that, combined with the fantastic artwork by Joe Madureira, is more than enough reason for me to not wait a couple of issues and immediately add this series to my pull list. On an interesting note: the Moloids that attack NYC look exactly like the creatures the Green Hulk is found living with in The Incredible Hulk #1. Related story-lines? Eh. Recommended either way!
Grade: A
Readers Rating: [ratings]
