Thursday, December 8, 2011

Avenging Spider-Man #2


Oh, digital copy, you make all the difference. Those $3.99 titles that seemed so untouchable are just about worth it when I get a digital copy to go along with the print. No need to buy an eventual TPB if the story is already on my tablet.

Zeb Wells continues to put together a fast-paced and entertaining story in this month’s Marvel Team-Up. It’s always tough using an established villain like Mole Man to show how tough a new baddie is (like this issue’s ruler of Subterranea), but Wells walks the line well. Clearly, Mole Man is still the favorite of his moloids and some of his monsters, but these new guys are definitely the bigger threat right now.

J. Jonah Jameson has as many lines of dialogue as the Red Hulk, and arguably just as big a role in the story. Spidey hasn’t had a ton to do in this one besides crack jokes and make fun of Rulk, so JJJ’s presence keeps this feeling like a Spider-Man comic. I’m not sure if these new guys have staying power, but laying down a beatdown on Red Hulk as decisively as Rak’Tar does this issue. (Ol’ Raky needs an easier to remember name, though.)

Joe Madureira’s art is still fun, and he still excels at drawing monsters. There’s a part of me that wishes we had a few more costumed heroes here, because I love his blend of manga and Western art, but seeing Spidey in that style does scratch the itch. It’s also worth noting that the new subterranean language looks fantastic when rendered digitally, the stone letterboxes almost glow on that black background.

Good

1 comment:

Martin Gray said...

Sounds fun but I just don't like Joe Mad's artwork at all. Maybe I'll pop in when he's having a skip arc.