Superior Spider-Man Team-Up #1

Writer:  Chris Yost

Art:  David Lopez, Andy Owens, Rachelle Rosenberg

Get Caught Up...

Otto Octavius brain swapped with Peter Parker, bringing us the Superior Spider-Man.  Marvel didn't think the title of Avenging Spider-Man fit in with their plan for the Spider-Family, so they rebooted it with the same creative crew.

What's Good?

We're deep into the first year of the Superior Spider-Man, and more people outside of Spider-Man's immediate circle are starting to take notice if guys new patterns of behavior.  In this debut issue, the Avengers play the role of spoiler to Spider-Man when they seem his increasingly erratic behavior as going too far.  The situation that brings their fears to the forefront here is his seeming one-man war on the street-level heroes (and even up the the FF) of the Marvel Universe.   Naturally, it's all a big misunderstanding.  Spider-Ock is actually combating the body-hopping virus/villain Carrion.  All is cleared up, and the team-up begins in earnest.

It's a great story, if somewhat played out.  I love that Today brings Carrion back into the fold.  The big surprise here is that a book that is seemingly a tangent to Slott’s main Superior storyline really does a lot to further the overall plot of the story.  There is a fun fight/team-up with the Avengers that returns Spider-Man to the Avengers’ good graces and plenty of hints as to what’s coming up next.  We get the implication that Spider-Ock is going to be forming his own team, made up of individuals we can only speculate to as of this point.  There is also the return of a certain character at the end of the story that holds bigger implications.  I can only speculate as to how much fun the writers in the Superior family have writing Spider-Ock.  It seems like everyone is having a good time with this story while it lasts, and Yost is no different.

Lopez brings a very simplistic approach to his art that is refreshing.  Some artists may hit you over the head with grandiose set pieces, but Lopez focuses on the characters and placement.  I really enjoy his take on Captain Marvel.  Some of the other dozen or so characters that got limited panel time, not so much.  It was a hefty task fitting all those characters and their different designs into the book, but he handles it well.

What’s Not So Good?

It’s a fun story, but as I mentioned earlier, the idea of the misunderstanding that forces the heroes to fight is a bit played out, however effective it may be.  Regardless of my feelings, it is a trope that is prevalent in the comic book industry, and I seriously doubt it is going anywhere.  

There also should have been a note in the beginning that this story takes place after Superior Spider-Man #14.  It’s not a big deal, but I tend to save the bigger titles for later on, so there’s a little spoiler for what’s going on in the core title.

The Verdict...

Superior Spider-Month is closed out with this last new title.  This has been one of the best mini-events that we have been treated to in recent memory.  There are a number of new plot threads brought up that will continue well into the Fall, where Slott has promised more big changes that will influence storylines for the future.  Bring it on!

Oh, Yeah, And...

Scarlet Spider is up next?  How did I miss that.  I’ve known about the upcoming stories with Venom and Spider-Man 2099, but I completely missed any news of Kaine’s return.  This is pretty great, and made me really look forward to the next installment.  Kaine has to notice something’s going on with Spider-Ock, right?