Spider-Man is teaming up with Red Hulk and J. Jonah Jameson is nearby to complain about it all. Plus the subterranean hijinks continue.
The Good
I'm a big fan of Spider-Man and I loved the old MARVEL TEAM-UP series with him. When characters like Spider-Man appear in several different titles a month, there's always the question of where the stories fit into their normal continuity. With AVENGING SPIDER-MAN, you won't care. This is Spider-Man in a fun and entertaining adventure. I don't even really care about the Moiloids but I found myself gobbling up this issue (not literally, of course).
Spider-Man and Red Hulk are probably the worst pairing you could come up with and that's what makes this work so well. We get Spider-Man being Spider-Man. That means he's a pure hero that can't shut his mouth. I love THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN and the drama that goes along with Peter Parker's life but if this series is only going to focus on him as Spider-Man, I'm totally okay with that. I want huge zany adventures with Spider-Man and other heroes. I can get my Peter Parker stories in AMAZING.
As the writer, Zeb Wells writes the wacky situations well. Throwing in absurd moments such as the dilemma over how they would get out of the giant beast's belly. Of course Joe Madureira's art is top notch. Actually it's so dang good you'll want to look at it all over again after reading the issue. The added bonus of getting a free digital copy makes it easier to swallow the $3.99 price tag. But the fun story and great art is enough to make you not think about it regardless.
The Bad
I want more. The story is fun but doesn't feel like it'd have any impact in THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN. That's not necessarily a bad thing. Comics are supposed to be fun after all.
The Verdict
Zeb Wells and Joe Madureira are two for two with AVENGING SPIDER-MAN. There's plenty of big action with great art and plenty of humorous moments and dialogue. Spider-Man and Red Hulk aren't a team-up you would expect to see but seeing a pairing we haven't already seen hundreds of times makes it even better. This is pure Spider-Man action. Hopefully this trend will continue. There's no need to bring in the Peter Parker side to this series. This should be huge adventures focusing just on Spider-Man and whoever he's teaming with. AVENGING SPIDER-MAN has everything I wanted. The free digital comic was a welcome extra. Since I don't really care about the Moiloids or Subterranea, it goes to show that it just takes Zeb Well's writing and Joe Madureira's art to make this a great Spider-Man comic.