The Good
I enjoyed the original MARVEL TEAM-UP series which had Spider-Man team up with other Marvel characters. Because the Marvel Universe is so vast, it makes sense that heroes would run into other heroes while fighting supervillains. AVENGING SPIDER-MAN originally was geared towards Spider-Man teaming up with another member of the Avengers now that he's part of the team. That is what we had up until recently. Last issue featured Peter Parker and Aunt May (who has never been a member of the Avengers) and this issue we get Deadpool.
I should point out that this isn't an ordinary team up. Spider-Man and Deadpool have teamed up before. They even faced Hit-Monkey together. That was a little strange but this is a whole different level of strangeness. It turns out they are teaming up inside Spider-Man's mind. Not only do we get weird and random situations and appearances that hopefully aren't normal things Spidey thinks about, Deadpool only adds to the insanity and perhaps even inspires some of it.
Another thing that makes this team up different is Deadpool is more in control of the situation, as scary as that sounds. Spidey isn't quite sure what's going on and has to rely on Deadpool to get them to safety. You can imagine how that will go.
Kevin Shinick does what many have difficulties with, writing Deadpool in a zany and fitting way. It could be the fact that they're in a bizarre environment but it serves to make Deadpool's over the top actions fit nicely. Aaron Kuder handles the art and you would think drawing a Spider-Man/Deadpool team up wouldn't be too difficult for a comic book artist. This story calls for very non-typical situations and Kuder does a great job portraying the wackiness.
The Bad
This is a departure from what we normally have in the series. That isn't necessarily a bad thing as moving away from the formula keeps things fresh. It's hard to see how this story will matter in the overall Spider-Man continuity. That shouldn't be a major factor since the art and writing deliver but if you're not a big Spider-Man or Deadpool fan, you might be wondering if you made a wise purchase.
The Verdict
Spider-Man and Deadpool team up inside of Spider-Man's mind. It's a crazy trip and Spidey is at the mercy of Deadpool's guidance. This isn't your typical AVENGING SPIDER-MAN story and in many ways, that's a good thing. This issue won't change the fate or direction of Spider-Man's life but it gives us a different sort of team up adventure. As long as you're not looking for a super-serious story, this should be an enjoyable read with some really good art. And if you are expecting a serious story with Deadpool involved, I'm not really sure what you were thinking in the first place.
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