Thursday, May 31, 2012

S456 ARCHIVES: Avenging Spider-Man #1 ~ Review

originally posted on station456.tumblr.com on April 1st, 2011

***

Scott Snyder is a brilliant writer and storyteller: Anyone who wants to know how comics can be deep, mature works of literature need look no further than his work on Detective Comics and Batman. It’s unfortunate, however, when comic readers get too caught up in the type of work that people like Snyder do that they forget the merit in a fun, dumb, action-packed stack of stapled-together papers. Avenging Spider-Man #1 is the first issue in a line of “team-up books” starring my and many others’ favorite Marvel super hero - Spider-Man. And it is awesome.

In the first issue, Spidey is joined by Wolverine, Thor, Iron Man, and others, but the main hero he fights alongside is Hulk. The issue opens with a fight against a toweringly large robot, and ends with fisticuffs against an army of little yellow creatures. The plot is kept very simple, but it is still interesting: Jonah Jameson’s role in the story is especially amusing.

The entertaining banter and impressive art is what makes this book, though. The book’s panels focus on big images, bursting with color and brimming with detail. Every image reeks of a gloriously action-heavy energy that makes the pages turn quickly. The dialogue is funny and witty throughout, causing me to smile and chuckle along with each little joke.

It’s a fun book. Fun is the key-word here. This isn’t a thought-provoking tale like Watchmen, nor a dark, twisted trip like Swamp Thing, but it doesn’t try to be and doesn’t need to be. This is dumb, thrilling entertainment, and if that sounds like a good time to you, look no further.

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