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A review by adubrow
Avenging Spider-Man: My Friends Can Beat Up Your Friends by Zeb Wells
5.0
I usually don't believe blurbs or agree with them, but this blurb is right. This is exactly what I've been waiting for.
I often despair and occasionally rant about the fact that comic book series not designed for kids twelve and under are severely lacking in the Fun Department. I understand the dilemma and the desire for some dark grit. Or just the avoidance of too much levity because with humor and quirkiness, there has to be a balance. A little nonsense now and then is fine. Too much nonsense in not-so capable hands can become boring or, at the very least, not as entertaining. But this new series is absolutely perfect. I laughed out loud and really felt for all of the characters and I cannot wait for more.
The first story and the main one involves dealing with the Mole and his army as well as rescuing an irate Mayor Jonah Jameson who is not and will never be a fan of Spider-man. The Red Hulk goes with Peter, and there are plenty of whacky hijinks to be had. The stories after that are one-shots. They're both hilarious in a lot of ways but also moving in others.
The fourth issue deals with Hawkeye and actually does a great job on touching on a source of angst without spending too much time dwelling on it. Basically Hawkeye struggles with the difficulty of being a person without superpowers on a super-powered team. Peter has powers, of course, but he understands Clint's struggles and Peter's actions at the end of the issue were pretty touching.* The last story deals with Captain America's reluctance to return to drawing, which was a source of great to Steve before he became a Super Soldier. Peter helps him find a way to reconnect with his passion without seeing it as a weakness, and it was really sweet.
In conclusion, awesome and funand liberty bonds. While this particular graphic novel is not really a great starting point for new fans who are more familiar with the movies, it will greatly appeal to fans looking for something character-driven and (mostly) lighthearted.
* And it will be interesting to see if Clint's concerns factor into Spider-man storylines later on. I will also be very surprised if none of them get brought up in the Hawkeye's new series, which starts coming out in August, considering that Matt Fraction is writing it.
I often despair and occasionally rant about the fact that comic book series not designed for kids twelve and under are severely lacking in the Fun Department. I understand the dilemma and the desire for some dark grit. Or just the avoidance of too much levity because with humor and quirkiness, there has to be a balance. A little nonsense now and then is fine. Too much nonsense in not-so capable hands can become boring or, at the very least, not as entertaining. But this new series is absolutely perfect. I laughed out loud and really felt for all of the characters and I cannot wait for more.
The first story and the main one involves dealing with the Mole and his army as well as rescuing an irate Mayor Jonah Jameson who is not and will never be a fan of Spider-man. The Red Hulk goes with Peter, and there are plenty of whacky hijinks to be had. The stories after that are one-shots. They're both hilarious in a lot of ways but also moving in others.
The fourth issue deals with Hawkeye and actually does a great job on touching on a source of angst without spending too much time dwelling on it. Basically Hawkeye struggles with the difficulty of being a person without superpowers on a super-powered team. Peter has powers, of course, but he understands Clint's struggles and Peter's actions at the end of the issue were pretty touching.* The last story deals with Captain America's reluctance to return to drawing, which was a source of great to Steve before he became a Super Soldier. Peter helps him find a way to reconnect with his passion without seeing it as a weakness, and it was really sweet.
In conclusion, awesome and fun
* And it will be interesting to see if Clint's concerns factor into Spider-man storylines later on. I will also be very surprised if none of them get brought up in the Hawkeye's new series, which starts coming out in August, considering that Matt Fraction is writing it.