A review by just_fighting_censorship
Avenging Spider-Man: Threats & Menaces by Gabriele Dell'Otto, Cullen Bunn
3.0
2 1/2 Stars
Collecting AVENGING SPIDER-MAN #14-15 (1 star) and ANNUAL #1 (1 Star), AMAZING SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL #39 (3 Stars), SPIDER-MAN VS. VAMPIRES (2 Stars) and material from AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1963) #692 (5 Stars)
Let's break this down....
Some of the issues presented in this volume are so incredibly awful that they caused me physical pain. No really. Okay, not really but Avenging is so very poorly written with jokes that try too hard and just fall flat. Avenging Spider-man is supposed to be about cool team ups and lighthearted fun so naturally in issues #14 and #15 we see Spidey on a Horizon Labs field trip to Savage Island (Marvel's answer to DC's Dinosuar Island...?) where he teams up with everyone's favorite Savage Land duo....Devil Dinosaur and Moon Boy!!!!!
What's that you say? You've never heard of them? Well neither had I but thanks to Wikipedia now I know all about them....well there really isn't much to know. Anyways, this exciting duo teams up with Spidey to face off against Brainchild, a lesser known X-Men villain not to be confused with Brainiac the more famous and interesting of the two who can be found battling Superman. (Is that 2 points for DC?)
But whatever, it takes 2 issues to tell this very boring jungle romp in which absolutely nothing remotely interesting or memorable happens.
Next is the series annual....
The Thing guest stars with Richard's son and daughter and does nothing but embarrass himself. It was just pathetic to see the Thing reduced to a giant clown..."It's Slobbering Time" Really? This story involves an alien device that can cause people to fight but it is poorly explained and there seem to be a ton of plot holes....why isn't Spidey affected but The Thing is....?
The good news is that after these 3 terrible issues the volume switches course and features issues from Amazing Spiderman...
The content improves significantly.
The Amazing Annual has some timey wimey stuff going which seems to be the focus at first but then progresses into a more sentimental piece. It was pandering and I hate that, but despite my heart of stone a tear or two did fall.
Next were a few shorts from Amazing #692 which was an over-sized issue due to the 50th anniversary of the title. These were short but very sweet. First, we see a criminal stumble upon an abandoned Spidey costume and find out what it really means to be a hero. Then, we watch as Spidey tries to do a good deed for the day but just can't seem to get it right until he meets up with a kid who is also having a pretty bad day. This last short entitled Just Right might be one of the best one-off stories I have ever read. It was hilarious and brilliant in its simplicity.
Lastly we have Spider-man teaming up with Blade to fight vampires.
No. Just no. A flimsy plot terribly executed.
Overall, the Amazing Spider-man Annual #39 and the shorts taken from Amazing #692 make it worth checking out from the library but not worth buying.
Collecting AVENGING SPIDER-MAN #14-15 (1 star) and ANNUAL #1 (1 Star), AMAZING SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL #39 (3 Stars), SPIDER-MAN VS. VAMPIRES (2 Stars) and material from AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1963) #692 (5 Stars)
Let's break this down....
Some of the issues presented in this volume are so incredibly awful that they caused me physical pain. No really. Okay, not really but Avenging is so very poorly written with jokes that try too hard and just fall flat. Avenging Spider-man is supposed to be about cool team ups and lighthearted fun so naturally in issues #14 and #15 we see Spidey on a Horizon Labs field trip to Savage Island (Marvel's answer to DC's Dinosuar Island...?) where he teams up with everyone's favorite Savage Land duo....Devil Dinosaur and Moon Boy!!!!!
What's that you say? You've never heard of them? Well neither had I but thanks to Wikipedia now I know all about them....well there really isn't much to know. Anyways, this exciting duo teams up with Spidey to face off against Brainchild, a lesser known X-Men villain not to be confused with Brainiac the more famous and interesting of the two who can be found battling Superman. (Is that 2 points for DC?)
But whatever, it takes 2 issues to tell this very boring jungle romp in which absolutely nothing remotely interesting or memorable happens.
Next is the series annual....
The Thing guest stars with Richard's son and daughter and does nothing but embarrass himself. It was just pathetic to see the Thing reduced to a giant clown..."It's Slobbering Time" Really? This story involves an alien device that can cause people to fight but it is poorly explained and there seem to be a ton of plot holes....why isn't Spidey affected but The Thing is....?
The good news is that after these 3 terrible issues the volume switches course and features issues from Amazing Spiderman...
The content improves significantly.
The Amazing Annual has some timey wimey stuff going which seems to be the focus at first but then progresses into a more sentimental piece. It was pandering and I hate that, but despite my heart of stone a tear or two did fall.
Next were a few shorts from Amazing #692 which was an over-sized issue due to the 50th anniversary of the title. These were short but very sweet. First, we see a criminal stumble upon an abandoned Spidey costume and find out what it really means to be a hero. Then, we watch as Spidey tries to do a good deed for the day but just can't seem to get it right until he meets up with a kid who is also having a pretty bad day. This last short entitled Just Right might be one of the best one-off stories I have ever read. It was hilarious and brilliant in its simplicity.
Lastly we have Spider-man teaming up with Blade to fight vampires.
No. Just no. A flimsy plot terribly executed.
Overall, the Amazing Spider-man Annual #39 and the shorts taken from Amazing #692 make it worth checking out from the library but not worth buying.