Avenging Spider-man #3 review

So I've got myself a new gig as the official reviewer of the new Avenging Spider-man comic book series over at Outer Realm Comics http://www.outerrealmcomics.com/
So once a month I'll be posting my reviews up on Outer Realm as well as here!
Starting off with issue 3 due to the timing of me joining the site etc

Avenging Spider-man Issue 3 Review

AVENGING SPIDER-MAN #3
Written by ZEB WELLS
Art by JOE MADUREIRA
Cover by JOE MADUREIRA, FERRAN DANIEL, HUMBERTO RAMOS, and EDGAR DELGADO

Ok so we’ve just finished our first story arc of the new comic and have a good idea of what direction it’s going in. This is a team up book and while all personal issues and dramas of Peter Parker and his supporting cast go on over in Amazing Spider-man, we’re focussing on pure action over here. I was initially scared that this book would then become unimportant and completely irrelevant, simply being another comic with Spidey’s name to boost Marvel’s figures. Turns out I’m enjoying this new approach and it actually gives a nice break from the seriousness of Amazing.

Story

I’m not a big fan of the Mole Man or anyone/thing that lives underground, but I was kept interested enough. We start off with the recap telling us Red Hulk is dead, JJJ saying he’s probably dead and Spidey simply saying, yeah, probably. Does no one care that an Avenger, is dead?! This book doesn’t really show much emotional depth. Spidey then goes on to challenge the Gladiator, Ra’ktar, not a particularly memorable villain, and defeats him by destroying his belt and his ‘trousers’ fall down, exposing his crown jewels (unseen). Seriously. Then Red Hulk gets angry because his feelings have been hurt and the Moloids laugh at him. So my point is that this book was made for sheer entertainment, an excuse for some more gags and action and as long as the reader accepts that nothing serious is going to happen in here, it’s pretty entertaining.

AvSM doesn't take itself too seriously

Art

I’m a big fan of Joe Madueira’s cartoony, abstract and almost anime- like artwork. He favours the overall energy and feel of the picture over things like perfect anatomy or trying to make the characters look real. The personal highlight of AvSM 3 for me though is the colours of Ferran Daniel. There’s just so much energy in his blue/grey/brown, speed line-esque backgrounds, such as the very first panel, Spidey and JJJ on the run, on top of a bird/camel- like creature, or later on when Spidey’s punching The Great Ra’ktar, we can really feel the speed and power of his punch. Yes, realism is sacrificed and everything is very stylised but it works in Avenging Spider-man as it is an over-the-top action book, not the main narrative of the Spider-man story. One thing that I wasn’t as happy with though is the lack of splash pages. Every page is broken up by panels, a lot more than issue 1 or 2, and gone are the great cinematic double page drawings or even full page pics. This adds to the pace but doesn’t show off the art as much as the other two issues did.

Alot of energy, but pages are quite cramped

Cover

My least favourite out of the three issues of AvSM. It’s nice that it relates to the last cover, with similar backgrounds and colour schemes, but the composition doesn’t work as well for me. Ra’ktar is holding Spider-man up by the throat, but as he is the more detailed character our eye is drawn to him, which doesn’t work as well as he is over at the edge of the page and too much of him is missing from the frame. Ra’ktar’s armour is quite complicated and it’s made even harder on the eye by Joe Mad’s sketchy, sans solid outline style. Colours are nice, with the red of Spidey popping out, although his blue does get somewhat lost against the background. The cover feels more like a panel that would fit inside the book.

Story 3/5

Art 4/5

Cover 2/5

Conclusion: A nice but partly anti climatic end to the first story arc of AvSM. It’s obvious that this is a book that isn’t taking itself too seriously and is for sheer entertainment purposes only while the drama takes place over in Amazing.

Overall 3/5