The Good
Whether it be to boost sales of a flagging title or just for fun, team-ups work best when the characters have some kind of chemistry and a reason to connect for a brief stint. Christos Gage, with a plot by Dan Slott, presented both in spades last issue, teaming the ultra-enthusiastic Ms. Marvel up with the veteran Spider-Man to take down a Kree operative stealing a Terrigen Misted cocoon. Kamala’s unbridled enthusiasm was infectious throughout the issue, and that’s the absolute highlight of this one as well. Her delightful freakout over not just fighting alongside Spidey, but getting to use one of his signature moves PREVIOUSLY used by he and Captain Marvel is enough to trigger a day-long grin. When it’s revealed exactly who, or what, is in the cocoon, though, alliances and allegiances are thrown into disarray and sides are switched in dramatic fashion. We also get a new look for Silk that better solidifies her as a character who’ll be sticking around, rather than just rocking the whole “webbed up in the moment” look that was starting to become less and less sustainable. We don’t get much of her, but what we do get does a great job of further building her characterization.
The pencils by Giuseppe Camuncoli carries the story forward expertly. The main part of the issue is almost entirely action from start to stop, but Camuncoli’s visuals flow easily and steadily, both creating the illusion of movement and setting things out in a way that makes them extremely easy to follow. His panel control and layouts are top-notch, and his character designs, though a little blocky, are ultimately powerful and kinetic. And speaking of masterful control: Cam Smith’s inks give every character a sense of definition and every action scene a tremendous sense of speed and impact. Another huge part of the look and feel of the book also comes from colorist Antonio Fabela. Interestingly, Cauncoli and Smith’s style lends itself to the darker more serious tone of SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN, and while Fabela also colored that, his entirely style seems to have shifted now that Parker is back in the driver’s seat. Daytime scenes are more frequent, characters look brighter and everything feels more upbeat.
We ALSO get a backup story from Dan Slott and Humberto Ramos with inks by Victor Olazaba and colors from Edgar Delgado set in Earth-982 as Spider-Girl finds herself under attack from the gargantuan, gluttonous Daemos. Things take a turn for the worse and Mayday finds herself with another heaping helping of great responsibility as she joins up with the dimension hopping Superior Spider Corps. There’s a breakneck pacing that comes from needing to tell the story in relatively few pages, and fans of the character and setting may be displeased with a couple of the developments, but I particularly enjoyed the look that Ramos brings. It’s also a great buildup for when Spider-Verse finally kicks off proper and we see all these threads come together.
The Bad
If you believe the cover, the backup is the main focus of this book and the main story is the backup when, in fact, the reverse is true. I, of course, enjoyed both stories, but one could be forgiven for not having their expectations met, especially with the passionate following Spider-Girl has.
The Verdict
Slott and Gage are clearly building to Spider-Verse, but it’s certainly not coming at the expense of the main AMAZING SPIDER-MAN title. While we might not be getting huge plot developments and high-stakes, we’re getting some great character work and, quite frankly, the dust is STILL settling from SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN’s massive shakeup, so it’s relaxing to actually have a status quo to return to. Kamala and Peter’s story is great fun to read and juxtaposes strongly against the savagery of the EDGE OF SPIDER-VERSE back-up, but the two don’t clash and are both, ultimately, entertaining.
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