Review: Superior Spider-Man Team-Up #1

Superior Spider-Month Concludes!

SPOILERS!

You know, when this whole Superior Spider-Month thing was announced, I thought these new books would be interesting, but wouldn’t have any real impact. I figured I would pick up the first issues, read then review them for you fine folks and be done with it.

I didn’t expect them to be any good. But this is why he’s the Superior Spider-Man, now isn’t it? We’ve had three new books introduced this month, Superior Carnage, Superior Foes Of Spider-Man, and this one and we are three for three on the ‘add it to my pull list’ reaction.

So, Superior Spider-Man Team-Up #1 replaces the Avenging Spider-Man series, which I feel is a good idea because Avenging just tied him in with the Avengers and that just doesn’t fit Spider-Man anymore. It turns out that’s exactly what the point of this was but we still get some Avengers action as, for some unknown reason, Spider-Man is on a tear through New York City taking out… heroes? Yeah, he attacks Gravity, Power Man and Iron Fist, Moon Knight, Doctor Strange, someone called Sun Girl, and the Future Foundation. All these are shocking but his first attack on Dagger really threw me for a loop.

But it isn’t just a mindless rampage, no, he’s after something specific and while he’s trying to locate it the Avengers show up and figure he’s gone over the line one time too many and it’s time to stop him. After a short fight where both Hulk and Thor realize something about the strength of Spider-Man we get down to what is going on: a sentient virus called The Carrion Virus has been running from Spider-Man by jumping from hero to hero. It knows he has the means to destroy it and it doesn’t really feel like being destroyed.

It’s a really fun book and as a sister series to Superior Spider-Man I think it will work out perfectly. It will certainly add a missing layer to the character: how the rest of the Marvel Universe reacts to the all-new Spider-Man, but will also give more room for upcoming danger and threats. For example, the final page of this issue gives us a hint to some upcoming trouble including the fact that Carrion was not just infecting heroes for no reason, he’s working for someone, a guy who was thought destroyed (again) way back in Spider-Island, it seems like he’s popped up again after that but it’s always so difficult keeping track of the Jackal.

This book probably couldn’t have a better creative team. Chris Yost writes Spider-Man perfectly, matching the mannerisms and dialogue Dan Slott uses in the main title to a tee. The arrogance and general creepiness of Spider-Man is spot on while the pencils of David Lopez gives this book a classic feel that I miss so much in Marvel comics these days. Even with him having to draw Captain America in that lame new outfit of his (have to match the movies now) it still have a vibrant and energetic feel that all Spider-Man books should have. If this team stays on this book then its going to be making some waves for sure. The only problem here is it may not be able to be fully enjoyed if you don’t read Superior. But that’s hard for me to gauge because I read Superior. I know it will tie in with the main book, we have references to his exploits there in the beginning of this issue as the assault on Shadowland is mentioned and while Avenging Spider-Man was pretty much able to stand on its own I have to wonder if this series will be able to considering the mindset of this new Spider-Man. But if anyone can make this work it’s Yost. After all, he took over Avenging beginning with #15.1 which ushered in the new Superior Age Of Spider-Man and he made that work just fine so I’m confident that it will be able to go along with Superior as well as be its own thing.

All in all, this was a very fun book and, I feel, will fit in just fine with Superior Spider-Man. At least it certainly will in my collection. And to think… I was just going to pick up the first issue then jump to the trades for the rest of the run.

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