avengingsspiderman17cvrBy Chris Yost and Paco Medina

Although Dan Slott has been doing an admirable job on Superior Spider-Man, Chris Yost seems to be doing even better. He’s able to tap into a certain magic that Spidey-Ock has and just runs with it. Issue 17 is brilliantly hilarious as the new Fantastic Four (currently seen in the pages of FF) task Spidey-Ock with babysitting the children of the Future Foundation.

Most of Spidey-Ock’s stories are a tad on the dark side, which is fine –this is, after all, a darker Spidey. However, Chris Yost has been opting for a humorous tale, this time involving babysitting geniuses. Obviously, Octavius isn’t fond of kids, which leads to some Kindergarten Cop-style shenanigans. This angle is written well enough and is quite funny.

The Time Variance Authority shows up and attempts to eliminate the Future Foundation. The ensuing brawl is well done with some entertaining Spidey fights. After the dust settles, Spidey-Ock decides to use his words as opposed to his fists. This is a great scene because TVA appears to know that this Spidey isn’t who everybody thinks he is and it’s fun to watch Spidey-Ock scramble to prevent being exposed. Even though the majority of this issue is lighthearted, the ending takes a dark turn and the conclusion is quite odd and shocking.

Paco Medina’s pencils are great. His work here is fun and cartoony, but not annoyingly so. The only real problem is Spidey looking too childish in certain panels. Dave Curiel (colors) also deserves special mention –Spidey-Ock has a shadow surrounding him in most panels, which even though this is a goofier take on the character, helps remind you that this is a more sinister Spider-Man.

Avenging Spider-Man is wonderful with Chris Yost at the helm. He’s more than proven that he can adequately write a superhero story that has the most insane of concepts. It’s fun to see a different take on a Spidey-Ock that isn’t so serious. At this point, all three Spidey titles (Superior, Avenging and Ultimate) are worth picking up every month.

Writing: 8/10
Art: 8/10
Overall: 8/10

Derek Baker

Derek Baker

Managing Reviewer/Reviewer at ReadComicBooks
Derek Baker lives in a small town right outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He has been collecting comics since he was about 8 years old. When he first walked into a comic book shop, he knew that he was home. Derek has never really stopped reading comic books since. It all started with him watching the Batman and Robin and Superfriends cartoons in the ’80s. In the ’90s, his need for comics grew even more with the comics boom of that time, as well as animated television shows like Batman: The Animated Series and Spider-Man. For Derek, being an adult just means having a job and getting more money for comic books. Although he enjoys indie comics, Derek is a DC and Marvel fanboy at heart. Especially DC. His favorite characters include Batman, Spider-Man, Superman, Swamp Thing, The Flash, Aquaman, Spawn and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Derek is also a toy and video game collector, old and new. Derek lives with his lovely girlfriend, Nicole. He works in the health care industry and is also going to school to be a registered nurse.
Derek Baker

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@coreyfryia @AdensMama I have The One Ring as a wedding ring. My nerdiness is forever sealed. Forged in Mount Doom, my friends. - 7 hours ago
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