Avenging Spider-Man 15.1

I'm a sucker for Christopher Yost because he wrote all (I think) the episodes of Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes and I will never be over the fact it's cancelled. Just a great show with a good sense of its characters (guys, I care about characters, okay?) and compelling plots taken from the comics. I remember constantly seeing a set-up for future episodes, like the "Madame Hydra was a skrull" reveal and the introduction of Winter Soldier, and saying "How ambitious!" (That's how I talk, normally, when addressing my television.)

So I like Christopher Yost. I also like Scarlet Spider. Let's get back to that, though. Like, another day, not in this post. Let's get back to Yost in this post (nailed it). I'm still kind of on the fence about the .1 issues. I like the idea behind them, often, but I'm not sure I've seen too many really stick to that idea without having to really babysit the reader, coddling them from point A to point B. Some just seem like previews of the next arc, which seems off-base to me. Not to say there haven't been good ones, they just tend to feel a little tacked on to me. Avenging Spider-Man 15.1 was a bit different.

It definitely had a somewhat easier time to it, I'll admit. There are massive changes in the Spider-Man universe going on this very moment. A book to quickly explain what exactly is happening seems well-worth it. This one is. It's a nice introduction to the Doc-Ock-as-Spider-Man conundrum we're all still trying to wrap our heads around. I like Yost's choice to make the plot revolve not around a battle or around other characters (which I find SO IMPORTANT to Spider-Man) but around Otto belittling (or struggling with appreciation for) Peter Parker. To have thrown in his strained relationship with anyone else in Peter's universe would have made the issue feel a little claustrophobic and would have told us what we already knew (Otto's not good with people) instead of what we need to know (how Otto is going to make this work).

Paco Medina's art certainly works well with the issue. There's nothing too over-the-top because the story's the focus here (as with any .1). There's still good and attractive art, highlighted by a nice mini-fight and some good background set pieces that tend to loom over Doc's Spidey. The issue ends with the new costume for the Superior Spider-Man, featuring smaller and more goggle-looking eyes, a sharper spider and a claw on each foot. The claw on each foot is a little weird and the goggle-eyes are perhaps more functional but something to adjust to. Still a nice issue, worth picking up, especially if...

Okay, I was going to say "especially if you're a Spidey fan" because that seemed to make sense, but maybe not? It's useful as a Spider-Man fan, sure, but it's probably more useful as someone not as into Spidey's solo books or even Avenging Spider-Man as a whole. That's why this is a successful .1. If you skipped over Amazing Spider-Man 700 (you shouldn't have) but still read Marvel comics (why are you here if you don't?), this one's worth picking up. It'll give you a look at the new Spider-Man with a short history of both Otto and Peter without delving too deeply into any of it. You know Superior Spider-Man's going to be all over the Marvel Universe, so this is as good a chance as you'll get to discover him.