Avenging Spider-Man: My Friends Can Beat Up Your Friends

Avenging Spider-Man (Collected Editions) #1

by Zeb Wells, Joe Madureira (Illustrator), Greg Land (Illustrator)

Collects Avenging Spider-Man #1-5. Spider-Man and his Avengers teammate Red Hulk take on a Moloid army during the New York City Marathon; but when Red Hulk falls, only Spider-Man stands in the way of the Subterranean invasion of Manhattan! Then, Hawkeye drops in for an action-packed extravaganza! And Spidey teams with Cap!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Spider Man, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book

119 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Zeb Wells is an American comic book writer known for his work at Marvel Comics, as well as his work on the animated TV series Robot Chicken.

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reminiscent of the old Marvel Team-Up series which ran for a dozen or so years back in the 70's and 80's -- Spider-Man, usually the headliner, would partner with another random member of the Marvel universe for a one-issue story, though once he memorably / oddly co-starred with the Not Ready For Primetime Players, the original cast of TV's Saturday Night Live, when Stan Lee was a guest host (ah, the 70's !!!) -- My Friends Can Beat Up Your Friends was a fun, action-oriented if sort of slight volume.

The first half the book is Spider-Man / 'red' Hulk adventure, with the two of them being the only Avengers available for a rescue mission of a kidnapped J. Jonah Jameson. (He's pulled down into the bowels of Manhattan by old-school villain Mole Man and his minions.) Better was the follow-up in which Spider-Man and an underenthused Hawkeye head out on night patrol in the city. Hawkeye's uncharacteristic and rare moment of seriousness (the ". . . if I miss [the shot], it means I'm just another dude with a bow." monologue) on his mortal abilities was a highlight. The closer, featuring a glimpse in to Captain America's psyche, kind of meanders to miss the mark but does have a few good scenes.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Red Hulk story was the better of the 3 stories. The other 2 were pretty average but overall was worth picking up.

[Sam Quixote · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s got a fun title – My Friends Can Beat Up Your Friends – but Avenging Spider-man is a strangely maudlin book. This is Spider-man’s team-up series where he gets paired with another character and has an adventure with them. In this book it’s Red Hulk, Hawkeye, and Captain America respectively.

The Spider-man/Red Hulk storyline takes up the first three issues and is unfortunately the worst of the bunch. Mayor Jameson gets captured by some moloids and is dragged beneath New York City where it turns out Moleman has been usurped by a whole new group of tough guy monsters who have enslaved the moloids. Middle middle middle, Spider-man saves the day in a jokey way. I won’t go into plot particulars but this really didn’t need to be three issues given the sparse content. Plus Red Hulk is kind of a dick so the less I see of him, the better.

The Hawkeye story is strangely sad. Hawkeye’s deeply insecure being a non-super-powered human on a team of gods, monsters, and assorted super-powered heroes so spends all of his time practicing on being the best shot in the world. Spidey does something nice for him at the end despite Hawkeye being kind of a dick himself, overcompensating on confidence because he’s not confident. It’s an ok story I guess…

The best story in the book is Spidey/Captain America. Spidey finds out that Cap, before he became Cap and was still weedy Steve Rogers, wanted to be a comics illustrator. Spidey tries to get Cap back into it so the two can come up with characters and start making comics together for a lark. This was the best story because it does a lot of things in a short space. It showed a side of Cap that gave him some more personality, it affirmed Spidey’s approach to life, and also pays tribute to the late Joe Simon, one of Cap’s greatest artists, whom the issue is dedicated to. The spark between creators when making a comic is caught in the panels too, a really touching sentiment in an issue dedicated to a great comics artist.

So, one good issue out of five then - not a good hit ratio. Zeb Wells has done better - see Carnage USA for a more fun read. What a weird downer of a read - for Spider-man no less!

[Trevor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Avenging Spider-Man is a Spider-Man team-up book. The name is alluding to Spidey's status as an Avenger rather than indicating that he's particularly vengeful in this book.

There are three stories, pairing Spider-Man with the Red Hulk, Hawkeye, and Captain America respectively. The first one is just dumb fun but the last two are surprisingly heartfelt and character-focused.

[Katherine (Kat) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5
Individual issues rated below -

Avenging Spider-Man: #1: 4/5
Avenging Spider-Man: #2: 4/5
Avenging Spider-Man: #3: 3.5/5
Avenging Spider-Man: #4: 3.5/5
Avenging Spider-Man: #5: 3/5
Avenging Spider-Man: #6: 3/5

[Julio Bonilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m actually a science nerd. 🕷

[Kyle Berk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Issues four and five in here are lovely little character pieces that I thoroughly enjoy and are one of the things I want out of a monthly team up book.

[Jessi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The last story of the bunch made me smile.

[Just a Girl Fighting Censorship · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was entertained but not blown away. The tone of this book was very light and humorous even for Spider-man. The focus of this series seems to Spider-man's relationships with other heroes, primarily other Avengers.

The main story line in this volume featured Mole Man and was actually handled in a really interesting way and even though I'm not a huge Red Hulk fan I enjoyed the team up.

I have very mixed feelings about the last issue in this volume in which Spidey tries to bond with Cap over their past nerdy lives. When I sum it up it sounds ridiculous and at times Spidey was painted as desperate but it had heart that felt genuine.



There was also a story featuring Hawkeye that had a sweet ending but was ultimately forgettable.

Overall, this was a laid back fun read not to be taken too seriously. There were plenty of laugh out loud moments but it was also strangely saccharine at times causing me to cringe.

[Jeff Lanter · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you'd like to read Spider-Man but are unsure of where to start, Avenging Spider-Man collects light stories that are either one or two issues long and are easy to pick up and enjoy without much knowledge of the character. Most of the issues try very hard to be fun and give Spider-Man opportunities to make jokes, which will either be fun or slightly annoying. I went between the two feelings in these issues at various times. The last couple of issues also let you see Spider-Man interact or build a relationship with an Avenger and while not especially deep character studies, that was a nice variation from the jokes. The action is mostly good and the art is generally fantastic especially in the first few issues (although the Greg Land issue was just okay). This is not an essential read, but if you want something fun, it is worth reading on Marvel Unlimited or if you can find a copy cheaply somewhere.

[Dimitris Papastergiou · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good. Liked it.

Some great artwork in it. Especially after the first 3 issues.

The Story with Red Hulk was ok. Classic Spidey being Spidey.

Then we get a story with Hawkeye. Nice touch although a bit....well if you've been reading recent any of the most recent Hawkeye series, well it's like the character is going against his own personality and it seems weird, after the whole "revamp" of the character.

And last but not least, the best story of the volume, is Spidey teaming up with Captain America. Awesome full of geek stuff and some amazing artwork.

Fun read. With a few laughs and some great artwork. Solid story-telling after the first 3 issues with great stuff overall. I liked it!

Gonna read me Volume 2 for sure!

[Viridian5 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked #1-3, the storyline about Subterranea, but really disliked #4 and #5. #1-3 has good art, an amusing wisecracking wallcrawler, and a good and fun plot. #4 features a really dislikable version of Hawkeye and art by Greg Land. At least there weren't any women in the story so I didn't have to see Land's porn faces. #5 featured a version of Captain America I also don't recognize or like.

If not for #4 and 5, I would have given this a higher rating.

[Peter Derk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice. Almost like little character studies of everyone but Spider-Man, but you get the Spider-Man stuff through the way he interacts with other characters. This would be a really good one to try out if you're just dipping a toe in the Marvel waters.

[Jordan Lahn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great fun spider man stories that pair him with interesting characters. It's odd sometimes seeing characters act in ways that they wouldn't in an Avengers title, but part of the Spider-Man charm is being a little goofy.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Title: Avenging Spider-Man: My Friends Can Beat Up Your Friends
Author: Zeb Wells
Series: Avenging Spider-Man, 1
Format: ebook
Length: N/A
Rating: 3 stars

Synopsis: This is what you've been waiting for! The return of legendary artist Joe Madureira (X-MEN, Battle Chasers) and fan-favorite Spidey writer Zeb Wells in a brand new Spider-series that teams the wall-crawler with some of the greatest heroes in the Marvel Universe! Spider-Man and new Avengers teammate Red Hulk kick things off by taking on a Moloid army during the New York Marathon. Spidey and Rulk raise and lead an underground army in this action packed extravaganza - but when Red Hulk falls, only Spider-Man stands in the way of the Subterranean invasion of Manhattan!

Favourite character: Peter
Least favourite character: N/A

Mini-review: Good. Another comic where I have to read extra. I started Daredevil vol 3, but Goodreads so kindly informed me that the bind-up also included Avenging Spider-Man 6 and The Punisher 10. So off I went and here we are.
I liked this . I love Peter's banter while he's fighting. I enjoyed all the team-ups, especially Hawkeye.

[Ian Banks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spider is dealing with being the member of several superhero teams and is worried about spreading himself too thin but also has to deal with his own personal baggage as a solo hero when joining a team of established heroes.

It was okay: I just didn’t feel as though I was reading anything that hadn’t been written several times before. I mean, we know that Spider-Man is a loner that desperately wants to belong but his own wisecracking nature prevents that at times. Good fun, but slight.

[Júlia · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO MUCH FUN! the hulk+spidey team-up (of sorts) was really fun. #4 brought a nice insight on clint's character, which i think is great for people who don't necessarily follow him that much. absolutely loved #6 (obviously) since steve is my fave and seeing him be sort of dorky with peter was super sweet.

[FrontalNerdaty · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a fun story which features Spidey proving his worth to the Avengers. The stories contained are basic but they go a long way to show that just beyond his skills Peter really brings a lot to the team. It’s a decent romp with a variety of action and heart. Exactly what you want from a Spider-man story!

[Louisnel Larose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read and fantastic artwork by Joe Madureria!!!

Great read and fantastic artwork by Joe Madureria!!! Highly recommended. Really hGreat read and fantastic artwork by Joe Madureria!!! Highly recommended. Really happy that I purchased this book!!!!!!!!! Thanks to Amazonappy that I purchased this book!!!!!!!!! Thanks to Amazon

[Shane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spider-man must be really fun to write. The constant jokes really make this series enjoyable. Also it's really cool that it's basically Spidey and a different hero every issue (or every 2). I also LOVE the art so far.

[Jdetrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are great, fun comics. Good art, good dialogue and they even have strong character work.

[MH · Rating 4 out of 5]

I *love* the last story (#5) in this volume -- sometimes we just need to be reminded that it's okay to have a specific passion in life, even if you "should" outgrow it. It was so, so charming.

[Mallory · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume features one of my favorite Spider-man interactions, wherein Peter bonds with Captain America over comics. It is so sweet your teeth might dissolve.

[Minister Jane Trivigno · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wholesome spider-man content, the writer really nails the characters, I highly recommend this for both new and old spider-man fans

[☽ Nanna Brochdorff ✧ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 RTC

[Nicolas · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book looks great and has some nice moments, but I'm not really in the market for a simple team-up run.

For more on this tune in to Comic Book Coffee Break: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHXep...

[Arris (areesespieces) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book itself was kind of confusing but I did really like it.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

I usually don't believe blurbs or agree with them, but this blurb is right. This is exactly what I've been waiting for.

I often despair and occasionally rant about the fact that comic book series not designed for kids twelve and under are severely lacking in the Fun Department. I understand the dilemma and the desire for some dark grit. Or just the avoidance of too much levity because with humor and quirkiness, there has to be a balance. A little nonsense now and then is fine. Too much nonsense in not-so capable hands can become boring or, at the very least, not as entertaining. But this new series is absolutely perfect. I laughed out loud and really felt for all of the characters and I cannot wait for more.

The first story and the main one involves dealing with the Mole and his army as well as rescuing an irate Mayor Jonah Jameson who is not and will never be a fan of Spider-man. The Red Hulk goes with Peter, and there are plenty of whacky hijinks to be had. The stories after that are one-shots. They're both hilarious in a lot of ways but also moving in others.

The fourth issue deals with Hawkeye and actually does a great job on touching on a source of angst without spending too much time dwelling on it. Basically Hawkeye struggles with the difficulty of being a person without superpowers on a super-powered team. Peter has powers, of course, but he understands Clint's struggles and Peter's actions at the end of the issue were pretty touching.* The last story deals with Captain America's reluctance to return to drawing, which was a source of great to Steve before he became a Super Soldier. Peter helps him find a way to reconnect with his passion without seeing it as a weakness, and it was really sweet.

In conclusion, awesome and fun and liberty bonds. While this particular graphic novel is not really a great starting point for new fans who are more familiar with the movies, it will greatly appeal to fans looking for something character-driven and (mostly) lighthearted.



* And it will be interesting to see if Clint's concerns factor into Spider-man storylines later on. I will also be very surprised if none of them get brought up in the Hawkeye's new series, which starts coming out in August, considering that Matt Fraction is writing it.

[***Dave Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not every comic book needs to be witty and entertaining and fun and hip while still telling good done-in-one or done-in-two tales.

But I'm really, really glad this one does.

Peter Parker was for decades the quintessential outsider / loner. One of the more remarkable evolutions in Marvel Comics in the last several years has been making Spidey part of teams -- FF and Avengers in particular. By resurrecting "Marvel Team-Up" with his Avengers team-mates as the guests, we get to see a side of Peter that doesn't always come out in his regular book (but gives him more focus than the actual Avengers books).

The change in artists between the different stories jars slightly, but Wells does a great job of drawing common threads between the stories. And, honestly, for all the humor, there's a lot of spot-on characterization that explores Peter (and the guest-stars) in good, penetrating, and enjoyable ways.

I'd give it 4.5 stars, if I could. It doesn't rate 5 just because it's not that *important* a series of stories. But they're damned good, and I'd loan this to any of my comic book reading friends.

Buy this book. I don't think you'll regret it.

[Arminzerella · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not a fan of superhero comics. And I don't regularly read Spider-man or Avengers or any of those, so I have only the vaguest familiarity with the stories and characters.

In this collection, Spider-man/Peter Parker is the hero and the comic relief all rolled into one. He makes all the jokes. Maybe this is true of him all the time? I don't know. He was entertaining, but this felt like mindless fluff - here's a situation, here's how Spider-man and his friend, the Hulk, got beat up a lot and almost died, here's how Spider-man saved the day. OR DID HE? Probably not, as it turns out. And now here is a touching story about how Spider-man and Captain America bonded over being former geeks/nerds. Wait, they still are! Awww...

There's nothing wrong with this. It is mildly entertaining. I even laughed when Spider-man humiliated Ra'ktar by cutting off his...pants? Loin cloth? Battle skirt? Whatever the thing was that he was wearing that was hiding his bits from the rest of the world. Amusing. But I get the feeling that this isn't anything new. Is this how most of the stories go? If so, I probably don't need to read anymore.