Marvel Age: Spider-Man Team-Up #4

Background

In a nutshell Marvel Age Spider-man Team-ups re-tell stories that were written some time ago. Some of us were too young to read them when they first came out. This one re-tells a story that came out in 1972, before I was born. My point is, if you missed it when it first came out, here it is for you and your posterity.

If you're read or own the Coneway original kudos to you, you're as cool as me. I'm sorry.

Story 'Out of Time'

The issue opens in the Institute for SeismoHarmonic Studies, where the Looter plans to use stolen electromagnetic refractualizers to restore his meteor's polarity. Still with me? Good. A swat team rushes in causing the Looters to panic, blow up the lab and in the process launches Spider-man out of a nearby window.

As Spidey is making a "I think I can see my house from here" joke, the Mighty Thor catches him and flies him to the ground. Thor decides he wants to help Spider-man fight and reluctantly Spidey agrees.

Suddenly a green amoeba is floating in the sky and Thor isn't too happy about it. It "chills his blood to see it again", in fact. After a tazmanian devil spin of his hammer, Thor and Spidey are a "half-step beyond the reality we know" where time has stopped and colors a very pastel.

While fighting trolls sent by their troll leader Krylik, Spider-man admits that sometimes he doesn't know what Thor is saying and Thor admits that he watches "Robert the sponge with the straight trousers."

Thor catches up with Krylik and Krylik vanishes just as Thor makes a grab for him. Web-head and Thunder god go to Asgard and fight more trolls. Spidey reasons that they need to hit Krylik in both realms at the same time to beat him.

After a tough battle on both ends, our heroes leap in the air and deliver a massive strike simultaneously. All the lesser trolls and their troll leader disappear causing Thor and Spider-man to take a half-step back to reality but in Asgard. Odin "applauds the actions of Thor and his...er...oddly garbed ally." Spider-man thanks Odin "verily."

Then that crazy old god of gods, Odin puts Spidey back on earth at the exact same moment that he's about to be launched out of the window by the Looter. Quote the Spider, "Sigh."

General Comments

I thinks Thor is an alright Joe and I like seeing him in action and seeing people around him not understand him. That said, I want to say that I hate how he uses his hammer to do various little odd jobs such as teleporting to Asgard, teleporting them a "half-step beyond reality." Speaking of which, what is a half-step beyond reality? Must be a god thang.

Spidey proves that he's a butt kicker in this issue. He goes toes to toes with trolls that give god trouble. He gets mad respect for that. He even gets a congrats from the All father. How cool is that?

I'dve like to have seen a little closure in regards to the Looter. He just seemed to be there for no reason but to launch Spider-man out of a window. Any number of things could have done that and we the people too young to have read Marvel Team-Up #7 would have been none the wiser.

The art is a treat for the little guys reading this. I'm sure the pastels are good for kids' growth. Seriously though, the art is good.

The Thor jokes are pretty clever too. The Spongebob nod is an example of a good update of the '72 material.

Overall Rating

Three webs. Decent art. Decent jokes. Decent action. Decent rating.