Spider-Man Marvel Adventures #12

Background

This Spider-Man is different than you remember. It is targeted towards kids, and has a slightly different continuity and background to the hero than the one that we all remember. Still, the important things here are that Peter Parker is still Spidey, he lives with his Aunt May, and he is 15 years old. Also, Spidey’s name tops the book’s header, so, in this fashion we know it’s still all about him — as a teen in the modern-day world.

Story Details

Berto Torino is the head of a NYC crime family, and today he has a visitor, it is Captain George Stacy (Gwen’s dad). As it turns out, Captain Stacy has come a-calling on Don Torino to deliver a message — that today is the last day of him running his crime syndicate in the great city of New York. The Captain freely admits to Don Torino that he )the Captain) is friends with Spider-Man, and that together they are going to put an end to Torino’s reign.

While they are talking, one of the Don’s goons calls him up informing him that Spidey just raided their warehouse and beat them all up. Even though the mobsters fought back, Spidey easily beat them all leaving the place a shambles and then leaving after one of the thugs got in a good belt to the young hero. As Torino’s conversation with Captain Stacy continues, he is constantly interrupted by several of his lieutenants all of whom inform the mobster that Spidey is tearing a swath through Torino’s operations throughout the city. Meanwhile Stacy tells Torino that his daughter, Gwen, is dating Torino’s grandson, Carter, and that is something that simply has to stop.

As the conversation between the cop and the mobster continues, Spidey continues to battle Torino’s hoods throughout the City, closing down one operation after another. Each and every time, Spidey manages to take down dozens of thugs at each location. In fact, at one location, the place was literally invaded by cats, dogs and birds (all courtesy of Peter’s girlfriend, Chat, a mutant who can talk to animals). At another location The Blonde Phantom also showed up to lend a hand (and a fist). Only Chat was taken hostage, which finally seemed to stop Spidey’s crime rampage.

Berto got Spidey on the phone (during one of his attacks on Berto’s establishments), and the mob boss informed Spidey of the situation which distracted Spidey enough for one of Berto’s goons to run Spidey down with a car. Only that turned out to be merely a ploy by Spidey and his friends to get out in front of Torino and to throw him off. As it turns off, Chat (calling herself Mysterious Girl X and wearing a mask), the Blonde Phantom, and Silencer were deceiving Torino. Which he discovered when they all showed up at Berto’s place, with the cops; seems that Silencer (Chat’s sister) used her mutant powers to get Berto’s men to lie to him.

It was then that Captain Stacy revealed that the reason he showed up at the Don’s house was to distract him and keep him at home while Spidey and the girls shuttered his operations across the city. With the cops there, they put Berto in handcuffs and took him away.

General Comments

Writer Paul Tobin has a simple, easy style that is greatly suited for this kind of tale — that is to say, one that is targeted for a younger audience. We do not know what the sales figures on this title are, but we are certain that Marvel is not adequately promoting this and the other Marvel Adventure titles to a younger audience that will potentially grow up to purchase their regular line, and that is a darn shame as it really read s so well.

Overall Rating

Not a bad little story, short, straight to the point, and entertainingly told. It is sort of nice to see Captain Stacy and Spidey working hand-in-hand, and it looks like that Chat is finally getting in some masked adventuring..