Spider-Man/Power Pack #1 (Story 1)

Background

Given powers by an alien encounter, Alex, Julie, Jack and Katie power became Zero-G, Lightspeed, Mass Master and Energizer: The Power Pack! They secretly fight the world as superheroes while constantly trying to hide their double lives from their parents and avoiding being grounded, not to mention teaming up with older super heroes on more than one occasion. Case in point:

Story 'Everything Old is Young Again!'

The Powers have moved to New York so their father could work with some of the best scientific minds in the world, but only half of the team is excited about the move. Alex and Julie find themselves miserable at the prospect of having to restart their lives from scratch when everything they know is back home. Jack convinces them to suck it up and go out on patrol to introduce the city to its newest superheroes!

However, after 2 hours the kids are about ready to give up due to lack of action and go home to help their parents unpack. That is until they spot Sandman robbing a bank. The Pack prepares to move in, but Jack stops them, saying their public debut needs to be flawless; they need a plan. Just then, Spidey drops in and calls dibs, launching himself into a fight with Sandman. The Pack join in, just in time to be hit by a sandy tidal wave. Katie ends up trapped, so she blasts her way free and Sandman to sandy bits.

Jack is ready to celebrate, but Spidey informs him that Sandy always manages to pull himself back together. Sure enough, he does and readies another assault on the heroes. Sandy splits himself to avoid an attack by Lightspeed, letting Zero-G grab him and keep him apart. This gives Spidey time to rip the cover off a well-placed fire hydrant and douse him in water, letting him turn into mud and flow into a nearby sewer. The media arrive and Jack takes the time to step into the spotlight, thanking Spidey for the assist and giving him a business card. Spidey swings off dejected and the rest of the team angrily scolds Jack. Later while unpacking back at home, Jack catches their first big news story only to be disappointed when the team is named Spidey's unidentified and cute little sidekicks. Suddenly, the luster is gone from New York and he finds himself wanting to go home.

Meanwhile, the report continues on with the accidental discovery of a chemical at the GlamorGal Cosmetics company that can literally reverse aging on a genetic level. Upon learning about this, Adrian Toomes (aka The Vulture) breaks into their lab seeking to use the chemical on himself. However, his plans are quickly changed when Spidey reveals he followed him there. The two fight, knocking vulture into some of the cosmetics. Vulture quickly grabs a beaker and fills it with the chemical, but Spidey makes one last attempt to stop him. Unfortunately, the other cosmetics he was bathed in causes Spidey to slip off and fall into the chemical himself. Spidey emerges but Vulture is already gone. Embarrassed at the loss, he learns he has a bigger problem once he sees his reflection.

Back at the Powers', Jack tells the team that Spidey just E-Mailed them for help. They, of course, find it hard to believe and yell at Jack for giving out their real address over E-Mail. They soon learn that it wasn't a prank when Spidey arrives in his baggy costume, having been turned into a kid their age!

General Comments

Yet another fun and light tale. Some good jokes cracked throughout the book, and a lot of funny lines played off various situations. Not to mention both Spidey and the Vulture were kept in character despite the kind of book it is. A good start to the story, and one you'll enjoy reading.

Overall Rating

5 webs. Light and fun like the previous issues, but not sacrificing any enjoyment for adults by making it all ages friendly.