Written by Christos Gage
Illustrated by Reilly BrownAfter his work with the new FF wraps for the week, what can the original teenaged superhero teach the worlds most at risk group of super-powered teens? Find out when Spider-Man substitutes at the Avengers Academy! But it’s far from a normal day at school when a field trip is interrupted by a vengeful PSYCHO-MAN armed with hate, doubt and fear! Guest starring the FF, Giant-Man…. and the Malevolent Marvel Monster Mayhem of MONSTEROSO!
For a second I thought I was seeing double when I went to my local dealer comic shop this week and saw this issue and Avengers Academy #14 on the shelf. Both written by Christos Gage and both featuring the nubile heroes of the Avengers Academy, it took me a second to realize that they were different titles. However, under the hood, this was a 100% quality Spider-Man tale with all the heart and soul we’ve come to expect from “Big Time” era Spider-Man.
This issue picks up following the last one, with Spidey still operating on the Future Foundation clock. However, after an impromptu team-up with Hank Pym to defeat an enlarged microverse beast, we learn that the Avengers Academy is in dire need of a substitute teacher. Despite not being their first choice, once Pym finds out about Spidey’s history as a New York City public school teacher, he becomes the obvious choice to fill the roll. However, it seems our favorite wall crawler was worried that he may be rusty at his former craft.
As it turns out, he is still a perfectly effective educator, the problem is that the pool of knowledge he is drawing from is antiquated (a problem I myself have run into as an educator). Simply put, the students of Avengers Academy are learning to become heroes in a world stunningly different from the one Spidey paid his dues in. The perils that he had to overcome to grow into the hero he is today are, in so many words, nothing compared to the hardships these kids have gone through, especially in the most recent issue of the book, which I believe takes place AFTER this adventure if my read of Spidey’s current continuity is accurate. Yeah yeah I know, dead father figure is pretty bad, but getting molested and dying while inhabiting the body of your future self is no walk in the park either.
However, it seems the one idea that transcends all generations of heroes is the desire to go on patrol (since, after all, it basically is just looking for trouble). However, shortly after the Spidey-lead Academy patrol, trouble is indeed what they find as they encounter some traditional purse snatchers acting much more violent than usual. After quickly dispatching these hoodlums, it is revealed that they were under the influence of the emotion manipulating Psycho Man, who quickly turns the tables on Spidey. Despite this, he overcomes his fear and his doubt and gains the upper hand. However, as the issue comes to a close, Spidey (and we as the reader) realize that the mental defenses of the Academy students are nowhere near the level needed to overcome the Psycho Man’s control, and quickly find themselves embroiled with hatred for their favorite substitute.
Riley Brown’s art is certainly something to shake a stick at as well. While the Brand New Day-era of the book made an effort (at least initially) to featuring more recent “innovators” of comic art, the Big Time era has so far resigned itself to showcasing the best young, traditional talent in the industry, and Brown’s work here manages to convey both Spidey’s awkwardness as well as the playfulness of the Academy students perfectly. I feel Brown’s strength truly lies in his body composition and implied sense of movement (and that has always been the case since his work on Cable & Deadpool and The Incredible Hercules), and he really seems to have upped his game on this one. Hopefully we’ll see more of him on this book beyond this two issue stint!
As I mentioned earlier, despite this book heavily featuring his own creations, Gage manages to craft an impeccable Spidey tale here, not missing a single beat from the precedent Slott has been setting on this book. Of all the writers Marvel could have tapped to fill in for Slott, its stunningly appropriate that Gage got the nod, given the time the two of them spent helming Avengers: The Initiaitve as well as Gage’s impeccable comedic timing and feel for writing youthful characters. While I am chomping at the bit to dig into Spider-Island and all the shenanigans that are sure to stem from it, this pleasant detour story featuring original teen hero advising current teen heroes is well worth the read.
Final Verdict: 9.0 — Buy
