Some couples’ idea of a romantic date is dinner at a nice restaurant and the latest award-winning movie. The Immonens, on the other hand, make comics together whenever they have the chance. To each their own, I suppose (not to imply, of course, that they do not love fine dining and films as well).
Written by Kathryn Immonen
Illustrated by Stuart ImmonenA night out with Spider-Man and She-Hulk!
All the thwipping and quipping and none of the calories!
Katherine and Stuart Immonen smash their way into the book so action packed it keeps flying off the shelves…
More than anything else, this comic demonstrates that Kathryn Immonen has a great grasp on characterization. She has worked with both main characters separately in a few instances, such as “A Chemical Romance” and “Heralds,” but one could not be faulted for thinking that she has been working with both characters longer than she has actually been in the industry. Even though she has to shift the sometimes snarky She-Hulk a bit more toward the role of straight woman in order to balance out Spider-Man’s jokes, she is able to do it without sacrificing any essential part of Jessica Walters’s character; she’s still the same She Hulk, just one that is having a hectic day – further aggravated by the presence of the Spider-Man. Likewise, Kathryn gets Peter. Peter’s rapid-fire joking is not just the result of him being a quip-machine, but stems from him being socially awkward and not really knowing what else to say. Taken in these directions, the two characters play off each other excellently, resulting in an incredibly fun comic.
Stuart Immonen almost always does a great job of illustrating, and this issue is no exception. He really has it all: his figures and backgrounds are equally detailed and impressive, his panels are interesting whether they are action packed or scenes of dialogue, and he always maintains a balanced mixture of stylization and realism, though that balance shifts depending on the project. Not only that, but he is one of the seemingly few artists in the industry that is not content with letting his talent remain stagnant; sure, he might not have the same amount of dazzling splash pages in this one issue as in any issue of “Fear Itself,” but a good look makes it clear that he is gradually becoming even more technically precise. As usual, he is working with the talented inker Wade Von Grawbadger, whose crosshatching is so fine that it is almost impossible to notice, and the pair is joined by coloring titan Matthew Hollingsworth, whose dark backgrounds and bold figures fit the comic ideally. It might not have as many bells and whistles as some splash-heavy comics, but this is one well-illustrated comic.
Best of all, though, is how well Mrs. and Mr. Immonen work together. It is apparent that Kathryn is able to script according to Stuart’s strengths without having to noticeably alter her own style at all. Conversely, Stuart is able to even further flesh out Kathryn’s already ideal characterization, using expression and body language in ways that other artists often forget. The two have often remarked that their dream collaborators are each other, and the result is not only adorable: it’s effective. After this issue and their collaboration in “AvX: Versus,” I cannot wait to see what is next for the talented couple.
Price is, unfortunately, a factor that must be considered in a review, especially when you’re rating on a scale of Pass/Browse/Buy. Normally, I would be opposed to shelling out $3.99 for a single-story one-shot, and even more opposed to paying that same price for a comic with only twenty story pages, but beyond the actual quality of the book, “Avenging Spider-Man” #7 has one other saving grace: the free digital copy download code. Twenty cents a page is still quite a steep price, but if you are looking for straight-up fun superheroics without the baggage of continuity, this book is worth every penny.
Final Verdict: 7.8 – Buy it!
