Avenging Spider-Man #15.1 Review

By Harrison Rawdin on Thursday, December 27th, 2012

The epilogue to the end of Amazing Spider-Man is here, but is it really something fans need to pick-up in order to get ready for Superior Spider-Man #1? Read on to find out.

The official description from Marvel:

EPILOGUE to AMAZING SPIDER-MAN FINALE (#700)!

• Coinciding with the end of Amazing Spider-Man, a look back at the greatest conflict in comics history: Spider-Man vs. Doctor Octopus!

Following the somber and Earth shattering event in Amazing Spider-Man #700, the identity of the Superior Spider-Man has been revealed and that’s where this issue picks-up. What we have is more or less the prelude to an era that will surely see an interesting representation of this storied franchise. This isn’t the first time a hero has been replaced but it’s the haphazardly thrown together execution and intriguing premise that certainly sets it apart from the previous attempts.

Chris Yost writes this script and he navigates these uncharted waters with relative ease. He doesn’t attempt to soften the blow but instead runs with it, as he illustrates the logical steps taken by the new Spider-Man. I especially enjoyed the structure of the piece as the narrative spent a good deal of time focusing in on some key moments that could have easily been glossed over, i.e. the suit re-design. The end result brings about several fascinating scenes that shed some light on where this might actually be going.

The art by Paco Medina does justice to the source material. He lavishes the book with simple but intricately layered panels that illuminate the complexities of this jaunt. All and all this was a very solid job that succeeded in instilling minor differences between this hero and our previous one. There were a few moments where I was a bit underwhelmed by some of the face work but overall this was still more than worthy of any readers hard-earned cash.

Avenging Spider-Man #15.1 is an excellent read that happens to be an essential purchase, but heed my warning: do not read this until you’ve flipped through Amazing Spider-Man #700. Highly recommended.