Spider-Woman #1

   Perhaps this would be a fine first issue if I were reading the Spider-Verse series.

   But I'm not, so for me, this was a terrible first issue. If you're a Spider-Verse fan, your mileage may vary.

   Let me say first that I'm a fan of the Jesssica Drew version of Spider-Woman, even though she's so rarely done "right."

   But in this issue she's lost in a crowd of Spider-dervied characters, which feels for all the world like the worst aspects of such "family" creations.

   Usually the worst offenders have been past issues of DC comics, with innumerable "Batman" and "Superman" derivatives - now Marvel is falling into the same trap.

   Of course, the Spider-Verse stories might be wonderful for all I know - but this doesn't give any indication of that.

   The issue launches hip-deep in the story already, as Spider-Woman is trying to protect another Spider-like woman named Silk along with a '30s pulp version of Spider-Man (I swear I am not making this up).

   They're in an alternate reality, being pursued by a couple of invincible villains who want to steal their spider-life-essence.

     I pity the fan who picks this up as his or her first issue, because he or she will be completely lost. The issue features mindless action, lots of characters with no introductions (look, it's Anya and Gwen, whoever they are), no indication about who the title character is, what she looks like under the mask or why we should care.

    Greg Land's art is beautiful to look at - he's a great choice to draw a comic loaded with lovely women - but that's not enough to make this comic compelling.

   Hopefully at some point this title will focus on the title character. Then it'll be worth $3.99 (maybe).

Grade: C

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The Avengers #15

Certainly any Marvel hero must, at one time or another, go through the rite of passage we call: fighting the Hulk.

It's a tall order most days, but moreso now that the Fear Itself mini-series has the Hulk possessed by an ancient Asgardian demon and wielding a giant magic hammer.

So what better time for Spider-Woman to take on the big green giant? She actually has a little bit of help in this issue of The Avengers, but for the most part Ms. Marvel, The Protector (why don't they call him Captain Marvel or Marvel Boy?) and Hawkeye are out of the fight, so the vastly outmatched Spider-Woman gets her cred as a real Marvel hero.

At this point in the mini-series, the Worthy (as the demon-possessed heroes and villains are called) are impossible to beat - incredibly powerful, virtually indestructible, they defy any efforts by Earth's heroes to stop them. (Something tells me the good guys will soon discover a way to remedy that situation.)

Give Brian Bendis credit for writing a solid, entertaining story here, even though the outcome is never in doubt - but the same can"t be said about the survival of any of the heroes.

The artwork is by Chris Bachalo, and I admit I'm a bit torn on his art. His design and layouts are stunning, and he pumps life and energy into his characters - but characters are heavily distorted in some panels, to the point where they'd fit better in a cartoon.

Still, it's hard to complain - the art is fresh and inventive, and while it's not my style, there are plenty of fans who would disagree.

Bendis continues to give us hints of the bigger picture through the interviews different Avengers are conducting - some after the Fear Itself event.

It's not a bad issue at all, but it drags a bit and it never quite resolves anything.

Come to think of it, the same is true for almost every "hero fights the Hulk" story. Go figure.

Grade: B+

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Spider-Woman #1

The long-promised Spider-Woman comic book has finally appeared, and it features the return of the team of Brian Bendis and Alex Maleev.

This is one dark comic (in topic as well as art) as Jessica Drew finds herself at a very low ebb indeed. During the Secret Invasion, her life was taken over by the Skrull Queen and the last image most people have of her is as a traitor.

So now that she's back on Earth, what is she going to do with her life? A possible answer appears in this issue, as she's offered a new (but grim) direction.

I should say that I think Bendis and Maleev make a good team and their work is outstanding - they seem to be in tune with each other.

But I've always felt that Maleev worked better in the real world than in the superhero playground. For example, the splash page on page two has Spider-Woman posed at a very odd angle.

But after reading this comic, I've changed my mind. Aside from that one page, Maleev's art is perfect for this bleak tale of (possible) redemption.

As for the story, it's a little too early to tell if that's going to work out, but Bendis has a good track record for such things, so I'll hang around for a while and see how it goes.

If you like dark stories with an edge, you'd be advised to give this one a try.

Grade: A-

(EDIT: I originally wrote that Bendis and Maleev had worked together on the Alias comic - quite wrong, as Scott points out in the comments, so I've corrected it. It was Michael Gaydos who drew Alias. Maleev worked on several other titles with Bendis, including an outstanding run on Daredevil. Mea Culpa!)