Broken Frontier

Spidey gets some help from Moon Knight as they combine forces against a much improved old foe with a new power base.

This issue of Marvel Team-Up marks the return of the ever interesting Moon Knight, as he is teamed with Spider-Man. In addition to our two aforementioned guest-stars, the company’s solicitations last month announced this issue would also be a great jumping on point for new readers. So with all that acclaim, you’d figure this would be the start of another Marvel milestone.

I just got through reading the issue and my first reaction was same old thing here, and now I am debating about picking up the next issue. It’s not that I didn’t appreciate the attempt at telling a decent team-up tale, it’s just that I am not a big fan of the overly slick colors and glitzy production values. I should digress here though and explain the set-up to the issue at least, since Robert Kirkman brought in a bevy of super-villains to give our heroes a rousing good time. The Constrictor and Spider-Man start things out with a big punch out in an alleyway, and it doesn’t take long before Moon Knight joins the fray. This little soiree goes over without any glitches, and after the usual hero banter the two get an unexpected surprise in the form of the Ring Master, and lo and behold another battle ensues.

Okay, now that I got the action laden plot description out the way, I wanted to share my thoughts about the creative team involved. The one thing that I did like about writer Robert Kirkman’s script was the banter in the beginning with Peter and Mary Jane. I found it fresh and humorous for the most part, and he manages to carry likeable dialogue throughout the issue. Robert is a relative new comer to Marvel, and I do see greater things in store for him with the company. As for his counterpart, the issue was illustrated by artist Scott Kolins, whose work I enjoyed previously on DC’s The Flash. My biggest beef here with his work is that it’s mostly linear and he relies solely on the colors of Studio F to bring out more depth in the artwork. I personally find it very monotonous to look at page after page and I feel comics with this type over-glossed production value are a big detractor in a book like this. Call me old fashioned, but I prefer the style of comics being produced about fifteen years before.

Overall, I will say this is issue is a typical story often seen in the Team-Up series. There’s nothing wrong with it per se, since stories like these are more concerned about action than an ongoing story. I will say that if you like seeing the tier two characters mixing it up then this may be your cup of tea, despite the over-produced colors.

-Kenneth Gallant