Adam Graham's Blog: Christians and Superheroes - Posts Tagged "renew-your-vows"

Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows, Vol. 1: Brawl in the Family by Gerry Conway

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book collects Amazing Spider-man: Renew Your Vows #1-5 of the main series. This spins off from a Secret Wars universe where Peter and Mary Jane stayed married and they end up with a precocious daughter named Annie who starts developing Spider powers.

Despite this all technically being one storyline, actually I'd suggest the 5th part is a 1-part story. Issues 1-4 set up our premise: Annie has developing spider powers and thanks to a device seized from the Regent, Mary Jane can tap into Peter's spider-powers. This leads to a battle with the Moleman. The story isn't neatly chronological, but reading it in a trade helps with that as we see the events from each character's perspective. Also Issue 1 has some very fun back up stories featuring amusing tales of Annie interacting with her mom and Dad. Overall, the first story is strong, but not perfect. The family really starts to explorer how this will work as well as beginning to muddle through what role a 9 year old girl would have in this.

Issue 5 them breaking up a bank robbery across from a family fun center based on Chuck E Cheese. This one is fun but light and a tad pointless, although there's hints of the plotline ahead.

Overall, this book is quite enjoyable. It's a great concept and the characters are likable enough. While the story's light-hearted, it doesn't shy away from the serious challenges this presents particularly when it comes to a young child fighting crime. The back up stories are fun and the emergence of Norman Osborne's prepubescent grandson as a villain is hilarious yet intriguing. Overall, this is just a fun comic for all ages. Highly recommended.



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Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows Vol. 3: Eight Years Later by Jody Houser

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book fast forwards eight years to Annie as a teenager. It collects Issues 13-18, with two three issue stories.

The Eight Years Later story is okay, but not great. The art is decent and the story is fine. There's some clunky exposition that's required and the story's nothing special. It features Peter trying to teach Annie a lesson (as if for the first time) that's so basic that it's impossible to imagine he hadn't taught it before.

Fast Times at Midtown High finds Annie in high school and mortified by Peter taking a teaching job When two kids develop superpowers, she lies to her parents, designs her own costume, and takes them under her wing. It's an interesting story that shows the potential of what a teenage Annie can bring to the series as we can explore her character as she tries to find her own way in life and establish her own identity. Overall, a good story.

Despite, some bumps, this was a fun collection. Looking forward to Volume 4.



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Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows, Vol. 4: Are You Okay, Annie? by Jody Houser

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The worst thing about this book is that it's title doesn't sound like a Superhero book, it sounds like a bad after-school special. Come on, Marvel, what was with this title?

That issue, out of the way, there's a one-shot and a four-part story.

Six issues and two storylines after shooting the Parker's eight years into the future, the book begins by taking them eight years into the past as Peter and Mary Jane decide to take a cruise. Mary Jane makes a persuasive case for why Superheroes should take cruises and throughout most of the story, we just get to see them and their relationship and them enjoying each other's company. Of course, there's a monster attack and a welcomed cameo.

Then we have the four-part story Weird Science which is set in the established timeline after Annie started her own superhero team. She has a dream about a character with her hair attacking innocent people and wakes up to find out it happened and is on social media. She denies that it was her, but Wolverine smells her scent.

This is a pretty typical superhero plot but it's well-executed. It's a not bad story with a somewhat predictable arc. The characters sell it. I like the Parker family, I like Wolverine as this wise old godfather figure and friend of the family. It's a decent story that's fun and well-realized. It's not really a suitable conclusion to a series. The final words letter on the last issue seem like nothing more than a tacked on rush job, but that's editorial mandates for you. I hope we do get to see more of them even beyond the Spider-girl mini-series.



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