At the finale of ‘Avenging Spider-Man’ #2, the team-up with Spidey wasn’t going so well for the Red Hulk. The pair, in an effort to save a kidnapped J. Jonah Jameson, found themselves in the middle of a war between Mole Man’s moloids and a vicious group of larger underground dwellers. When Jameson accidentally challenges the leader of these underdwellers to a duel, Red Hulk steps in as Jameson’s champion and ends up impaled on a grossly oversized sword.

This issue begins with Spider-Man and J. Jonah fleeing the chaos of battle. After getting Jonah back to the Moloids and asking them to return the big-mouthed mayor to the surface, Spidey heads back to see if Red Hulk has survived his injuries. The rescue attempt is cut short when Spider-Man finds himself face to face with the underdwellers’ leader and in a battle of his own. But can Spidey prevail where a Hulk has failed?

Zeb Wells brings some of the humor that he uses as a writer on ‘Robot Chicken’ into the Spider-Man universe this issue. The battle between Spider-Man and the underdweller boss is pure Spidey humor and the finale… if you don’t laugh at this issue, I’ll have to question your sense of humor. Wells continues to prove himself as a great match for the ‘Marvel Team-Up’ format of ‘Avenging Spider-Man’. It’ll be interesting to see how he handles the clash of personalities when Spidey teams up with Hawkeye beginning next issue.

In the art department, Joe Madureira continues to do what he does… and that is being awesome! Madureira is a great match for Spider-Man and with this series is rapidly earning himself a spot alongside John Romita, Jr. and Humberto Ramos as one of my favorite Spidey artists of all time.

As the first arc comes to a close, ‘Avenging Spider-Man’ is exactly what a Spider-Man title should be. It’s fun. It’s action-packed. And it’s exciting! If you’re a fan of superhero comics at all, do yourself a favor and check it out!

Verdict: Buy

AVENGING SPIDER-MAN #3
Written by ZEB WELLS
Art by JOE MADUREIRA
Cover by JOE MADUREIRA, FERRAN DANIEL, HUMBERTO RAMOS, and EDGAR DELGADO