In the pages of ‘Amazing Spider-Man’, Spidey has been made public enemy #1 and, with his Avengers pals hunting him down, is forced to call on some… less than a-list superheroes to help him stop Doctor Octopus’ evil plan to destroy the Earth.

Spidey calls on Union Jack, the Japanese hero team Big Hero 6, Russian hero Titanium Man, Israeli hero Sabra, and the reformed villain Kangaroo to help circle the globe and shut down as many of Doc Ock’s satellite launching stations as possible. This one-shot issue tells the story of these other heroes and their battles against Doc Ock’s minions.

As the issue opens, Union Jack, Sabra, Titanium Man, and Kangaroo are each heading towards their targeted locations. Once there, each of the heroes encounter one of Doc Ock’s henchmen. As the Spider-team faces off against Lady Deathstrike, Scorpion, Crossbones, and the Slaymaster, it quickly becomes apparent that they are outmatched by the villains. But despite the overwhelming odds, the Spider-gang refuses to give up in their attempts to shut down the satellite launches.

The second half of the issue focuses on Big Hero 6. This is the first time I’ve seen this team since the late ‘90s and the team lineup has changed a bit with some of the old members getting some costume updates. The new Big Hero 6 consists of original members GoGo Tomago, Hiro, Baymax, and Honey Lemon who have been joined by new members Wasabi No-Ginger and Fred(zilla). The team is under the command of Mr. Oshima and seem to operate like a Japanese version of S.H.I.E.L.D. It’s a pretty cool concept that I would like to see more of.

The Big Hero 6 story features the team attempting to shut down yet another satellite station and facing off against a villain called Everwraith who is made up of the souls of those lost in “atomic fire” which I can only assume means Hiroshima. This tale, like the first half of this issue, is mostly action with only one or two key developments to the ‘Ends of the Earth’ story but I dig Big Hero 6 enough that it’s worth a quick read. However, since this is essentially just an aside to the main story arc over in ‘Amazing Spider-Man’, there’s really no reason that you have to read this one if you don’t want and at a $3.99 cover price, I’d have to vote that it’s a “borrow” at best.

While it’s not essential, I hope this issue gets enough attention that it leads to us seeing more of Big Hero 6 in the Marvel Universe because they just seem like a fun team.

Verdict: Borrow

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: ENDS OF THE EARTH #1
Written by ROB WILLIAMS and BRIAN CLEVINGER
Art by THONY SILAS and VICTOR OLAZABA
Cover by SEBASTIAN FIUMARA