“Yesterday’s” Comic> Marvel Adventures #17

“I’m sorry you don’t like the Repulsor Massage, sir, but all sales are final!”

Marvel Adventures #17

Marvel Comics (August, 1998)

Spider-Man & Iron Man: “Between A Rock And A Hard Place”

WRITER: Ralph Macchio

PENCILER: Andy Kuhn

INKER: Harry Candelario

COLORIST: Kevin Tinsley

LETTERER: Michael Higgins

EDITOR: Mark Bernardo

Peter gets an internship at Stark Enterprises in the chemistry division, but something is off about his boss. He keeps having Peter due busy work and not learning anything…and he keeps setting off Peter’s Spider-Sense. When he decides to check up on him one late night as Spider-Man, he finds the Grey Gargoyle, out for revenge on Tony Stark for buying out the company he worked for and the new guys not funding his operations, including the one that turned him into the Grey Gargoyle. Spider-Man and Iron Man join forces to take him down and recover a disk with plans for a new Stark tracking system. In gratitude, Tony makes a “small donation” to the Daily Bugle, who just happens to print something nice about Spider-Man for a change.

What they got right: Spider-Man and Iron Man work well together. While Peter is usually treated as knowledgeable in all sciences (because for some reason writer think if you like one science you like them all), here we have him interning based on the science he’s actually been seen preferring: chemistry. Grey Gargoyle makes for a good threat.

What they got wrong: The art is still overexaggerated and ugly. There are some panels that weren’t printed right and have way too dark lines and text, almost like they’re double exposed pictures or something.

Recommendation: I looked over a cover gallery of this series and I’m pretty sure I stopped reading it, only getting this one because I like Spider-Man and Iron Man together, Civil War aside. There is one more issue after this and I didn’t get it. This issue was pretty good in a series that has had more misses than hits for me. Worth reading.