Devil Dinosaur? Moon-Boy? Who ARE these guys??? Remember when “Avenging” Spider-Man teamed up with Avengers? Well, believe it or not, none of that matters right now. This is an issue worth reading.
Avenging Spider-Man #14
Writer: Cullen Bunn
Art: Gabrile Dell’Otto
Colorist: Dommo Aymara
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Cover: Gabrile Dell’Otto
Spidey Team-up: Devil Dinosaur and Moon-Boy
***WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD***
PLOT: Moon-Boy recounts the time Spider-Man helped save the Savage Land. Peter Parker is there with the crew from Horizon Labs to do SCIENCE when they are taken prisoners by fire-breathing, technologically-enhanced lizards. Spidey manages to sneak away but is ambushed by them. Devil Dinosaur and Moon-Boy intervene, thinking Spider-Man is trying to cause harm to the Savage Land. When Spidey saves Moon-Boy from an attack, the primate realizes they are on the same side, and they team up to confront the villainous reptiles.
THOUGHTS: That opening paragraph basically reflects my attitude when it came to this issue. Not only does Spidey team up with characters I have NEVER heard of (which is pretty amazing, as I’d like to think I have a pretty strong knowledge of Marvel lore), but it’s a two-part story. At least, I said to myself, it brings in both Cullen Bunn (current writer of Venom) and artist extraordinaire Gabriel Dell’Otto, so it couldn’t possibly be that bad, right?
Turns out, this was an excellent issue. Right off the bat, we see the beautiful art of Dell’Otto featuring Spidey fighting a bunch of dinosaurs, all while delivering clever quips. I don’t think Spidey ever stops talking throughout the issue (seeing how he’s not able to communicate with either Devil Dinosaur or Moon-Boy), but you never mind that at all because of how well-written his dialogue is. Moon-Boy does speak (translated from “lizard language”); it’s the typical formal English often employed by tribal characters, but he gets a few funny lines, too.
The basic plot of the issue is the standard “misunderstanding before the heroes band together” fare. While it’s an overdone trope, I didn’t mind it at all until I began to analyze this issue. No clear villain is introduced; the only hint we get is that the outside world is threatening the Savage Land, as seen when the dinosaurs are breathing fire, spewing acid instead of venom, or talking through a voice box.
Perhaps this issue’s greatest short-coming is how much of a quick-read it is, due to it being, in a nutshell, a bunch of fight scenes with funny dialogue. And yet, it’s greatly entertaining, beautiful to look at, and definitely one of the better issues to come out in the last six months.
FAVORITE LINES:
SPIDER-MAN: Maybe I flunked out of hysterical-screeching-as-a-second-language, but I’ve been in the game long enough to recognize a plea for help when I hear one.
VERDICT: Avenging Spider-Man #14 features great dialogue and beautiful art. Even if you’re not interested in the obscure characters, this is pure Spidey quipping goodness. It doesn’t last long, but it’s very enjoyable. 4 Webheads out of 5.
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~My Two Cents
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I actually used to collect Devil Dinosaur in the 80’s!
@ForcedAnon – Congrats! Check your e-mail later today. Good thing you posted that second comment.
@fantasyfreak – After a bit more research, I found out Devil Dinosaur and Moon-Boy (yeah, it’s supposed to be hyphenated) are Jack Kirby characters from a nine-issue series in 1978. They’ve only made a few appearances in Marvel comics since 1987. The two are always together, but Devil Dinosaur is the lead character.
At least when it comes to Avenging Spider-Man, it’s not unusual for the interior artist to also do the cover art. It’s not the norm in comics, but it does happen pretty regularly, IMO. And yes, Dell’Otto is awesome!
@alberto – Minimum Carnage se le dio una calificacion promedia baja. No se de que estas hablando. Este comic no tiene mucha historia pero recibio una calificacion alta for su nivel de entretenimiento.
For those who don’t speak Spanish:
ALBERTO: It’s curious how this comic is criticized for its plot, while Minimum Carnage received high praise. The ratings are mixed up for both series.
TWO-BIT: Minimum Carnage received an average low rating. I don’t know what you’re talking about. This comic does not have much of a plot but received a high rating for its entertainment level.
Es curioso este comic fue muy criticado por su historia, mientras Minium Carnage tuvo varios puntos positivos y aqui le dan calificaciones invertidas a las dos series
Apparently Devil Dinosaur is originally from an alternate Earth called Dinosaur World(labelled Earth-78411) and transported to the main Marvel Universe. Oh, and he has an evil clone 😀
One of these days, I will get that code! 🙂 Oh well, sounds like a neat issue. I´ve heard about a character like Devil Dinosaur exists, but that´s about it. Never heard of this Moon-Boy(is the hyphen really obligatory?) before. By the way, how common is it for an artist to do both interior art and the cover? I know some artists like to do that, but it feels a little unusual to me. Though I certainly don´t mind with this guy, he´s good 😀
…meaning the code would be nice lol
I mean it’s dinosaurs and Spidey.
Good review. I want to read this.