Review: Superman/Spider-Man #1 Back-Up Stories

I reviewed the main story in the DC released Superman/Spider-Man crossover here. But just as satisfying were the back-up features teaming up members of the Super-family with the Spider-verse. 

I liked all of them, some more than others.  But they all were entertaining and that isn't something I can say about many of the anthologies DC puts out. And obviously on a project this massive, DC brings in the big guns. This isn't some lesser known creators that DC is letting dip their toes in the DCU. These are veterans and superstars. 

The good thing about families as big as the Supers and the Spiders is that there are enough to give us 7 different team-ups. Impressive. 

These will be bullet reviews of these quick stories. 

We'll start with 'The World's Finest' by Tom King and Jim Lee teaming up Lois and MJ.

While Superman and Spider-Man fight off a Sentinel tracking down a surprise guest-star mutant, Lis and Mary Jane talk about life as the better halves. How many times have they hung from bridges, met other-dimensional versions of themselves, and even died.

As someone who thinks Peter should have ended up with Gwen, I like that MJ talks about how Spidey has a thing about bridges. 

And then how they know their partners need them. So they don't run away.

Truly a fun story. And oddly inspirational, how these two rise above all the drama and trauma they have suffered to be heroes for their spouses. Odd coming from King.

It amazes me that he can write this. Surely his Lois must be living a 'life of pain' after relaying her list of all the bad things that happen to her daily. 

But give credit where due, this was a fun story.

"Pages" by Christopher Priest and Daniel Sampere stars Superboy Prime and Spider-Man when in the symbiote suit.

It is a crazy story of Prime leading Superboy through multiple dimensions of comic books to bring Spidey to the High Evolutionary. Prime is hoping that the Evolutionary will want this Symbiote Spidey imprisoned more than Prime himself.

But in a turn of events, Spider-Man convinces Prime to do the right thing, face down his fears and join Spider-Man in fighting the villain.

Wonderfully drawn. And how interesting to see Prime get another redemption story.

'Beyond the Cobwebs of Tomorrow' was written and drawn by Sean Gordon Murphy and teamed up a young Superboy with Spider-Man 2099. It is a funs story about how both are trying to stop an dystopia from happening, one where LexCorp merges with Alchemex. Both have time-traveled to get to this point, in the nearer future where they meet up with Batman Beyond.

Fun to hear how this Superboy was traveling from the Legion future to try and stop a different timeline from emerging. And the line about seeing Batman Beyond's teeth in the mask made the story.

'Jimmy Con Carnage' reunited the Jimmy Olsen team of writer Matt Fraction and artist Steve Lieber. It teamed Jimmy and Carnage ... although team-up might be a stretch of the word. Let's just say Jimmy unfortunately meets a bloodthirsty Carnage.

Love this opening where Jimmy, just hired by the Daily Bugle, meets Peter who talks about the hyphenated name of Spider-Man. And check out Peter hanging with MJ and Gwen!

Only Fraction/Lieber would dare write a Jimmy story that ends like this one. Trust me, it's worth it. Comic gold.

'The Bridge' by writer Jeff Lemire and artist Rafa Sandoval teams up the unlikely pair of Uncle Ben and Pa Kent. 

While driving through Kansas one night, Ben gets waylaid by a massive rainstorm and happens to meet Pa Kent. They both risk their lives to wade into a flooding river to pull out two people in danger. 

The story is told in flashback but the caption boxes are Spidey and Superman talking about how much they learned from their fathers. I am a complete sucker for Pa Kent wisdom. So hearing about some Uncle Ben wisdom made my day.

And Sandoval really brings some tension to this very human story. 

'Bias' by writer Greg Rucka and artist Nicola Scott has J. Jonah Jameson and Lois Lane arguing about the press. How it has to be objective but doesn't need to be neutral. That the role of the press is to present the truth around events but that includes the 'why'. It shows nicely that Jameson has no problem with the FF or Superman because they can be held accountable while Spider-Man can't.

Interesting story and discussion. But frankly, it came off a little preachy. Perhaps because they last thing I read by Rucka was his Lois Lane mini in which he was quite preachy. 

Getting to see Nicola Scott draw the FF and Captain America was great.

'Blind Date' closes the book. Written by Gail Simone with art by Belen Ortega, it teams up the Power Girl and the Punisher. This was one of the better stories in the book perhaps because I did not see this pairing coming.  And the premise is fun. 

The Punisher is undercover at a club noted for an underworld clientele. In a bit of bad luck, Power Girl is there meeting her on-line blind date Paul Rabin. Turns out, like everyone else, Karen find Paul dull.

But then, the twist. The super-villains in the club think Paul is Vandal Savage and are there to kill him for a bounty.

While Paul slips away (dang it), PG and Frank clean house. The two then decide to make a night of it.

Love how Frank immediately seems to get Karen and is rather charming. 

Very fun story. 

So when you read these quick bites, many of them very good, and add that to the amazing main story, you have a winner of a crossover.

Overall grade (back-ups): B+