Spider-Man and Power Pack: Big-City Super Heroes

I have several favorite superhero groups, but POWER PACK really is right up there, me having been on board with this series from the get-go, when it launched in 1984. Created by writer Louise Simonson and artist June Brigman, POWER PACK chronicled the adventures of a super-powered family of children, so most definitely it had its share of frolic and frivolity. But Simonson also injected a layer of complexity, probing an array of socially relevant themes (runaways, sexual and drug abuse, gun violence, etc.). Someday, man, I hope to see the original series in a trade collection. I think it's deserving. Anyway, that series ended after 62 issues and Power Pack as a team and as individuals floated around here and there in other titles. In 2005, under the kid-friendly Marvel Age imprint (now changed to Marvel Adventures), Power Pack started being featured in a series of four-issued mini-series. Thing is, the Marvel Adventures universe doesn't fall within the regular Marvel continuity (which is the 616 universe) and these stories are decidedly very much more pre-teen-oriented. Power Pack, in this incarnation, has already teamed up with the X-Men and the Avengers (Power Pack, Vol. 1 (New Avengers, X-Men) (v. 1)). SPIDER-MAN AND POWER PACK: BIG-CITY SUPERHEROES, in digest format, collects the fourth Power Pack mini-series under the Marvel Universe banner, the original four issues having been published in 2006, the hook of which is, of course, the super-powered Power kids hanging out with Spidey. Some plot SPOILERS now. This trade digest, like all the others, are very short reads, but what it lacks in depth it makes up for in fun. These stories being aimed at the younger sets, there's nothing too thought-provoking here, thematically, and the plot is very easy to follow. The first story arc has the Power family just moving to New York, and there's some mixed feelings here. Alex and Julie, the two oldest children, are missing their friends back home. Jack, the most gung-ho of the bunch, is psyched about living in "the coolest city in the world to play in." Katie, well, she's the baby and goes with the flow. Anyway, to liven things up, Power Pack suits up and goes on patrol of New York City and eventually runs into the Sandman and Spidey. But, wait... the fun part happens later on when Spidey investigates a chemical warehouse. While there tangling with the Vulture, the ol' webhead accidentally slips and plummets into a vat of youth serum (that's right, youth serum!) and instantly sheds years and years and years. Next thing you know, Power Pack has a new member - a pre-adolescent friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Fun!! In the second story arc, a lowly grunt languishing in the fashion industry gets a career boost when he ends up with the Venom symbiote. Six months later, guy is revolutionizing fashion with his line of Venom wear (which he touts as shapeshifting apparel). But then Spidey and Power Pack show up to put a crimp in his style. Also, the Sinister

We regularly buy these digests for our eight-year-old daughter. They hold up better than comic books. The storytelling is simple, and the art is clean and has a real charm. The child characters take center stage, which is just right for a children's book. And the young heroes get to help out Spidey! What kid wouldn't like that? Deby Fredericks, author of Too Many Princes