Spidey and Kamala swap genders and lives in Marvel Team-Up No. 2
By Alex Widen
Image by Marvel Comics
Putting the “i” in “Underwhelming!”
The problem is that Enter The Spider-Verse did it a lot better, and without something as mundane as “the mind-swap plot.” It may have been possible to wrest something a little deeper about this — such as a bit of gender exploration, especially for Peter who has occasionally had some selfish thoughts or actions with the women in his love life. But beyond some amusing lines or bits, it mostly feels like an exercise to pad the arc out another issue or two longer than it needs to be.
Marvel Team-Up historically never had arcs which lasted more than two issues. Even Robert Kirkman’s 2005-2006, while it had long running subplots and references, wrapped up most of its core plots in 2-3 issues. This is because the very gimmick of the “team-up” itself is very thin, and beyond the novelty or quality of the team-ups or the caliber of the writing or art itself, the premise is simply too loose to justify arcs of four issues or beyond. Padding it out with a stock plot doesn’t aid it.
Image by Marvel Comics
The Jackal, in particular, feels wasted and obligatory. At best a one-time replacement for the Green Goblin, and at worst a generic mad scientist who dresses like The Grinch, Jackal is a villain who has headlined some of the biggest Amazing Spider-Man stories ever. Two flavors of the Clone Saga, as well as a massive crossover like Spider-Island to big stories like Clone Conspiracy in the recent past. Robbing a device that he easily could — and has — invented himself feels like dumpster diving. It’s akin to a team-up with Captain America where the Red Skull is robbing a hot dog cart.
Image by Marvel Comics