The first issue of this limited series brought together the Fantastic Four's Human Torch with Peter Parker more than Spider-Man, and I found it a difficult pill to swallow. Sure, this is a celebration of the Silver Age of Marvel Comics, but all the same, the crude quality of the plotting didn't entirely work for me. This second issue, however, gets things right, and it does so, in part, by separating the two title characters. Dan Slott explores what makes these heroes different, and the contrast makes for an amusing read. Templeton's art is in keeping with the lighter tone of the story and of the period of comics that's evoked here.
A chance encounter brings the Fantastic Four's resident hothead, Johnny Storm, face to face with Flash Thompson, Spider-Man's biggest fan, and in his defence, Johnny takes a couple of cheap shots at the wallcrawler. Flash's friend, Peter Parker, overhears the insults, and as Spidey, confronts the Torch. The argument leads the heroes to switch places for a day, with the Torch tracking down a lead on a super-villain at large in a nasty part of town while ol' Webhead accompanies the other members of the FF on an adventure in another dimension.
The cartoony leanings in Templeton's style makes it ideal for bringing this Silver Age tribute to life. His efforts here remind me of the work of such classic comics artists as Joe Sinnott, John Romita Sr. and Sal Buscema. Oddly enough, it's the villains who look the sharpest here. The colors are clearly designed to elicit a Silver Age feel as well, but they go too far in that endeavor. The colors are far too gaudy here, moreso than anything we would have seen in comics 30 or 40 years ago. The pink coffee shop alone is enough to provide a bit of a headache.
We know that Spidey and Johnny eventually become friends thanks to their ages and their extraordinary lives as super-heroes, but it's interesting to see just how different those lives are. The Torch doesn't fit in Spidey's world, where he must ferret out villains from the dark and dirty corners of New York. The same holds true for Spider-Man; he's not only a fish out of water when it comes to the cosmic stuff, but he's a solo act, not meshing well in a casual team setting.
It's also interesting to visit with past visions of characters with the knowledge of what's to come. Slott demonstrates Capt. Stacy's knowledge of Peter's other identity nicely here, and the post-high school/pre-war tour Flash is a nice mix of the character's younger days and the darker path he'll soon embark upon. 7/10
