I doubt there was a reader who was more tickled by the notion of a new team-up title from Marvel than me, given my love for the genre back when I was a kid. It's easy to tell from Kirkman's writing that he's got a soft spot for the super-hero stories of yesteryear as well, and I like that he's approaching the idea of a team-up title from a more ambitious perspective, with longer-term storylines in mind. The problem is that his plotting crawls at a snail's pace, and on top of that, the Silver Age silliness of some of the circumstances here just don't work. There's still some fun to be had here, but the series definitely needs some tweaking.
The Ringmaster visits a rather ancient Chinese fellow in an exotic corner of New York City, ready to barter for an item the old man acquired from the original Mandarin. Once he gets his hands on it, the Ringmaster plans to use the treasured talisman of power to allow him to rule the world, but first, there's the matter of the negotiation. Elsewhere in the city, Spider-Man and Moon Knight happen upon a super-villain and his henchmen in the middle of a heist. And on the other side of the world, the alien Tyrannus remains hidden away with comatose ladylove, plotting how he can use the powers of Earth's super-heroes to fight off his enemies.
Kolins's art continues to stand out as the best thing this series has going for it. The artist really seems to have a strong grasp on what makes Spider-Man fun. He captures the Silver Age kitsch of the Ringmaster quite well... a little too well, honestly. The darker look of the art here calls for a darker design for the villain. I did like the Constrictor's look here, though. One really gets the sense that he's a real bruiser, and there's a slightly creepy look tohis tendrils.
Aside from crash-landing on Earth and beating the living tar out of Sunfire, Tyrannus really hasn't done much in this series since he was introduced in the first issue. He distracted from the main plotline in the first six issues, and he threatens to do the same here with this new Ringmaster story arc. There's really no need for the character to be in the series at all at this point.
The Ringmaster acquires a ring with reality-warping powers? It would have worked in comics 40 years ago, but today, it just comes off as nonsensical. It's next to impossible to take the Ringmaster seriously here, and not just because of how he looks. His behavior is laughably cartoony; it's as though Snideley Whiplash has been cast in the role of the Ringmaster here. Furthermore, despite having almost godlike power, he's so ineffectual that it's difficult to accept. 5/10
