I kind of skipped Marvel Adventures: Spider-Manin the past because I assumed that it was just a rehash of continuity, albeit a reimagining that was less dark. I enjoyed Paul Tobin's and Matthew Lolli's opening tale, but I didn't make this Spidey title a priority. This issue introduces Cloak and Dagger, and that introduction caught my attention.

Tobin displays his ability as a storyteller with a stand-alone Spidey story that lives up to the promise of the cover. Cloak and Dagger first make their presence known to an extraordinarily young Captain Stacy. Witnesses relate the story of how Cloak and Dagger took down drug dealers. Granted, Tobin only suggests this, adhering to the more all ages friendly idea of gang bangers, but how do gang's profit?

Lolli, Vecchia and Sotocolor make Cloak and Dagger's debut in the Marvel Adventureverse memorable. Cloak seeps all over the crooks while Dagger performs her gymnastic light dance. The witnesses telling the tale also deserve scrutiny. They bear a melting pot of ethnicity.

Tobin distinguishes Marvel Adventures: Spider-Manfrom other titles immediately. The original Captain Stacy never admitted that he knew Peter and Spidey were one in the same, until he breathed his last. This Captain Stacy calls Spidey on the phone and interrupts Pete's charming date with Chat, Emma Frost's prodigy who was introduced in the premiere issue.

Keeping Emma Frost and Chat in the cast of Spider-Man is an odd yet engaging move on Tobin's part. It's remarkable how he makes them fit with the overall picture. Emma Frost, being who she is, tapped into Spidey’s mind and knows his secret identity. She shared this fact with Chat, and Chat is on the verge of telling Peter that she knows.

Chat's mutant power is to talk with animals, and this leads to a number of sweet scenes involving squirrels and birds, ably illustrated by Lolli, Vecchia and Sotocolor. Chat is also more than just window dressing. Her presence ties in smoothly with Cloak and Dagger's sudden appearance in Spidey's world and catalyzes the encounter.

The tone is another thing that distinguishes Marvel Adventures: Spider-Manfrom other Spidey books. Too many comic book reading snobs still believe all-ages is congruent with silly and juvenile, but when Peter suggests that Captain Stacy is using him to do his dirty work, Captain Stacy is disturbed by the accusation. He's disturbed for three pages, one of them completely lacking dialogue. Stacy calls up Spidey, and he apologizes. Captain Stacy is a good man who makes a mistake and then owns up to his error in judgment. That is awesome, and that's why this book earns five bullets. I just added Marvel Adventures: Spider-Manto my pull list.

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