Now that it has been clearly established that this series, Spider-Man and the X-Men, is firmly meant to be fast-paced and family friendly, in stark contrast with the violent and sometimes convoluted title that has been Dan Slott’s Superior/Amazing Spider-Man, issue #4 takes great strides in slowing down the pace. What a relief! Finally, the story delivers on what was promised since the solicits first surfaced for this series: Peter Parker is going to be a teacher.

Previous to “One More Day”, Peter Parker was a high school teacher for a small stint of time. The concept was interesting, new, and best of all it proved that Peter had a lot to learn about being responsible and working on a regular schedule. In Spider-Man & the X-Men we get to see him return to this position, but strictly as a superhero, adding a whole new layer of complexities.

Spider-Man is often seen as the paragon of responsibility within Marvel and it’s easy to see why. In this issue, we see how the three previous issues of “field trips” have helped to inspire his mutant students and help most of them even look up to him. Specifically, Rockslide has learned to take charge and think for himself, building confidence and even a streak of charity, a trait regularly unseen in the character. Writer, Elliot Kalan (“The Daily Show”) also pays much-needed attention to characters like Glob, who is still trying to find his place on the team, and Hellion, who believes his role to be strictly as a leader. Spidey has words of wisdom (and words of poignant humility) for both of them, and they’re well-written, believable, and 100% Peter Parker.

Unfortunately, Peter also has some rather unbelievable dialogue throughout the issue. While he is never one to hold-back a quip or snarky comment about the appearance of a foe, he never would mince words with a like-minded scientist and ally like Beast. Yet in this issue, repeatedly, he denigrates his appearance and general mutation, which understandably grinds Hank McCoy’s nerves. Beast and Nightcrawler (Kurt Wanger) have wrestled with their blue, fuzzy, and otherwise distinctly obvious mutations for quite some time and Spider-Man, though not particularly close to the team as he may be with the Fantastic 4, is very aware of this. Yet Kalan decorates his leading hero as a racist and a relentless one at that. It’s unthinkable that Peter, not possessed by Otto, would ever rebuke an ally for their appearance.

But none of that is as bad as Hank McCoy’s representation in this issue. As an X-Man fan, I’m calling this a moment of massive editorial oversight for the sake of quick and fruitless laughs. Hank McCoy would never insult or belittle a student nor would he put his personal pride or ego before their well-being or the opportunity to be educated. Hank is portrayed here as a flustered science-jerk who has spent too much time with Tony Stark and Namor in the Illuminati.

What’s especially grating is that these books are practically earmarked for the family reading pile, yet the foundation that new readers may get of these characters is way off the mark. Moments of Peter consoling Glob on being the odd-one out and scolding Julian on potentially killing The Swarm are golden opportunities for the creative team to display the traits that make Peter a hero. Using intentionally hurtful comparisons to Muppets in regards to Beast’s appearance is Peter acting the bully.

Thankfully R.B. Silva’s artwork saves the day. If anyone was parked on the grass-could-be-greener-side of the Marco Failla fence then Silva’s pencils (fresh from their New52 DC gig) and Rob Lean’s inking should be a perfect treat. There is some truly wonderful character design here with a strong grasp on the X-Men in particular. Rachel’s sulking, Beast’s impressive fuzz and intimidating exterior, and Storm’s weathered confidence are all displayed in these splendid renderings.

For anyone looking for a final verdict, it rests solely on the cover. Pitting the two superheroes against each other, completely distracted with their own vendetta of proving their own scientific brilliance while the kids work tirelessly over their science project without their help, is where the issue stands strongest. Undoubtedly, this Spider-Man & the X-Men #4 seized the opportunity to have teaching moments with Spider-Man and the X-Kids… finally. The pure treat that came from this issue is that the kids eventually came out on top, without a ton of help from Professor Web-Head. They work, and fail, together. Like a real X-team. Logan would be proud.