Welcome back to the Compendium, true believers. Last week’s Marvel Rundown heralded a new era for Iron Man. This week we bid farewell to an imperfect era The Amazing Spider-Man, Zeb Wells and John Romita Jr. are spinning the final web. This review contains mild spoilers, so if you want to go in with zero information, scroll down for our quick summary review Captain America #14.
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The Amazing Spider-Man #60
writer: Zeb Wells
pencil: John Romita Jr.
Inker: Scott Hanna
Colorist: Marcio Meniz
Writer: Joe Caramagna, VC
One thing I learned over the course of this book The Amazing Spider-Man from writer Zeb Wells Just treat each story on its own merits. On this basis, the final storyline consists of John Romita Jr.. At his strongest, delivers the goods. outside gang warWelles, and Romita’s work on the Tombstone crime saga has always been one of the series’ most engaging and entertaining elements. Welles’s script has never been tighter or thematically clearer than when he made this street crime drama. The impact Romita’s kinetic art brings to these issues cannot be ignored. The final arc is filled with propulsion, brutal action, and heartbreaking drama. Over the past few years, we’ve gotten to love, hate, root for, and fear Lonnie Lincoln (aka Tombstone). In order to murder his own daughter and turn state witnesses against him, Tombstone has gone from a flashy gangster to one of the most ruthless and compelling antagonists in Spider-Man’s classic rogues gallery.
The breathless pace of the last few issues gives way to a quiet confrontation in the final episode, as Tombstone finally gets its day in court. Spider-Man succeeds in saving Janice Lincoln’s life, but it’s the only victory he can piece together. Even with a watertight legal case, Tombstone was still able to bribe the judge and get away with his evil deeds without any consequences.
Throughout Zeb Wells’s run, the most interesting and thorny moral question Peter Parker had to grapple with was the moral and ethical boundaries created by Spider-Man. He has great power, but using that power with good intentions doesn’t always lead to the greatest good. In what ways do Spider-Man’s actions interfere with justice? Wells replied that it didn’t matter. The system is rigged and no one can correct every mistake. It’s a great fight worth risking your life for, even if the people you fight for don’t appreciate it, even if they punish you for it. But there are no guarantees, and sometimes we can make things worse.
It would be a disservice not to shout out the incredible colors of talking about this issue and running. Marcio Meniz and expressive fonts VC’s Joe Caramagna. Meniz has proven himself to be a talented storyteller with the ability to elevate storylines and mood. Karamanja makes clever use of his lettering to enhance the dialogue, and while this issue doesn’t require him to do much fantasy, his work flows seamlessly with the art.
In the second half of the issue, Welles collaborates with artists who contributed to his campaign, including Ed McGuinness and Patrick Gleasonand resolve various unresolved issues. This is where the cracks that plague this book really show themselves. Peter Parker and his life are an afterthought. Rounding out the series is Aunt May, who barely appears in this run except for a brief appearance in the first issue. It would be nice if we could see this tension pop up between then and now. But we’ve yet to see how much of an impact Spider-Man has on Peter’s relationship with anyone, not even Mary Jane Watson. The MJ/Peter situation will undoubtedly be a lightning rod for some audio readers, but the real problem with it in the finale is that the rift between the two characters isn’t a natural outgrowth of their unique histories, but is instead purely external and then Ben Reilly, Peter’s clone, former Spider-Man, and now vaguely evil doppelgänger. Welles opens the door to possibility for his characters to move forward, and then closes it.
All of these resolutions feel inauthentic and forced by the vagaries of publishing and editorial. If the only goal was to get Mary Jane out of Peter’s life again, why bring her back in? Why ignore Aunt May – who looks especially stupid here because she can’t recognize Peter Parker as Spider-Man – when Zeb is so obviously interested in the consequences of the tough choices Spider-Man makes? Spider-Man’s choices over these 60 issues will have major operatic consequences, but they won’t affect Peter or his supporting cast in any meaningful way. While Welles and Romita have transformed Tombstone into a character, Peter Parker is still who he was at the beginning. Given all the demands for this title, there’s no space, or worse, no editorial interest, to explore what Peter Parker represents in 2024. Stands up to some of the better Spider-Men – the most human stories ever told. But within this larger narrative, interrupted, bent, and twisted by the demands of mega-crossovers, derivatives, and intellectual property farming, they feel completely irrelevant.
This is the story of two comics. One is the end of a great story about a redefined and compelling supervillain. The other is a perfunctory ending to a series that never reliably defines its tone or vision. This makes Tombstone’s work even more impressive because these creators can overcome the engine designed to make Marvel events and brands and make something interesting. As I said at the beginning, reading The Amazing Spider-Man Now that means treating each story individually. This is good enough. But all my doubts about where this book was headed were as strong as when Nick Spencer packed up his relatives and went home.
judgment: Browse. Those who found enjoyment in this run will appreciate its ending, but those who hated it will hate it.
PS: Come on, whatever happens next in Spider-Man should include internet prank REK-RAP.
Quick burst
- Captain America #14
- Talk about that writer J. Michael StraczynskiRunning captain america It’s a strange thing to say, and that’s an understatement. He’s no stranger to the occult, he’s a true vampire slayer, and for the past 13 issues, Captain America has been his usual unflinching self, but in a world filled with magic and mystery, far removed from his usual patriotic superhero self. battlefield. After a literal battle with death, and a lost chance to let go of his burdens and find peace in a heavenly dimension, Cap finds himself adrift in his personal life when a teammate comes knocking on his door. In this new storyline, Captain America joins Thor and The Amazing Spider-Man on a journey to find the lost souls of Broxton, Oklahoma. JMS, who has created Thor and Spider-Man for Marvel, has the advantage of having her own voice heard as the trio explore this new mystery. Before they get together, we get a great monologue describing the difficulties of friendship in the superhero world. While I think his Thor is too big standing next to Captain America, the artist CharlemagneThe rich art adds an organic edge to the storytelling, with his Peter appearing slightly awkward and his Spider-Man constantly crawling on the walls during dialogue. Like everything JMS produces, support is needed because the story moves slowly, and the end of this issue hints at that. –GC3
Be sure to check back next week as the Marvel Breaks crew continues to report on all things X-Men.
