It’d be a lie to say that this run of Amazing Spider-Man hasn’t been controversial. In fact, it’s been anything but. From the very first issue up to now, there’s been a whirlwind of responses, but for me personally, it’s been lying right down the middle. Sometimes great! Sometimes really bad! Sometimes just mediocre. Never consistent, yet at its best it’s got heart – the kind I haven’t got from this title in a long time.
However, in that mixup of consistency, one thing I have known for certain is that this book is at its best when it’s focused on Spider-Man and Tombstone. Now admittedly, that’s not much – in fact it’s only 18 out of 64 issues (or 28% of it, a little over a quarter), and even within that, “Gang War” is not that good. However, within those issues is where Zeb Wells’ love for the world shines, with captivating character drama and stakes that really do feel very real.
All of this comes to a head in this last arc of Amazing Spider-Man, titled “Dead Wrong” (if the trade is anything to go by). You can break down the Spider-Man and Tombstone story into four chunks: #1-5 (“World Without Love”), #31 (“Your Presence is Requested”/“The Last Night”/“The Big Day”), Gang War: First Strike & #39-44 (“Gang War”) and then finally #56-60 (“Dead Wrong”). Within those four runs the street level narrative, in which Tombstone tries to manipulate Spider-Man into working for him and the drama that ensues from there.
The beauty of all of these arcs was the idea of Peter and Spidey’s worlds colliding. It’s Spider-Man vs Tombstone, but Peter is also directly involved as Spider-Man’s “liaison”. Yet, it doesn’t end there. You’ve also got the fact that Peter’s roommate and best friend, Randy Robertson, is getting married to the Beetle, Janice Lincoln, daughter of Tombstone. The stakes feel real, because for once it truly is everyone in Peter’s lives being caught in a whirlwind outside his control that he has to deal with, as opposed to stakes that are too superficial and nonsensical (Rabin).
In this final act, there’s an attempt to send Tombstone to jail after the events of “Gang War”, with Janice as the key witness to really pin him down. However, in classic Spider-Man fashion, he isn’t in jail for long, and what ensues is really a climatic, long-winded action sequence that spans throughout its 5 issue length, sometimes through words, sometimes with fists, but every moment packs a punch. A huge part of why this works is John Romita Jr.’s kinetic, highly expressive artwork, in which every punch has character. It’s not just fighting for the sake of flexing his muscles, there’s a lot of intent behind every attack, especially in #59, which is the long brawl between Spidey and Tombstone that’s been brewing since issue 1.
But that’s not all though. Zeb Wells’ love for the character, which some argue is nonexistent, shines through these issues, especially in the way he writes Peter. He takes us back to the fact that Peter can be an angry, aggressive person, but is someone that is doing what he does out of responsibility, because he wants to be a good person. This expression is something that we see at the very end of #60’s first story, in a conversation between both Spidey and Aunt May, but also Peter and May. It’s a sweet, heartwarming end to that saga, and I found it delightful. I just wish the Peter and May of it all was developed more through the book, as I liked the fleeting moments we got throughout the run.
#60 doesn’t end there though, with other stories in the mix, most of them written by Wells with art by various artists to wrap up loose threads.
The first one, with Ed McGuinness, Mark Farmer, and Marcio Menyz is a fun three page Rek-Rap story. At the very end, I can’t say I care for Rek-Rap, but it’s a fun one!
The second, with art by Todd Nauck and Rachelle Rosenberg, is a team-up between Spider-Man and Jackpot. It’s a fun team-up for sure, within the controversial status quo of Mary Jane as Jackpot. Being completely honest, I still don’t care for her as Jackpot. Furthermore, the idea of them going on a double date with Peter’s current girlfriend Shay and MJ’s current… partner (?) Paul, while fine on paper, is still something that is painfully underdeveloped. Seeing stuff like that just developed off-screen kind of sucks, and I wish we got to see more of that development on paper, but at the very least, it’s cute and it looks good.
The third is a fun three pager with art by Paolo Rivera, looking at Peter celebrating Logan’s birthday with him. It’s the two of them alone at a bar, and mostly more of a long winded joke than anything, but Rivera’s art alone makes it worth it. It’s stunningly illustrated, breathtakingly gorgeous, and one day I’d love for him to draw Spider-Man long term.
The fourth and last one by Patrick Gleason and Edgar Delgado calls back to the first issue of Amazing Spider-Man: Beyond (#75) in terms of structure, both narratively and presentation wise. Honestly, seeing Gleason back drawing Spider-Man was a treat alone, but I enjoyed reading what felt like a conclusion to the Peter and Ben drama that’s been stewing since then. Needless to say though, it ends on a cliffhanger that made me groan. Truly, just drama that keeps on going on and on rather than saying anything meaningful. Can’t say I’m looking forward to where that goes, but I did enjoy the artistry on page.
Finally, the issue ends with the setup for “EIGHT DEATHS OF SPIDER-MAN” by Joe Kelly and Mark Buckingham. It looks great, and seems fun enough, but it’s not enough to pull a jaded reader of Amazing Spider-Man into checking it out actively. Maybe when it all ends.
Ever since I read #60, I’ve been having the conundrum of whether or not I’ll miss this book or just Wells’ voice for Peter, and even now, I’m not sure. It’s a question I’ll hold onto until I re-read the run in full now that it’s all over. But honestly, with all the ups and downs, bad faith discourse aside? I had a good time. When I was invested and loving it, I was really in there.
Thanks Zeb, John, Patrick, Marcio, Joe, Scott, Ed, Mark, and everyone else involved. It was a fun two years.
