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Hello there! Padawan J here, the resident Star Wars expert from the ODPH! And while you can normally expect me to review Star Wars comics, I do in fact enjoy reading other series! And this week I’m going to be reviewing the latest issue in The Amazing Spider-Man!
Of course the big story going on lately in this series is the ongoing drama with Peter & The Green Goblin. These days they’re the same person and that is a major concern for everyone. Can Peter be saved? Is Ben Reilly really his only hope? Only time will tell, and it’s time to jump into it!
The Amazing Spider-Man #52 by Zeb Wells (writer), Ed McGuinness & Todd Nauck (artists), Marcio Menyz (colorist), VC’s Joe Caramanga (letterer) is a fun read without a whole lot of stakes raised by the end of the issue. It feels more of an interlude, or perhaps a prelude to whats to come. This issue does come on the heals of Marvel announcing that Zeb Wells final arc in this series kicks off with issue #58 in September, so it’ll be interesting to see things build to their inevitable conclusion.
The focal point of this issue is Ben Reilly fighting the Spider-Goblin that is Peter Parker and trying to save him. And the tension is already set very high with a monologue from Kraven who is observing the fight and think’s “only ONE will survive this.” The action sequences are great and it’s a great fight, so kudos to the team.
The most interesting part of this issue is what takes place with Norman Osbourne. He’s been the “good guy” for a good portion of the Zeb Wells run but as the saying goes, “old habit’s die hard.” Or at least that’s how it appears to me. I won’t spoil it for you, but I’m super interested to see where this goes. Because it definitely has some potential.
The least interesting part for me is the Kamala Khan plot line, and I want to be clear I DON’T hate it. It just doesn’t really do anything for me. It feels super forced to have her in there, and I just can’t understand what the end result is for having her in the story at this point. Plus a newer character returns in this issue, and I do NOT like/care for that character. I groaned in frustration a little bit when they appeared on the page. BUT, as I’ve said before with the Zeb Wells run, I’m going to wait until everything plays out before I pass final judgement. So we’ll see, but for now…I’m not impressed with this character returning.
The art in the issue is as top notch as always, and very distinctive for all of the Spider-verse comics that Marvel has going these days. The colors pop really well, and the action sequences in particular are a brightspot for me.
FINAL POINT: The issue is good, and a fun read if you’ve been keeping up with the story to this point. But if you’re just jumping in, you might be a little confused at what’s going on. There aren’t any huge stakes or a cliffhanger ending with the issue, and to be honest it feels like an interlude between stories, or a prelude to what’s to come with the inevitable end of the Zeb Wells run. Regardless, there are some interesting plot threads brought up in this issue that I’m interested to see where things go from here. And the next few months should be VERY interesting.
Score: 7.8 out of 10
Thanks for checking out my review on Nerd Initiative. For more of my content, check out ODPHpodcast.com, follow me on Twitter, and check out more of my reviews here on Nerd Initiative: https://nerdinitiative.com/author/padawanj/!
