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Hello there! Padawan J here, the resident Star Wars expert from the ODPH! And this week I’m reviewing the latest issue of Amazing Spider-Man from Joe Kelly & Marvel!
Things are getting VERY interesting in Peter Parker’s life. It’s quite possibly one of the most interesting situations I’ve seen him placed in. It’s part 1 of the new Spider-Man storyline titled, “The 8 Deaths of Spider-Man”.
This will eventually lead into “One World Under Doom” which is coming out in 2025. So what does it all mean for New York’s favorite wall-crawler? Let’s find out!
Amazing Spider-Man #61 by Joe Kelly (writer), Ed McGuinness (penciler), Mark Farmer (inker), Marcio Menyz (colorist), Niko Henrichon (dream sequence artist), VC’s Joe Caramagna (letterer), John Romita Jr, Scott Hanna & Marcio Menyz (cover artists) is an incredible first step forward for Joe Kelly & the entire team for this new story.
It’s a bold take, and a fresh one. But more importantly, it’s got a sense of purpose and direction. There are times in the previous run that it felt like the polar opposite of this, and it was incredibly frustrating at times.
READ LAST ISSUE’S REVIEW!
This issue also feels like a little bit of a reset of sorts. It simplifies the story and brings in some core elements that are all too familiar to long time readers. Back are the sense of dread and trying (and failing) to balance his personal life & superhero life. And of course his superhero life is the dominating factor right now.
Peter is the central focus of the issue and we see it play out mostly from his superhero persona, but his personal side does feature some too. On the personal side we see Peter trying to juggle his life with his friends and family. They know he’s hiding something, but things are left open ended for now.
The majority of the issue surrounds the story Spider-Man and SORCERER SUPREME Doctor Doom. Yes, you read that right. Victor Von Doom is now the sorcerer supreme of the Earth. Doom needs Peter’s help for a task, and Peter is having NONE of it.
But of course Doom is not one to take “No” for an answer, and goes ahead with the task anyway. Peter is named Earth’s new champion in the in the covenant of Cyttorak. He is going to have to face the scions of cyttorak or else. Just what is the “or else”? Well it is Spider-Man, so the stakes are nothing less than massive.
I won’t spoil it for you, but it should be interesting to see play out. The battle that takes place in this issue is a great one. It has all the feels of a classic Spider-Man fight, but with some added twists on it. The artwork in this issue is incredible. It’s some of the best I’ve seen in a Spider-Man issue in recent memory. It’s vivid, and incredibly defined and the color pops wonderfully.
Spider-Man is given a new suit from Doctor Doom, and it looks GREAT. But I can’t help but wonder if it might come with some strings attached because this is Doom after all. Nothing with him is ever straight forward or simple.
FINAL POINT: This issue is easily the best issue of Spider-Man in recent memory and is an incredible first step forward for the series overall. It’s a bold story that’s hit the ground running from the start and it’s an issue that’s a MUST READ for not only Spider-Man fans but all comic book fans. Considering where this story could be going, it’s going to have massive ramifications for the entire Marvel universe.
Score: 9.5 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/!
