Marvel has been hyping up that The Amazing Spider-Man #35 kicks off the next 24 issues of the title. But how exactly does it do that? And what did we think of the issue by Zeb Wells and Patrick Gleason in general?
We reviewed the book on the Stack podcast. But in the interest of highlighting more about the title, here’s a summary of the conversation with our thoughts. And if you prefer the longer audio version, that’s below as well!
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The Amazing Spider-Man #35 Review:
Spider-Man has been infected by the sins of Norman Osborn, so the assumption of many fans was that Peter would become the new Goblin. Spoilers past this point but… Nope! Peter is fine, Mary Jane is fine, Paul is fine, even Kraven is fine. Meanwhile, Norman has a little Goblin laugh, and that’s it.
Host Alex Zalben theorized that what Marvel has been hyping is the return of the original Green Goblin. But he also expressed some frustration with the storyline that got us here. ” I don’t like this direction because I don’t know at all what this is saying about Peter Parker,” Zalben said. He added that the character of Paul feels like such a “non-presence” that when Spider-Man dangles him over the Brooklyn Bridge, the character’s reaction is essentially “Let me die.”
However, Zalben did find the direction of Mary Jane and Peter’s relationship intriguing here, as “Mary Jane goes pretty hard for Peter” in this issue, adding, “I think we’re headed back towards Mary Jane and Peter over the course of the next year or two.”
Pete LePage lauded writer Zeb Wells in general, and said, “I will always show up for his work.” But LePage was still pretty harsh about this, particularly how hard it was to watch the sinned-up Peter yelling at Mary Jane. “It was nails on the chalkboard to me, [or] somebody chewing ice, which just [sends] shivers down my spine.”
Patrick Gleason’s Art Is “Unbelievable”
One positive both could agree on? The art. LePage gave Gleason a chef’s kiss, and lauded it as “unbelievable” and “absolutely fantastic.” Zalben added, “I don’t think his art has ever been better than this.”
Specific moments Zalben called out include how Gleason draws the black suit Spider-Man as “terrifying,” and an action sequence where Mary Jane activates her Jackpot powers as “gorgeously drawn.” LePage added a final moment where Norman Osborn is sitting quietly and a lone laugh escapes from his lips as an “amazing moment” that “captures the emotion in [his face]” in an unbelievable way. “It really pulls you right in, in those moments,” LePage noted.
Wrapping up, Zalben expressed hesitation about the upcoming Gang War storyline, which is teased in the issue. Specifically the push and pull between “goofy” gangsters like Tombstone and Hammerhead, and the fact that they’re also viciously murdering people. At the same time, he also was enamored with a panel showing Hammerhead reflected in a pool of blood. “So it’s frustrating that there is so much thought and craft going into this,” Zalben finished up, “when storywise I just don’t know what we’re doing or why we’re going in this direction.”
The Amazing Spider-Man #35 Official Synopsis:
This sets up the next 24 issues of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN. Do. Not. Miss. This.
