It’s sibling fight night, so time to place your bets! Round Two: Peter vs. Ravage Boogaloo and all that. Yes. You get your much-advertised fight in this issue of Amazing Spider-Man after all that build-up. And despite everyone warning him about how much of a bad idea it was to go in without preparation, the power of editorial compels Peter to get a fairly quick win over his evil cousin. But the question now becomes this: what’s next?
Amazing Spider-Man #1002 delivers on the action, certainly. It also gives us a whole lot more of Cormac’s backstory as well. Not all of it, but just enough to get a bit more context for his powers and why he’s got such massive issues. It’s also nice to see Peter get a win for once. But even though I know this is certain to be the first of many confrontations between these new foes, this first victory comes a little too conveniently if you ask me. Whether ASM fans agree or not is another matter entirely, but as with most of Joe Kelly’s work on this run, there are certain to be divisive opinions on this first outcome.
Mommy’s Favorite
The issue starts off hard and fast as Peter and Cormac get to trading some really heavy hits right off the bat. We get Cormac taunting Peter about how much he’s ruined his Aunt’s life with his constant secrets and his lies to cover up being Spider-Man. And despite Peter knowing these taunts to be true, he keeps going at Cormac with everything he’s got. Of course, that’s before he takes a wrath hammer to the face – Cormac’s ability being to make weapons out of people’s emotions. This one just happened to be made out of the condensed and solidified withdrawal symptoms of a drug addict that he knew. It’s a heck of a blow that almost puts Peter down for the count and at the mercy of his cousin, who’s looking ready to suck Peter dry of all the memories he has of his Aunt May.
There’s a small segue in between to see Norman Osborn and Spider-Gwen working together to help sort out her recent rampaging amnesia issues. There’s an eerily paternal aspect to this new partnership, which I honestly don’t know how to feel about, though I’m leaning towards major ICK at the moment. Back in the fight, Peter is able to unleash Ultra Spider Instinct Mode to fight back against Cormac, and in the process somehow taps into his cousin’s own memories of his childhood. We see glimpses of his abusive adoptive parents, him using his powers to strip his adoptive mother’s mind of her abusive thoughts, and a few other bits and bobs. Peter uses this to his advantage to exploit Cormac’s feelings for Aunt May – his real mother – and threatens to reveal both their true identities to her. The issue ends with Cormac relenting for now, allowing Peter to take Aunt May home for the time being. Though I’m sure this is far from over. And with the issue ending right in the aftermath of the fallout from Avengers: Armageddon, it’ll be interesting to see how things play out.
Treading the Line Between Compelling and Convenient
Once again, we have Joe Kelly’s knack for balancing the compelling with the convenient in this particular issue. And there’s a lot to dig through here, because while this is certainly meant to be a longer, drawn-out conflict, I really can’t help but feel Peter won a little too easily, even if momentarily. Now I’m not saying the man doesn’t deserve a win, and I’m sure there’s more to come. But Peter does seem to get the upper hand here far too quickly.
For this confrontation, there are a couple of things that seem to happen with Peter that can be seen positively and negatively based on Kelly’s writing in this series. On the one hand, Peter being underestimated by Cormac and using the information he got through their temporary mild-meld is some genuine quick thinking that’s worthy of the character. Peter using Cormac’s memories to taunt him right back in kind is effective; on-the-fly thinking that’s effective enough that he’s willing to gamble both their identities to get back Aunt May. And I like how it pays off, especially with the whole “I’m gonna tell Mom” bit of it. What FEELS very contrived, however, is HOW Peter gets this info in the first place. We were told repeatedly by Peter’s supporting cast that he lacks the preparation or understanding of his foe to go into this conflict. And for the most part, that is true as Cormac dominates the fight for the better half. But Kelly resolves this with some truly contrived antics: Super Spider-Sense that gives Peter the physical upper hand, and a convenient mind-melding with his sibling that lets him get the memories he needs to win. It’s honestly a little lazy for my liking.
On the other end, Cormac/Ravage himself gets a bit more much-needed backstory that oddly feels interesting enough, despite sounding clichéd on the surface. Abusive foster parents, wanting to be loved, and now a maddening lust for the love of the mother that was stolen from him. It sounds very by the numbers, but Kelly makes it work just enough with the information we’re given. Expanding more on the weapons he uses, from the magic amnesia club made from Aunt May’s love a few issues back, to this latest Hammer of Withdrawal that he gobsmacks Peter with in this issue – it’s actually a pretty interesting move, all things considered. That, coupled with Cormac rightfully and accurately pointing out Peter’s codependent relationship with Aunt May and how them not being in each other’s lives is a good thing, are valid points to consider. It’s also interesting to see how Cormac developed at least some degree of his powers and what he used them for. It certainly helps flesh out the context of his actions in this issue.
Amazing Spider-Man #1002, while focusing heavily on the battle and its outcome, also manages to sneak in a small segue to the Gwen and Norman plot. All I’ll say is that, as much as I’ve loved Norman’s turn to the light side, what I’m not yet ready for is to see them get a little too fatherly with Gwen just yet. The pre-existing context still’s a bit too icky, though I can see a strong case for this being a redemption of sorts (especially if you consider how Sins Past was somewhat retconned during Nick Spencer’s stellar Amazing Spider-Man run). With that aside, this issue definitely goes a long way in promoting the first salvo in the sure-to-be-dragged-out Spidey vs. Ravage saga to come, for all the wellness and warts it showcases in Kelly’s writing tropes on ASM.
Art that Packs a Punch
Joining Pepe Larraz on linework on this issue is colorist Federico Blee, bringing some new life to this big fight night issue. As a particularly action-packed outing, the art team really does a good job of conveying that aggressive energy into the marquee fight itself.
Larraz reminds everyone why he’s such a standout Spider-Man artist in recent years with some genuinely hard-hitting sequences between Ravage and Spidey. You get a real feel for every punch that’s thrown and connects on either side, with the environment itself playing just as much of a role as these two rivals collide. The setting of an old-money mansion and its neighboring countryside is a great setting for this kind of action, and Larraz gets to let loose there. Even in the non-action moments, his use of expressions and body language effectively conveys laughs and frustrations so well. The real standouts are the memory-mangling sequences between Peter and Ravage, which feel appropriately, well…ravaging heheh.
Adding to this medley of mortal combat is Blee’s stunning and stark color work. The aforementioned memory sequences are given so much depth by the shades that Blee throws in, feeling like legitimate psychotic trips in terms of color. With every impact that Ravage doles out or receives, Blee manages to empower Larraz’s lines with hard-hitting color palettes that make those hits really stand out.
It’s Done, Bro
I’m glad Peter finally managed to get a much-needed win in Amazing Spider-Man #1002, but did it really need to be this convenient? As I’ve said before, I don’t mind a win, and for the most part this was done through Peter playing on his own strengths and his opponent’s underestimation of him. I’m hoping now that both parties have gauged each other’s capabilities more fully, that their next conflicts will be more engaging. And with the backdrop of Avengers: Armageddon’s ending hanging heavily over the last page of this issue, there’s certainly some interesting direction that things could possibly go.
But the problem once again lies in how certain outcomes are achieved. Peter accessing the information he needed to win was pure editorial laziness (although I’m sure they’ll explain it as a convenient mind-link from the last time Peter and Ravage tussled to try and wipe away that critique) and a far too common pattern in Joe Kelly’s run with the character. In the end, though, you take the good with the bad as long as you know what you’re dealing with. And for the most part, I think I liked more about this issue than I outright disliked, so that’s always a plus when it comes to this series as a whole.
Final Verdict: Amazing Spider-Man #1002 gives Peter a far too fast win in his offensive against Ravage while also pulling a bit more of the curtain back on this latest villain’s machinations in a fairly acceptable manner.