As the imminent end to the space adventures of Peter draws ever closer, readers now find themselves at a strange point where there is a lot to wrap up and potentially not enough time to cover it in that short span. Has all this gallivanting through the stars served its ultimate purpose for Peter? How is he going to face Hellgate and Nikodimu once more? All of these questions and more are given a fair shot at being answered in Amazing Spider-Man #19.
While this jaunt across the galaxy has had its ups and downs, specifically with Peter being completely out of his element alongside his newfound ragtag bunch of friends, this particular issue brings everything back around to the reason Peter was out here in the first place. He was literally punched across the cosmos by an overpowered knight who talks in weird space riddles. Having recently met the master of Hellgate, Nikodimu, back in issue #17, the prospect of finally seeing the culmination of this particular thread is a tantalizing one. That meeting was about as pleasant an experience as meeting Hellgate was. However, as Peter gears up to face his foes, say goodbye to his friends, and head back to Earth, there still remains a sense of discomfort that is hard to ignore with this overall arc.
In Space…No One Can Hear You Quip
The issue kicks off with a tease of the greater cosmic chaos that has brought Peter to this point. Nikodimu, after her humiliating loss to Spider-Man and Raelith in their previous encounter, now faces a council of her peers on their home planet. Not satisfied with her prophecies or her mad quests to empower Hellgate, they strongly advise her to give up her irrational plans. Naturally, she elects to ignore that advice and makes plans to continue forward with her goals.
Meanwhile, Peter and his friends are gearing up to make the trip to a stargate that will get them close enough to Earth, but there are problems on that front as well. With all the galaxy-wide political shenanigans following the whole Imperial event, there is a whole bunch of factions fighting over or around where the crew needs to go. But of course, Rocket Raccoon being the mad rat that he is also chooses to ignore better judgment and instead goes headfirst into the fray. One can sense a real pattern this issue with people going against better advice.
Peter, however, is not too keen on his friends following him into danger and the inevitable confrontation with Hellgate. After a genuinely tender conversation with Raelith, Peter is surprised when Xanto gives him exactly what they had been working toward: a power-up that will give Peter the strength he needs to finally overcome Hellgate. While Xanto asks Peter not to use it because he has come to respect him, and Glitch offers Peter another pep talk before he leaves, the old Parker sense of responsibility compels Peter to head to the stargate on his own without his friends. But what he encounters there is only silence and devastation. The source of it all is Hellgate, waiting to finish the fight that everyone wants to see.
Saying Goodbye Has Never Been This Hard
The extended cast of cosmic characters finds themselves even more fleshed out than ever before here at the end of the issue. Joe Kelly, despite some roughshod pacing with the cosmic arc of this run, has so far been quite exceptional with the characters. The genuine moments of emotional intimacy between Peter and Raelith continue to be standouts with the right amount of pathos and fun thrown in. Even the change of heart for Xantu, though somewhat predictable, is still satisfying when it happens. This includes the promise of Xantu giving Peter the catalyst that could boost his strength.
Knowing the entire straight and narrow persona of Peter, it is not hard to believe that he will not take the easy way out in the final fight against Hellgate. But there is still a small seed of doubt that Kelly has planted in the minds of the readers by putting the friends and the very being of Peter as Spider-Man on the firing line against an opponent like this. Therefore, you have to wonder how that will pan out when Peter does have this little ace up his sleeve. It is an interesting prospect, and it will be cool to see where this goes.
At the other end of the character spectrum, we have Hellgate and Nikodimu. I have to be honest here; they really are not the best of villains, especially with their vaguely nebulous prophecy routine. Every time there has been a situation where Peter has faced a new great threat that is on a wildly higher power scale than him, it has always ended with Peter finding a way in the end to beat them. It was a novel approach when it was done with Morlun back during the start of the run by J. Michael Straczynski, but here with all the space jargon, it is hard to really get invested in the villains beyond them being just another plot device.
This is a shame, because the Spider-Man cast has always done a good job of giving its villains some degree of depth for the most part. Even the final face-off for Peter in this issue with Hellgate and Nikodimu, while having an epic air to it for sure, is driven more by the characterization of Peter rather than that of Hellgate or Nikodimu. Although to be fair, we do get the smallest fleeting glances of dissent between the two, even while Peter points out that maybe the entire angsty persona of Hellgate is borne more out of fear of being helpless than anything else. But for the most part, the villainy as the driving motivator of this cosmic arc feels the weakest and most meandering it has ever been.
It is an interesting thing that Joe Kelly is trying to pull off here. He wants you to love this new bunch of characters. He wants you to feel for the comrades of Peter. He wants you to hate Hellgate and Nikodimu while also understanding their justifications for what they are doing. For the most part, Kelly succeeds in the former, while the latter goal could still do with a little work.
There are some issues with all the characters being endlessly quippy, even if some of the jokes are real zingers, to the point of annoyance. It brings to mind the old adage that if everyone is a funny guy, then no one really is, especially with Peter around. Add to that another egregious Uncle Ben flashback, this time with one of the most wildly out-of-touch sayings of them all: "Feelings are not facts, kiddo. Facts are forever, but feelings change."
This is particularly jarring when you consider both the whole crux of Peter as a character and the current emotionally driven arc at its core. It is something very un-Ben Parker-like if you think about it. It is small and large narrative decisions like this that somewhat dull the more precise edges of this story. Pairing that with the messy fallout of the Imperial event only further puts a strain on this narrative.
A Fight to Remember
It is time to take that negativity and let the incredible artwork of Pepe Larraz once again paint over it. As mentioned in previous reviews of the space-based issues, Pepe Larraz continues to craft incredibly gorgeous scenes of cosmic splendor. Whether it is Peter and his friends chilling on idyllic planets, dark spaceship interiors, or in zero orbit over a stargate, the visual prowess of Larraz with these issues in particular is especially great.
While the quieter moments are great showcases of how the linework captures emotional depth for a wide range of alien faces, the real meat and potatoes for this issue is the final confrontation with Hellgate. First, the arena of the fight, the stargate which has just been decimated by Hellgate and Nikodimu, is such a treat for the eyes. You get a real sense of epic scale when you see the somber destruction and the bodies of Kree defenders floating away in zero gravity.
Hellgate himself has honestly never looked more menacing than he does in this issue. He radiates an unmatched sense of dread that does more to flesh his character out than the writing does in most parts. Nikodimu is also once again given that reverberating effect she had in her debut two issues prior, continuing the same psychic vibrations she was drawn with before. However, these are more toned down this issue, since the real focus is on Hellgate. The inevitable fight that happens between Peter and Hellgate, however short it is, is exquisite. The fluid and kinetic work of Larraz really pushes just how powerful both of these combatants are in their own ways. It is a real showcase of speed versus brutality. It is great material and is definitely the highlight of this issue.
Finally, bringing all of these incredible visuals together is the color work by Marte Gracia and Marcio Menyz. Gracia has already proven that the vibrant hues and tones used here make this space odyssey stand out as utterly visually distinct compared to everything else occurring in the Spider-Man landscape. The work really shines in this issue. There are some notable standouts, namely a light green bioluminescent glow that softly covers the pages where Peter and Raelith are bonding.
There is the dark concourse where the conversation between Xantu and Peter takes place inside the spaceship. Both characters are lit by the foreboding orange glow of the power-up catalyst, which drives home the point of it being either the salvation or the doom of Peter. Furthermore, the final battle with Hellgate features sunlight speckling in from low planetary orbit against a sea of destruction and the dark, foreboding hues of the armor of Hellgate. The combination of the linework of Pepe Larraz and the color work of Gracia has gone a long way in defining this particular arc with its own visual language. It is likely to be something worth remembering even years from now.
It’s a Small World After All
Amazing Spider-Man #19 reaches far and fast to bring a satisfying sense of conclusion to the space odyssey portion of the journey of Peter. It does this well for most of its run. The issue delivers some great one-on-one moments between Peter and select crew members while also playing up the greater threat that awaits. More than the narrative itself, the visual splendor of this issue in particular really does the most heavy lifting. It elevates the whole cosmic road trip conceit beyond its shortcomings.
Indeed, the shortcomings remain the same. These include the nebulous and almost one-track motivations of the newest villains, which feature only the barest grains of any real character growth. Additionally, the flattening of all humor from every character in this arc into the same jokey mode of exposition is grating. However, it is still a fun issue with a lot to enjoy regardless.
Readers who are fans of the new galactic direction might find this enjoyable because it continues past patterns and features genuinely gorgeous artwork. Even a reader like me, who has not been keen on the direction, appreciates many of the swings this story has taken. I am simply wondering where the story is going next and the way it is trying to get there. We have now seen Peter face this insurmountable foe again, and we have been left wanting more. Whether this means there is more to the space power-up run or they will haphazardly rush things is up for debate. This narrative of the issue does not really encourage me to feel particularly positive about what is to come.
Final Verdict: A gorgeous visual spectacle with some heartfelt character beats and an epic enough closing fight, but still plagued with the same narrative shortfalls that all the space issues seem to still be following.