With the big #1000 just another issue away, the journey to this point has so far been a bit of a mixed bag. From space jaunts to spider-versities to death spirals and secret cousin wars, Peter’s had his fair share of escapades in the last couple of years with this current run of Amazing Spider-Man. So where does that leave us with this penultimate issue before the big celebration? Well it’s certainly a mixed bag, which is kind of emblematic of this long-going and beloved but also reviled series we know so well.
Amazing Spider-Man #35 offers a lot of heartfelt feels considering the current Parker family situation, and there’s no taking that away from it, but those are short lived because things end oh-so predictably with Peter’s now being on suddenly tenuous ground with his latest allies, some very predictable action and of course a finale that old school Spidey readers will truly be groaning about like they’re back in a One More Day storyline.
From Heart to Headache
Issue #35 continues Peter’s current mopey trajectory of dealing with his personal insecurities about his cousin Mac by doing what he does best: bottling it all up and throwing himself into web-swinging. This of course also means that he’s avoiding Aunt May again, which is probably not ideal, but this is probably the most relatable this book gets when navigating how certain kinds of depression and isolation work for people. That being said, Peter’s relationship with Damage Control is also getting better and better, to the point that he's vouching for them with Mayor Luke Cage. I’m sure that won’t bite him in the ass anytime soon, considering Damage Control is…well Damage Control. With all this happening in the background, Aunt May certainly isn’t someone to give up so easily on her nephew, so lo’ and behold she shows up at Peter’s place to have the heart-to-heart they’ve been avoiding for so long. It’s genuinely the best part of the entire book by a country mile, and the follow up of Peter’s alien friends acknowledging that is just icing on the cake too.
But of course, this is Peter Parker we’re talking about. So just when you think he’s finally getting some relief, things get complicated as always. Peter stumbles on a situation in the city where Spider-Gwen is seemingly wreaking havoc, but she doesn’t remember how, why and what happened. Peter of course wants to help her, but his buddies in Damage Control have other plans in mind to lock her up. Things get a bit more complicated when the rest of the Spider team – Miles, Arana and Cindy – also show up to stop Damage Control and Agent Gryffin from taking Gwen. In the end, Peter covers for Gwen and lets the other Spiders take her to get sorted out, much to the irritation of Damage Control, but before things can really turn into a heated scuffle, Peter gets news about his Aunt that’s certainly far from ideal.
Bad Writing Habits Overshadow the Good
I’ve already said a lot about Joe Kelly’s run on the character with all its ups and downs and round abouts in the middle. This issue in particular, while definitely upping the more human interactions by a lot, especially between May and Peter, also sadly falls into the same tired tropes that have plagued this run so consistently. I get that for a serialized superhero soap opera like Amazing Spider-Man that’s just par for the course, but I need to stress this again: we’re almost at 1000 issues here. And compared to the build for previous big centenary issues, this one in particular feels quite cliched in comparison, which is saying something.
First let’s talk about the good stuff. Peter finally getting to have the long overdue sit-down with his Aunt, where she can actually pull him back from the brink of isolation: that’s good, great even. Kelly unquestionably has a handle on how to write these more human moments for the most part, it’s just that he tends to be so inconsistent with them and it’s mired down by a lot of the lazy plotting that works around it. But when the human stuff works, it works exceptionally well. May reminding Peter at his lowest of how he’s the son she’s always had, who she raised one day at a time hits close to home amidst all the chaos and that reflecting on so much of Peter’s stress and insecurity just washing away was done well. The follow up with Raelith and Glitch also acknowledging the importance of May in Peter’s life after this interaction was very heartfelt and fun too, the kind of lighthearted that doesn’t feel obnoxious.
Things however start to go awry almost immediately after that. Now from the cover, you can obviously see that Peter is facing Spider-Gwen this issue. How? Why? Well, you never really get an answer to that beyond “was it mind control?”. Which is actually just another question, but oh well. Now that’s still relatively fine, because it’s a bit of a means to an end, I suppose. But here in this issue? The issue that’s supposed to be ASM #999? It feels a little underwhelming to have this kind of played out trope, especially because Peter standing up against Damage Control – who up until this point he was bestest best buddies with (because movie synergy or some rubbish) – becomes a rushed conflict that just happens. No real build up, just conflict for conflict’s sake, that’s further accelerated by Miles and the other Spiders acting very aggressively out of character just for the sake of escalation. This segment in particular feels honestly unnecessary, and more than anything it just feels forced to the point that it’s added tension for when the big “cliffhanger” of this issue actually happens. And speaking of that cliffhanger in particular, it’s definitely groan inducing in the worst way possible, because it’s something that fans have not only been tired of as a writing crutch, but it’s also led to some of the worst retcons following previous times it’s been used in Spidey books. Those wounds, they do be fresh. And this plotline already feels stale, doubly so leading into probably the biggest milestone issue of Amazing Spider-Man.
In short, Amazing Spider-Man #35 is a mess in the writing department, showcasing Kelly’s best and worst in all its glory. And that’s concerning on many levels but also a bit exhausting because while I’ve tried not to have high hopes for this series, there’s always just enough to reel me in and then leave me out to dry every single time. This issue is just another example of that.
When the Art Works
For this issue, we have returning art duo Francesco Manna and David Curiel on lines and colors respectively, and they do a pretty good job throughout the book, regardless of whether its more solemn character moments or the higher pitched action pieces of the issue.
Manna’s art was already a highlight of the space-race issues of the current ASM run, and here while his work is a bit more earth bound in nature, it still has that same consistency and character that made those previous issues such visual treats. Manna is great at capturing emotion so well with his facial expression and lighter touches to body language. The entire sequence between Peter and May is done beautifully, and it honestly wouldn’t have had the kind of impact it did if not for the sharp yet warm visualisations done by Manna. Similarly, the action sequences between Peter and Spider-Gwen and the face off with Damage Control also feel tense and worrying despite the lacklustre writing because Manna channels so much into depicting solid emotional depth for masked characters. And for the final page, which is a very cool homage to some of Ditko’s most iconic Spidey pages, Manna also closes this issue on a powerful visual note, even if the actual twist is something that might not be palatable for many from a writing standpoint.
Backing up Manna oh so well, is Curiel’s color work, although I have one small gripe that namely almost all of his color work seems to have a bit of a muted, almost shadowy filter to it. Like almost every page is in the shade, which just feels a little off. Barring that, Curiel makes very dynamic use of the standard Spidey color palette to really make scenes pop. And as mentioned before, that final page reveal works so very well thanks to his color work as well.
A Season Finale That Feels Underwhelming
Amazing Spider-Man #35 encapsulates a lot of the issues with both Joe Kelly’s current run and the greater ASM run as a whole. There’s certainly crumbs of heart to keep you invested in the Peter drama, but even then that feels like Peter’s issues are quickly resolved only for them to throw him back in the same loop of predictable editorial misery once again with Aunt May being used as a punching bag. If we’re celebrating nearly 1000 issues of the character it’s important to also remember that we’ve been doing this same song and dance for almost just as long, and that’s not meant as a compliment.
Whether it’s Peter’s “shocking” reaction at the end of this issue that will give readers PTSD flashbacks of spider stories past, or the very telegraphed and cliched fallout with Damage Control, it’s almost admirable how quickly this storyline went from relatable to “seriously this again?!” so fast in 22 pages. What that bodes for the next big 1000th issue celebration is hard to guess, but if we’re going by the solicitations then it’s certainly not taking the peddle off the Parker family drama, that’s for sure.
Final Verdict: Amazing Spider-Man #35, while delivering admirably on personal character moments between Peter and his extended family quickly turns into the kind of groan-inducing and contrived drama that feels so exhausting with the historic issue #1000 just around the corner.