Amazing Spider-Man #32 Review

 

Writer: Zeb Wells

Artist: Patrick Gleason

Colorist: Marcio Menyz

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: John Romita Jr, Scott Hanna & Morry Hollowell; Jan Bazaldua & Jesus Aburtov; Patrick Gleason & Marcio Menyz; Adam Kubert & Brad Anderson; Giada Perissinotto; Elizabeth Torque

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: August 23, 2023

 

Peter Parker’s friend Randy tried to marry Janice Lincoln. But the lovebirds' wedding plans got smashed by an attack that left Tombstone injured and much of his criminal organization dead. Can Peter and her friend Michele help Randy and Janice tie the knot? Let’s fwip into Amazing Spider-Man #32 and find out!

 

 

 

 

Story

Just like Randy and Janice, recent events have torn apart Peter’s web of significant relationships. Mary Jane’s lost to him, as is Felicia Hardy. Even though he’s dubious about Randy’s future as Tombstone’s son-in-law, he cares for his friend. He meets Michele for dinner, hoping they can find a way to rekindle Randy and Janice’s belief that love will conquer all.

 

Peter is also concerned about his boss in Amazing Spider-Man #32. The Sin-Eater removed Norman Osborn's sins, but recent events—Kamala Khan's death and Doctor Octopus' attack—could push anyone to the breaking point. Even if Peter doesn’t trust him with Aunt May, he likes the man Norman’s becoming and wants to be there for him.

 

 

 

 

Unbeknownst to Peter, an evil force regenerated the Goblin Queen. She works now to expel the sins the Beyond Corporation gave her. Who will she give them to? Who better than their original host: Norman Osborn?

 

Perhaps the staff at the Ravencroft Institute should have chucked her body in the furnace after all!

 

 

 

Art

Arcane symbols mix with primitive weaponry in Amazing Spider-Man #32. Fire surrounds figures cloaked in darkness. Images of insects and animals contrast with elegant surroundings, suggesting occult ceremonies among the privileged classes. A dagger pierces a portrait of Norman Osborn on the wall behind a dark-haired woman. Beside her stands a muscular hunter clutching a spear.

 

Peter and Michele look made for each other as they discuss their friends' problems. Shock overtakes his smooth face as glaring differences become apparent. While hers is slower to transform, the meal ends with both diners frowning.

 

 

 

 

Yellow and orange surround the Goblin Queen's red skin as she and the hunter ready their attack. Peter passes green, pink, purple, and blue graffiti as he walks along New York City streets in Amazing Spider-Man #32. Yellow streetlighting imbues a statue with a ghostly aspect and casts all else in lavender. Interior lighting colors Norman’s lab blue until an attack slathers Oscorp’s halls and rooms in red.

 

 

 

 

The hunter’s thoughts appear as lowercase black letters in orange narrative boxes. Yet orange letters in black narrative boxes also feel like they belong to him rather than the Goblin Queen. Spoken dialogue appears as uppercase black letters in white dialogue balloons, while large white letters help us hear mechanical sounds. All that changes when intruders enter Oscorp. Peter's distress colors his shout, swelling his utterance to epic proportions.

 

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Amazing Spider-Man #32 showcases Peter’s concern for his friends, casts the identity of the Goblin Queen’s partner in doubt, and leaves us wondering why the red-skinned woman seeks revenge. How much of Ashley Kafka remains and hates the villain she's become?

 

9.4/10

To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.