Amazing Spider-Man #35 Review

 

Writer: Zeb Wells

Artist: Patrick Gleason

Colorist: Marcio Menyz & Erick Arciniega

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: John Romita Jr, Scott Hanna & Marcio Menyz; Elena Casagrande & Marte Gracia; Tony Daniel & Marcelo Maiolo; Patrick Gleason & Marcio Menyz; Claudio Sciarrone

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $4.99

Release Date: October 11, 2023

 

Norman Osborn reforges Kraven The Hunter’s spear to extract his sins from Spider-Man. But Peter Parker found Mary Jane and Paul in the Holland Tunnel. The Goblin Queen’s there too, hoping to prevent Peter from doing something he’ll regret. Can Ashley Kafka and Mary Jane shield Paul from Peter’s wrath? Can Norman and Kraven save lives and return Peter to normality? Let’s fwip into Amazing Spider-Man #35 and find out!

 

 

 

Story

Mary Jane knew bringing Paul into her life would hurt Peter, but she needed Paul’s comfort and support. Maintaining the relationship after she returned to this world—and keeping her distance from Peter—has hurt them both. And life has hit her hard in other ways. She lost the children she and Paul adopted. Ms. Marvel died defending her. Her aunt Anna is locked up in Ravencroft Institute. Peter and Felicity’s relationship fizzled, banishing her friends' hopes for the future. For all her strength, could Mary Jane go on if Peter took Paul away from her?

 

Genetics and environment shape people. No one knows that better than Kraven The Hunter. An insatiable hunger drove his grandmother and his father. Eventually, it consumed them. Is Kraven more than just a hunter? Or will destiny consign him to his ancestors' fate?

 

Norman lost his sins and turned over a new leaf. The Goblin Queen and Doctor Octopus both tried to return them. But did Norman ever really lose his sins or merely learn to rise above them? Whatever he lost transformed Ashley Kafka. That’s undeniable. But can one person bear another’s burdens? Norman knows that’s not right.

 

Zeb Wells confronts the duality of existence in Amazing Spider-Man #35. Amid the battle of Holland Tunnel, Mary Jane, Kraven, and Norman take responsibility for their lives. All will face the consequences of their actions.

 

Still, I wonder. How many are the people they yearn to be?  

 

 

 

Art

Hammerhead resembles Fisk as he incites a mob war. Black Peter uproots a guard rail and batters the Goblin Queen. Mary Jane wields a gauntlet that directs her new powers. Kraven menaces from atop a glowing highway sign. Mary Jane looks heartbroken as Norman ponders his fate. Without his mask, Peter’s expression resembles a gleeful goblin. Patrick Gleason fills panels with cinematic action that never overshadows the drama in Amazing Spider-Man #35.

 

Fire bathes Kraven’s spear while yellow trickles down a face sheltered in darkness. Blood splatters amid the fighting while we glimpse Hammerhead's reflection in a scarlet pool. Mary Jane banishes the fire and smoke. Her powers fill the air with pink, red, and white. Heroes and villains battle amid fire, smoke, and darkness. Yet they remain visible, and their features burn with emotion, thanks to Marcio Menyz and Erick Arciniega.

 

 

 

Joe Caramagna’s colored boxes and balloons reveal character thoughts in Amazing Spider-Man #34. They’re easy to read and ease us through this dark adventure. Peter’s laughter fills the night with enormous red letters. Each "HA" pierces us like Kraven’s spear. Paul's admission--captured in a cloud-like balloon--best conveys the readers' fears and hopes for this issue.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

As heroes and antiheroes battle to prevent tragedy, a villain sparks a bloodbath in Amazing Spider-Man #35.

 

Rating 10/10

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