The Dragon's Cache: Amazing Spider-Man #41 Review

Thursday, January 25, 2024

Amazing Spider-Man #41 Review

Writer: Zeb Wells

Penciler: John Romita Jr.

Inker: Scott Hanna

Colorist: Marcio Menyz

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: John Romita Jr, Scott Hanna & Marcio Menyz; Simone Bianchi; Lorenzo Pastrovicchio; Ryan Stegman, JP Mayer & Dave McCaig; Pete Woods

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $4.99

Release Date: January 3, 2024

The Beetle is on the Rose. Spider-Man and She-Hulk back Tombstone, but will they clash with Kingpin? And who does Typhoid Mary have the hots for? Let’s thwip into Amazing Spider-Man #41 and find out!

Story

Janice Lincoln (The Beetle) clung to her father's bedside. Yet when Gang War erupted, she left the hospital to protect his territory. Janice disregarded his pleas and went after Diamondback to discover Richard Fisk (The Rose) got there first. The Rose wants to hurt Tombstone to redress his loss in their last battle. With gamma-mutated Digger by his side, can the Beetle take him down instead?

Amid this story of avarice and revenge, Amazing Spider-Man #41 also grapples with the changing of the guard. Old regimes inevitably give way to the next generation. The question isn't if youth will take over, but how. Richard Fisk tried to usurp his father before. Madame Masque ordered Shotgun to toss her father out an upper-story window. Janice treated her father kindly but took over his organization.

Tombstone seems resigned to his fate. He heard Wilson Fisk was coming, so Lonnie Lincoln waited in his apartment. Kingpin brings Typhoid Mary and Hellfire Club troopers. Tombstone wants the Rose to attack him, not his daughter. But Kingpin knows Richard will hurt Lonnie more by killing Janice. Kingpin supports his son's move by taking on Tombstone. But will Kingpin step aside and let Richard dominate the criminal underworld? And will other crime bosses respect the Rose if Kingpin kills his son's rival?

Art

Forced to support a villain, Peter Parker looks smaller than everyone surrounding him in Amazing Spider-Man #41. Typhoid Mary's amorous acts distract him. Like his friend Randy Robertson, Peter tried having a relationship with someone who didn’t share his values. He savored the thrill their opposing energies sparked. In Black Cat’s absence, does Kingpin’s gal hold any attraction for Peter? Sure, it’d be weird. But Peter's vulnerable.

Spider-Man prefers to capture villains rather than pound them. But there’s not enough room for Spidey to swing from the ceiling and thwip opponents amid a score of brawlers in Tombstone’s high-rise apartment. So, he concedes and pummels them instead.

John Romita Jr. and Scott Hanna contrast fighting modes in this Gang War chapter. Madame Masque--a master strategist--waits to make her play. Spidey, She-Hulk, and even the Beetle fight but show restraint. Digger, Kingpin, and Tombstone go nuclear. There's a strange intimacy in Kingpin and Tombstone's confrontation. The aging crime bosses reveal a bond of respect in their expressions, actions, and words.

Marcio Menyz’s loaded palette adds a vibrant richness to each scene. The symmetry of the coloring also communicates. Black and purple adorn The Rose and The Beetle. Green dominates Digger and The Beetle's backups. Spidey's red-and-blue merges with a scrum of similarly colored Hellfire Club Troops. The troopers’ gold masks mirror that of Madame Masque. The yellow and orange haze surrounding Tombstone and Kingpin's double-page clash compliments the fires Typhoid Mary's swords ignite in Amazing Spider-Man #41.

Joe Caramagna thwips uppercase black letters into white balloons. Tombstone’s tiny words hover in clouds, suggesting his weakened state. Others grunt tiny words as they trade blows. Yet emotions embolden fonts and color words. Sound effects accompany vicious battles. Beyond storms of bullets and crashing bodies, a ringing cell phone captures everyone's attention in Amazing Spider-Man #41.

Thanks to Marvel for providing this essential chapter of the Gang War saga for review.