Writer: Zeb Wells
Artist: Todd Nauck
Colorist: Sonia Oback
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Cover Artists: John Romita Jr, Scott Hanna & Marcio Menyz; Greg Land & Frank D’Armata; Peach Momoko; Alessandro Pastrovicchio
Publisher: Marvel
Price: $4.99
Release Date: April 10, 2024
Mary Jane’s Aunt Anna has been having the time of her life since Peter cured her of Krakoan Derangement Syndrome. Anna has been hanging with Hippo and sharing the greenhouse with Sandman. What is she doing at New York’s high-security Ravencroft Institute now? And how might it impact Peter Parker’s awkward social life? Let’s thwip into Amazing Spider-Man #47 and find out!
Story
As Peter hurries toward a restaurant, he chats with Mary Jane via cell phone. Mary Jane is settling down for an evening with Paul. She wonders why Ravencroft or her aunt didn’t contact her about this meeting. The penny drops for both as Peter reaches Shay Marken and sees the disappointment in the caregiver’s eyes. Peter may excel at thwipping villains, but as he readily admits, he often fails in social situations.
Shay may have ordered Peter to leave Ravencroft when he upset William Baker, but she warms over his unease during dinner. She's no longer tasked with protecting her troubled patients and knows what it’s like to feel out of her depth. Whether Shay finds Peter's penchant for suddenly abandoning dinners—and leaving her to pay the bill—remains to be seen.
Betty Brant stands by her man in Amazing Spider-Man #47. Mary Jane sought her aunt's release. Now, Betty refuses to rest until she clears her husband's name. She hunts for the Winkler Device that Roderick Kingsley used to brainwash Ned Leeds. But Hobgoblin doesn’t take kindly to people poking their noses into his business.
Aside from Peter's awkward dinner date with Shay, the big talking point in Zeb Wells' story involves Chasm and Hallow's Eve. The lovebirds may never win an award for New York City's Most Balanced Couple, but both demonstrate that life apart hasn't aligned their mental wheels. Intriguingly, they partner with someone who exhibited remorse over a previous contretemps with Spider-Man. But that's why they're supervillains. Because they hold grudges and channel negativity.
Art
Todd Nauck pairs dark and gritty settings with violence in Amazing Spider-Man #47. Whether it's a machete-wielding thug or gunmen kicking down doors, these encounters hum with intensity. Spider-Man's thwip yanks a villain through a window. Then he leaps into the room between the man's still feet and whips another man to the floor.
Nauck readily transitions between violent encounters and heartwarming moments. Hallows Eve's transformations from menacing monsters to her familiar costume reveal Janine's youth and vulnerability. Nauck also imbues panels with a timeless quality, grounding scenes in abandoned warehouses and historic architecture. Peter wears an old jacket over his Oscorp polo shirt. Shay wears a pendant over her turtleneck sweater and skirt. Neither wears the latest fashions. Peter and Shay seem open with each other and share a refreshing optimism at the wonders of everyday life.
Sonia Oback steeps backgrounds in shades of gray and brown. Aside from Mary Jane's hair and Shay's blouse, few colors emerge from their surroundings. These links with the red of Spider-Man's costume remind us of Peter's past and hint at another potential love interest. Even the red in Spider-Man's costume seems subdued. The red reflects light and darkens in shade. Yet Chasm and Hallows Eve's costumes blaze like beacons at night, suggesting the power they'll unleash to take Spider-Man down.
Joe Caramagna thwips uppercase black lettering into white dialogue balloons and narrative boxes in Amazing Spider-Man #47. The font grows bold for inflection and occasionally shrinks or gets italicized. Sound effects help us hear Peter’s cellphone alerts, a window shattering as Spider-Man swings into action, and a “dog” with glowing eyes snarling in a dark room. And no, no one named this “dog” Indy.
Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review.
Final Thoughts
Amazing Spider-Man #47 reveals an intriguing link between the living brain in Oscorp and New York City restaurants and hints at who arranged Peter's date with Tombstone's lawyer. After his great fall, Chasm finds a new champion. But can anyone put Ben Reilly together again?
Rating 9/10
To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.
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