Writer: Zeb Wells
Artist: Todd Nauck
Colorist: Sonia Oback
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Cover Artists: John Romita Jr, Scott Hanna & Marcio Menyz; David Marquez & Jesus Aburtov; Francesco Mobili; Peach Momoko; Annie Wu
Publisher: Marvel
Price: $4.99
Release Date: April 24, 2024
Betty Brant wants her husband back. Janine Godbe wants her boyfriend back. And Doctor Ashley Kafka wants to help people again. At least, so she claims. Can Spider-Man make these (mostly) lovely ladies happy? Let’s thwip into Amazing Spider-Man #48 and find out!
Story
Ben Reilly is half a man. That's how he sees it. His hunger for what he lost drove him to hurt others. But after escaping Limbo, his anger fades. Ben wants to feel whole. When he met Spider-Man amid the squalor of a broken-down tenement in Alphabet City, he blamed Peter for his incompleteness. But in Amazing Spider-Man #48, Ben's not violent or angry. Instead, he slides past Peter, hops onto the Winker Device's upholstered seat, and says, "Aaayyy. Let’s do this!”
Janine Godbe is half a woman. Like her beau, Janine got locked up for her crimes. She found love with Ben, only to lose him when Beyond tampered with his memories. Now Ben goes by Chasm, and Janine hides behind masks. But living half an existence has cost her. Her latest go-to alter ego is a monster that denies the existence of a soul. While striking a dangerous bargain with Queen Goblin to reclaim Ben’s identity, Hallow's Eve becomes a monster who denies others' uniqueness.
Ashley Kafka is a woman of two minds. She holds grudges yet wants to help others. Ashley promises to restore identities but will readily conduct a lobotomy. Like Ben and Janine, Ashley yearns to reclaim what she lost. Once, she was a therapist. We're unsure of Ashley's intentions in Zeb Wells' story. After infecting him with Norman Osborn’s sins, Spider-Man judges her guilty. He also refuses to believe that any good can come from the Winkler Device.
Yet Amazing Spider-Man #48 leaves us wondering. Unlike the Living Brain, the Winkler Device is a machine. Can it be programmed and repurposed? Does Ashley Kafka want to return to Ravencroft? Does she yearn to work alongside Shay Marken (and perhaps Mary Jane’s aunt Anna) and help people again?
Art
Betty Brant shines like a beacon of sanity in Amazing Spider-Man #48. Amid costumed heroes and villains, her attire, hair, and expressions reveal a woman who knows what she wants but won’t compromise her principles. When he removes his mask, Ben looks open to suggestions and hopeful. Spider-Man resembles a taut spring, ready to leap to another's assistance but hoping not to get physical. Todd Nauck shows Janine transform from a lovestruck innocent into Mr. Hyde as Jason Voorhees. Unlike Madelyne Pryor, Ashley Kafka may not tempt Ben with fruit from a tree. Yet her pointed teeth, scaly face, and glowing eyes make one wonder. Is the knowledge she offers Ben good, evil, or a bit of both?
Sonia Oback casts readers into an abandoned building. Amid dimly lit gray walls and brown wood, heroes and villains bring their light. Blue smoke wisps off Chasm, and flames arise when Hallows Eve dons her mask. Yet Queen Goblin turns Amazing Spider-Man #48 into Bonfire Night. Fire erupts from her pumpkin scepter, leaving trails of orange and yellow as she wields a spiked metal ball in each hand. While the fire adds a sheen to her red skin and golden armor, her glowing eyes prove most haunting.
Joe Caramagna thwips uppercase black lettering into white dialogue balloons in Amazing Spider-Man #48. The font grows bold for inflection and occasionally shrinks but more readily swells to an enormous size. These immense words turn yellow, orange, or red to emphasize pain and loss. Yet Spider-Man's not opposed to uttering them, as a whip-like thwip leads to a yellow crash. This issue resounds with crashing, smashing, and the crack of a fist. Yet a thud near the end feels most poignant.
Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review.
Final Thoughts
Once, Mary Jane and Paul sought a therapist to deal with losing their children. In Amazing Spider-Man #48, Ben Reilly and Janine Godbe sit on a couch and share their concerns. But who is most capable of helping them overcome their pain?
Rating 9.6/10
To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.
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