Writer: Kevin Smith, Al Ewing, Chip Zdarsky & Mitsuyasu Sakai
Artist: Giuseppe Camuncoli, Daniele Orlandini, Mark Buckingham, Cafu & Gerardo Sandoval
Colorist: Erick Arciniega, Rachelle Rosenberg, David Curiel & Israel Silva
Letterer: Joe Caramagna & Joe Sabino
Cover Artists: Greg Capullo & Alex Sinclair; Lee Bermejo; Mark Bagley & Edgar Delgado; Scott Hepburn & Rachelle Rosenberg
Designer: Gabriel Mata
Editors: Kaitlyn Lindtvedt, Nick Lowe & CB Cebulski
Publisher: Marvel
Price: $7.99
Release Date: June 11, 2025
Peter Parker has a long and distinguished career as the Amazing Spider-Man. But who does he turn to when he pulls a Janet Jackson? How does Spider-Man nurture new heroes as they arise? And with new spider-heroes constantly occurring in the multiverse, what makes our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man unique? To learn these answers (and more), let’s thwip into Giant-Size Amazing Spider-Man #1 and find out!
Unstable: Story
Kevin Smith begins with Spider-Man taking on the Sinister Six. When he thwips away Mysterio's gauntlet, Spider-Man discovers the special effects wizard is alone. But as the cops drag Mysterio away, the illusionist gets the last laugh. So, Spider-Man seeks help to hide his "Peter Tingle."
"Unstable" boasts playful dialogue and suggests Spider-Man enjoys his celebrity status. The story also illustrates a temptation that police, military, self-appointed vigilantes, and anyone entrusted with a position of power should resist.
Unstable: Art
Erick Arciniega adorns Giuseppe Camuncoli and Daniele Orlandini’s detailed art with a loaded palette of colors. Inventive layouts enhance the story’s rockstar quality. After combating the Sinister Six, Spider-Man beholds a page packed with foes in Giant-Size Amazing Spider-Man #1. The characters and setting of these introductory pages evoke recent Spider-Man movies. The crowd's reactions and Mr Fantastic’s factory remind us that perceptions often matter as much as our abilities.
616 Day: Story
After Kevin Smith’s lighthearted story, Al Ewing peers into the heart of the Marvel Universe. As Spider-Man learns what makes his world tick, he also realizes how it relates to other realities in the multiverse. Wyn introduces Spider-Man to the numerology and concepts underlying the 616 Universe. Characters who have supported Marvel's popularity in comics, TV, and movies join Spider-Man on his journey into the past to save the future. Thankfully, no one sucks the joy out of everything or forces anyone to beat up grass. 616 Day celebrates the marvelous possibilities that await us as we take an active role in shaping our realities.
616 Day: Art
Rachelle Rosenberg paints Mark Buckingham's art with a loaded palette. The coloring grows more constrained as Wyn takes Spider-Man to the epicenter of the Marvel Universe. Buckingham’s Old School art and Rosenberg’s four-coloring mastery energize Spider-Man’s fight to save the 616 universe. A preponderance of globes, worlds, and colored circles surrounding a battle form an intriguing link with Mysterio's villainy in Giant-Size Amazing Spider-Man #1.
Rapid Advancements: Story
Chip Zdarsky introduces a new character who could race into readers' hearts. Roger doesn't view himself as a hero. Like Valerie Bertinelli, he takes life one day at a time. Roger works hard and cares for his family while struggling to meet his financial obligations. The chink in Roger’s armor is his father. His name is Earl.
Earl's focus on work evokes the lyrics to “Cat’s In The Cradle.” Roger's no "I hate everything about you" Ugly Kid Joe. Still, he can't count on his dad to be there for him, so he pushes Earl away. But when Roger discovers his father in peril, he drops everything to protect him.
Chip Zdarsky's story reveals the past while bringing readers up to speed with Roger and his father. After Spider-Man communicates with Roger, he conceives a plan to assist him. Roger may not regard himself as a hero. But his attempts to save his father evoke Spider-Man's race to help Mary Jane escape an alternate dimension, while Roger’s reactive nature mirrors Spider-Man’s approach to life.
Rapid Advancements: Art
Roger’s hair and attire evoke Tom Cruise in “All The Right Moves,” while a scene in his kitchen echoes his admonition to his father. An erupting time bubble continues the theme of worlds or globes from the previous stories. The police watch Spider-Man thwip away to investigate. His most poignant action highlights one of Spider-Man’s defining traits while echoing a similar incident in Joe Kelly's ASM #1.
Pink plays a significant role in Rapid Advancements, defining both Roger's costume and his father's research. A villain in green forges another link with the first story in Giant-Size Amazing Spider-Man #1. As David Curiel lavishes a loaded palette on Cafu's sophisticated art, Roger's blue pants and red truck enhance this spectacular origin story.
Prelude To The New Dimension: Story
Mitsuyasu Sakai provides a teaser for the upcoming Kid Venom Team-Up series. Kid Venom has traveled to the 21st Century. Kid Venom worries about the threats facing his friends and his country, but Spider-Society doesn't know how to send him home. While grounding this prelude story with staples like Peter Parker and Miles Morales, Sakai includes popular characters from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
Prelude To The New Dimension: Art
Israel Silva's dark tones imbue Gerardo Sandoval's art with a haunting aspect. Kid Venom's spiky hair and blue and white coloring make him stand out from the spider-heroes. One panel reveals the threat dominating his homeland, while the characters Kid Venom meets in the final scene echo another story in Giant-Size Amazing Spider-Man #1.
Lettering
Joe Caramagna and Joe Sabino thwip uppercase black and colored letters into white and yellow balloons. They employ a variety of fonts, balloon shapes, and arrow designs. White words fill narrative boxes that would make Spider-Gwen jealous. Black balloons threaten a deluge. Musical notes adorn red banners. Enlarged colorful dialogue and sound effects heighten the action, humor, and explosive storytelling in Giant-Size Amazing Spider-Man #1. Thanks to Marvel for providing a review copy.
Final Thoughts
Humor becomes a weapon. Heroes succumb to “righteous” anger. New heroes arise to defend the multiverse in Giant-Size Amazing Spider-Man #1. And when they're most needed, Spidey and his iconic friends remind us why Earth-616 remains the brightest star in Marvel's sky.
Rating 9.5/10
To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.
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