Amazing Spider-Man #14 Review

 

Writer: Joe Kelly

Penciler: Ed McGuinness & Todd Nauck

Inkers: Mark Farmer, Wade Von Grawbadger, Ed McGuinness, & Todd Nauck

Colorists: Marcio Menyz & Erick Arciniega

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: Patrick Gleason & Marcio Menyz; Lee Bermejo (Amazing Visions); Cory Smith & Edgar Delgado; Jay Anacleto & Romulo Fajardo Jr; Joshua Cassara & Matthew Wilson (The Muppets)

Designer: Jay Bowen

Editors: Kaitlyn Lindtvedt, Tom Groneman, Nick Lowe, & CB Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $4.99

Release Date: October 15, 2025

 

Hermes Crenshaw believes that Manhattan's new Take No Prisoners Spider-Man hails from a parallel universe. Instead, while Ben Reilly impersonates Peter Parker at Rand, Norman Osborn thwips the streets as Peter’s alter ego. But Norman doesn’t practice Peter’s restraint. And he hates losing.

 

When Miles Morales, Spider-Boy, Silk, Araña, and Spider-Gwen invade his web after losing his “cowardly” lawsuit against Roderick Kingsley, Norman lashes out. Can Spider-Norman placate New York's Spider-Society? And will the Sic Semper Monstrum club teach Roderick Kingsley their secret handshake? Let's thwip into Amazing Spider-Man #14 and see!

 

Story

Although Silk assured Norman that Peter still lives, he left their encounter feeling like a failure. So Norman seeks out someone else who has tried and failed to be Spider-Man. But Ben Reilly doesn’t want to share the same universe, let alone the same airspace, with Norman Osborn. And he’s far from alone in that sentiment.

 

While Ben impersonates Peter in Amazing Spider-Man #14, his growing closeness to Dr Maira Osmani-Milton drives his girlfriend crazy. Janine Godbe enjoys life in the shadows with Ben. Now he is chasing Peter's life again, and that's beyond frustrating.

 

 

 

While endangering his future with Janine, Ben shuts out the people who care about Peter. Aunt May feels cut off from the successful working nephew who hung photos in her living room when he was bombing interviews. And at work, Brian Nehring isn't feeling freaktastic as his childhood chum’s science outshines his mycoteria.

 

While Joe Kelly’s story urges us to understand what drives us, it also contrasts life in the shadows with exposing our actions to the light of day. Night patrols gave Norman the anonymity to act out his aggressions. Imitating Peter solely at Rand allows Ben to hurt everyone close to him. But people who exercise power responsibly inspire others. That's something a would-be hero learns in Amazing Spider-Man #14. 

 

 

 

Art

Ed McGuinness & Todd Nauck, Mark Farmer, and Wade Von Grawbadger contrast memories of the Spider-Society on a rooftop with Norman sitting alone in his exclusive penthouse. Janine’s masks feed her desire for easy victories but provide no lasting contentment. As Maira sits before an image of sunflowers, she makes a more understanding and accepting comparison with Peter’s not-girlfriend. Yet despite her words, Maira’s disdain for Norman struggles to dominate her face, suggesting a familiar jousting tournament with a business rival. 

 

 

 

Marcio Menyz and Erick Arciniega make Chasm and Hallows Eve look good together in purple, orange, red, and green. Maira and Ben’s blue attire emphasizes the growing connection between them. Norman’s dark gray suit seems a reminder that his self-esteem, if not his body, is trapped in the dark web of Limbo. An attacker's light gray and blue emphasize a cold, clinical approach to curing a disease. While the yellow and orange coursing across his body evoke Hellgate's inner fire, Kintsugi's gleaming suit recalls another cosmic hero.

 

Joe Caramagna fills white dialogue balloons with black uppercase dialogue. Words grow bold for inflection, enlarge for raised voices, and shrink for lowered voices. Faint lowercase handprinted letters reveal Norman's thoughts in irregular white rectangles, while Aunt May writes in tiny cursive. Sound effects hail a pleasant outing, a responsible use of power, and defiant dry-thwipping in Amazing Spider-Man #14. Thanks to Marvel for providing a review copy.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

While Norman Osborn struggles to overcome his past, Roderick Kingsley makes new friends, Brian Nehring gets desperate, and Astrid reveals a fondness for Battlestar Galactica in Amazing Spider-Man #14.

 

Rating 9/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

Amazing Spider-Man #12 Review

 

Writer: Joe Kelly

Penciler: Ed McGuinness

Inkers: Cliff Rathburn & Ed McGuinness

Colorists: Marcio Menyz & Erick Arciniega

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: Ed McGuinness & Marte Gracia; Lee Bermejo (Amazing Visions); Simone Bianchi; Rogê Antônio & Marcelo Maiolo; James Kerigan (Halloween Mask); NetEase Games (Marvel Mystic Mayhem)

Designer: Jay Bowen

Editors: Kaitlyn Lindtvedt, Tom Groneman, Nick Lowe, & CB Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $4.99

Release Date: September 17, 2025

 

Ben Reilly felt every moment of Cyra’s test thanks to his unspoken clone thing with Peter Parker. So, he impersonates Peter Parker while the genuine article is away. But Ben lacks Peter’s Freaktastic connection to Brian Nehring. And Chasm lacks compassion for the people in Peter’s life.

 

Norman Osborn has come a long way. Driven by Peter’s faith in him, Norman tries to fill his friend’s shoes while he’s gone. But no one likes Norman’s take on Manhattan’s webslinger. And while all that is going on, Roderick Kingsley is fending off Norman’s legal maneuvers and using Queen’s Cola to move weapons in Tombstone’s streets. Will Ben Reilly and Norman Osborn cost Peter Parker his job, his friendships, and his reputation as a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man? Let's thwip into Amazing Spider-Man #12 and see!

 

 

 

Story

We always feel like we know the right thing to do. Hermes Crenshaw thinks he knows what's going on with Spider-Man, but he rushes to judgment without substantiating his claims. J Jonah Jameson generally tries to do what's right. Sadly, his way of doing what's right often means hurting other people. Although he's working for another corporation now, Ben Reilly's still trying to be like Peter Parker. But he knows he's failing and realizes his time at Rand is beyond limited. And that hurts.

 

Of all the people in Joe Kelly’s story, Norman theoretically has the best shot at emulating Peter Parker. He knows the man behind the mask. And unlike Roderick Kingsley, Norman wishes to make amends for his acts as a goblin. But life has forged Norman into a predator who exploits weaknesses and crushes the opposition. That mindset has served him well in building a business empire. No matter how hard Norman wants to be good, his past forged him into a fighter who destroys his rivals. And that hurts.

 

In Amazing Spider-Man #12, New York’s Spider-Society confronts Manhattan's spider-poseur. But instead of attempting an intervention, they adopt Norman's tactics. They try to strongarm the Captain of Industry, who once stole Roderick Kingsley's business empire. And that's going to hurt.  

 

 

 

Art

Ed McGuinness and Cliff Rathburn show Norman swinging into action. He hurtles down pages and careers across two-page layouts. Norman thwips by night and corrals herds of paperwork at Oscorp by day. He slips off brick walls and crashes into cars. Norman hurries from one item on his packed itinerary to the next. And whatever he does, and wherever he goes in his trek toward redemption, Norman frowns.

 

While the paparazzi put Norman’s life under the microscope with their cameras, Brian Nehring tries to peer into Ben Reilly’s soul with his magnifying glass. The Mycoteria clinging to a shard of hovering steel reveal Astrid’s fears, even if it doesn’t justify her goblin-like disdain. But when Brian extends his hand, Ben shrinks from contact, just like Norman Osborn in Amazing Spider-Man #12.

 

 

 

Amid the beige and gray locale, where Tombstone showed Peter the limitations of the legal system, Marcio Menyz and Erick Arciniega's yellow-orange light suggests the sun is setting on Norman's legal maneuvering. A black, white, and red image forms a link with Norman's spider-suit, while a face shaded purple contrasts Norman's strategy with Peter’s when he had to justify his existence. While Norman crouches in a place that has often brought Peter peace, he confronts all the colors that better represent what it means to be a spider-hero.

 

 

 

Joe Caramagna fills white dialogue balloons with black uppercase dialogue. Font size shrinks when business giants whisper. Faint lowercase handprinted lettering reveals Norman's thoughts in irregular white rectangles. Sound effects reveal Norman's pain and his willingness to visit it on anyone who threatens to hurt him in Amazing Spider-Man #12. Thanks to Marvel for providing a review copy.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Pain forged Norman Osborn into an unstoppable empire builder. But when a victim from his past returns to judge his progress in turning his life around, Norman realizes he has a long way to go in justifying Peter Parker’s faith in him in Amazing Spider-Man #12.

 

Rating 9/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

Amazing Spider-Man #11 Review

 

Writer: Joe Kelly, Saladin Ahmed, Lee Gatlin, & Jason Loo

Penciler: John Romita Jr

Inker: Scott Hanna

Artists: Pepe Larraz, Pere Pérez, Lee Gatlin & Jason Loo

Colorists: Marcio Menyz, Marte Gracia & Morry Hollowell

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: Pepe Larraz & Marte Gracia; Lee Bermejo; Pepe Larraz & Edgar Delgado; Sanford Greene; Junggeun Yoon; Bengal; Benjamin Su; Javier Garrón & Jesus Aburtov; Felipe Massafera; Luciano Vecchio; James Kerigan

Designer: Jay Bowen

Editors: Kaitlyn Lindtvedt, Tom Groneman, Nick Lowe, & CB Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $7.99

Release Date: September 3, 2025

 

With Kingpin’s forces reigning chaos in the streets, Spider-Man has taken off the kid gloves. J Jonah Jameson, never soft on crime, is calling out his friend on-air after Spidey sends three Aftershocks to the hospital. Even Black Cat’s sweet reason couldn’t stop Spider-Man from breaking Shocker’s arm.

 

While Spider-Man is taking out the trash, Peter Parker is whipping everyone into shape. He dissed his freaktastic friend Brian in front of Dr Osmani-Milton. Then Peter broke poor Frankie’s nose, just because he didn’t want to take a ride on the wild side with Tombstone. Why is Spider-Man using harsher webs than Spider-Girl? And why is Peter Parker dating a secret girlfriend and ghosting everyone he loves? Let's thwip into Amazing Spider-Man #11 and see!

 

 

Broken Mirror: Story

Peter’s silence and distance weigh down Aunt May. But she can’t sleep, can’t divert her focus from her nephew’s betrayal. So, Aunt May takes comfort in memories of better times, when she believed she could help Peter choose a better path.

 

Usually, it’s Peter who reacts to others' needs. Now, the people in his web alter their behavior to accommodate Peter’s absence. Perhaps most surprising of all is Tombstone’s response. He’s used to Peter Parker being his link to his foe. Yet Spider-Man was an opponent Tombstone respected. The crime boss even checked Spider-Man into the hospital after their brutal brawl in the New York underground. In Amazing Spider-Man #11, the hero who helped Tombstone become the new Kingpin no longer serves as a mirror to gauge his actions against.

 

 

 

Broken Mirror: Art

A framed photograph prompts Black and White memories, while a childhood costume makes Aunt May wonder at her parenting decisions. The city glows yellow, highlighting Peter and Spider-Man’s faces as they confront each other beneath a blue night sky. A double-page spread unleashes a fight between two former heroes, before one dispenses with his disguise as they reenact Spider-Man and Tombstone’s fight at the Canal Street Station. Marcio Menyz unleashes a vivid palette of colors on John Romita Jr and Scott Hanna's dramatic, action-packed, and revelatory art in Amazing Spider-Man #11. 

 

 

 

Broken Man: Story

After the big reveals in “Broken Mirror,” Joe Kelly takes us on a space odyssey in “Broken Man.” Hellgate’s punch proved stronger than Hulkette’s, propelling Peter to a planetoid where he struggles to survive. After the rigors of playing Robinson Crusoe on a planet as barren as Mars, an alien extends a helping hand. Xanto may not live in Xanadu, but life on his spaceship seems ideal. With the Imperial War raging across the cosmos, Peter knows he couldn’t return home right now even if he wanted to. But he knows that Hellgate isn’t through with him. As in his battle with the scions of Cyttorak, that knowledge drives Peter’s actions in “Broken Mirror.”

 

 

 

Broken Man: Art

Marte Gracia lavishes a vibrant palette on Pepe Larraz’s extraterrestrial art. Peter crouches in darkness. Survival reduces him to barbarism. A yellow figure glows like an angel, willing him to survive. Aboard the Beacon, Peter trades his ravaged red-and-blue for a white and black suit with a partial exoskeleton. A sleek fighter sits in the hangar where Peter tests his limits. Afterward, he traverses a circular corridor with someone who shares Korg’s sense of humor, if not his looks.

 

In the station’s upper levels, a tree rises before a waterfall, while Peter enjoys a riparian picnic in the park without Shay Marken. After a workout, his gold-clad companion turns blue as he gazes down and rests his hand on Peter’s shoulder like a proud father. But when Peter stands alone amid a starry and colorful cosmos, a purple shadow points toward danger in Amazing Spider-Man #11.

 

 

 

Rapid Return: Story

Roger has a lot to be grateful for. In Lea, he has a loving helpmate. Noah is an adoring son. Roger knows that love means taking care of the people in your life. But as with Aunt May, it can be draining. Roger and his father have always been distant from each other. Now, visiting his dad in the hospital reminds him of his unhappy childhood. And he resents the time he spends with his comatose father when he could be investing it in Lea and Noah.

 

After Roger’s debut in Giant-Size Amazing Spider-Man #1, Saladin Ahmed brings us a day in Roger’s life. An experimental serum that could have healed his father accidentally helped him slow time. Spider-Man helped him during his rough superhero birth as Rapid. So when Spider-Man isn’t around, Roger uses his super-speed to protect his neighborhood. Roger may not have spider-powers, but he demonstrates all that Peter could have if he realigned his priorities. 

 

 

 

Rapid Return: Art

As Roger leans against the hospital wall, his shirt heralds the energy he wishes he possessed. The motto on another visitor’s T-shirt urges him to “Be stronger.” Instead, Roger glares at his unresponsive father and strides from the room. Lea and Noah’s embraces make him feel guilty. Roger’s eyes widen when he stares at his phone. Another hug brings him peace.

 

Morry Hollowell imbues vibrant color on Pere Pérez’s heartfelt intro. Then, energy lines and smoke infuse pink, blue, and gray backgrounds as energy arcs around Rapid’s pink and black suit. Another pink bubble evokes the explosion that Spider-Man helped him control. Yet a gray cloud that hovers before a close-up shows what empowers the latest hero to hold an Avengers membership card.

 

 

 

Spider-Mayonnaise

Lee Gatlin’s two-page cartoon showcases Peter Parker’s innovative nature. He is always learning and growing. While Peter takes inspiration from science, another hero wonders if sometimes he doesn’t go too far in Amazing Spider-Man #11.

 

 

 

In The City With…Spider-Man

Jason Loo delivers another two-page story highlighting Spider-Man’s abilities. While a snapshot of what makes Spidey special, it highlights a different ability than Peter works hard to enhance in Joe Kelly’s “Broken Man.”

 

 

 

Lettering

Peter shares his thoughts in red-edged narrative boxes. Roger’s thoughts appear as white letters in pink boxes. Joe Caramagna's black uppercase letters in white balloons grow bold for intonation, swell for raised voices, and shrink for lowered voices. Sound effects accompany battle and betrayal, while faint lowercase black letters reveal an imposter’s thoughts. Thanks to Marvel for providing a review copy.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

As Shay Marken once noted, Peter’s life may be a dumpster fire. But when Peter pulls a no-show, friends and villains shine in Amazing Spider-Man #11.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

 

Amazing Spider-Man #10 Review

 

Writer: Joe Kelly

Artist: Michael Dowling

Colorists: Marte Gracia with Erick Arciniega

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: John Romita Jr, Scott Hanna & Marcio Menyz; Dike Ruan; Paulo Siqueira & Rachelle Rosenberg; J Scott Campbell & Sabine Rich

Designer: Jay Bowen

Editors: Kaitlyn Lindtvedt, Tom Groneman, Nick Lowe, & CB Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $4.99

Release Date: August 20, 2025

 

Nikodemu sent Hellgate to learn from Spider-Man. Instead, Hellgate taught Spider-Man a lesson he won’t forget. Peter Parker’s life is a history of one loss after another. His uncle Ben taught him to pull his punches and flee a fight when no one else faces danger. But as the weeks pass after the Columbus Circle Fracas, Tombstone makes hay while the Spider-Man doesn't shine.

 

Shocker builds a team to "protect" the streets and becomes Tombstone’s second-favorite person (after that Hellgate guy). And while chaos reigns in New York City, Peter Parker is digging into mushrooms and self-isolating from family and friends. Why has Peter gotten soft on crime? And why is he pushing away the people who love him? Let's thwip into Amazing Spider-Man #10 and see!

 

Story

After Shay Marken challenged Peter Parker to be more dependable, Spider-Man teamed with Mayor Cage to throw Tombstone in prison. Instead, Tombstone eluded their legal maneuvering to remain the new Kingpin of New York. But he's got a thing about getting Peter Parker into a limousine. Luke Cage and She-Hulk saved Peter's life the last time he accepted an invitation from Tombstone. Yet in Amazing Spider-Man #10, Tombstone seems surprised when Peter hesitates to take another ride on the wild side.

 

As Tombstone consolidates his hold over New York, Peter once again adopts a proactive view. His approach impresses Dr Osmani-Milton, who promotes Peter over the childhood friend who recommended him. Dr O-M is looking for someone to oversee Rand Enterprises when life calls her away. Employees who make inappropriate workplace remarks and wear mushroom hats aren't on her short list.

 

Peter has always lived a double life. But in Amazing Spider-Man #10, Black Cat worries about her sometime-lover. The all-new, all-different Spider-Man may be the talk of the town. But bad things happen when Spider-Man wears black. As she keeps her eyes on Peter Parker, Black Cat also watches for Spider-Man. Tombstone had a message for Peter to relay. But if Peter didn’t want to play courier, Tombstone may find another way to deliver it.

 

 

 

Art

After the death of his parents, Peter Parker found solace by hiding away from the world in Ben and May’s Walk-In closet. The full-length mirrors weren't from Hogwarts, but they provided the same solace as the Mirror of Erised. Clad in his black-and-red suit, Spider-Man goes full-on Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, running along the side of a building before somersaulting down to punch out Aftershocks. With his shield, Captain Kintsugi may emulate a great American hero. But yellow rivulets run through his white suit like hellfire through black 'A’ā. Thus, Spider-Man welcomes his wannabee assistant as much as he welcomed Captain America’s help when trying to rescue Mary Jane from Paul Rabin’s world.

 

As Michael Dowling sketches Peter’s new battle with his identity, Marte Gracia and Erick Arciniega paint Amazing Spider-Man #10 in black. Spider-Man haunts the night in black-and-red, while Felicia Hardy unleashes her frustrations in black. She prowls the skyline as Black Cat, watching as Tombstone offers Peter a ride in his black limo. 

 

 

 

While yellow firepower lights up the night, Brian Nehring’s yellow glasses and yellow mushroom tanks promise to light up the lives of the economically challenged. Compared to the danger that lurks in the night, Peter dresses for the day in a tan suit. Standing alongside gray-clad Brian amid the calming colors of the Rand Enterprises labs, Dr Osmani-Milton enters wearing a black suit. As she frowns at Peter and Brian, a figure in a white lab coat lingers and watches in Amazing Spider-Man #10.

 

Peter shares his thoughts in red-edged narrative boxes. Joe Caramagna's black uppercase letters in white balloons grow bold for intonation, swell for raised voices, and shrink for words uttered through sharpened teeth. Enlarged red dialogue communicates shouts, laughter, and pain, while colorful sound effects help us hear disturbing sounds, electrifying energy, breathtaking impacts, and Spider-Man singing “Dem Bones.” Thanks to Marvel for providing a review copy.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Peter has endured the soul-stripping pain of loss many times in his life. But Hellgate’s blow knocked him back to his childhood. Remembering how he lost everything gives Peter Parker the strength to move ahead in Amazing Spider-Man #10. But this time, he’s doing it as the Ghost-Spider.

 

Rating: 9.8/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

Amazing Spider-Man #9 Review

 

Writer: Joe Kelly

Artist: Michael Dowling

Colorist: Marcio Menyz

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: John Romita Jr, Scott Hanna & Marcio Menyz; Ema Lupacchino & David Curiel; J Scott Campbell & Sabine Rich; Netho Diaz & Alex Guimarães

Designer: Jay Bowen

Editors: Kaitlyn Lindtvedt, Tom Groneman, Nick Lowe, & CB Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $4.99

Release Date: August 6, 2025

 

Nikodemu promised Hellgate a great teacher. But Hellgate values strength, and he perceives weakness in Spider-Man. It’s not Peter’s fault. His uncle Ben raised him to pull his punches and flee a fight when no one else was in danger. But Peter has a dark side like everyone else. He tried to kill Hellgate with an axe. Then he dropped a building on his prospective pupil. Has Peter taught Hellgate what Nikodemu wanted her warrior to learn? What will Hellgate's lesson cost Spider-Man and the people of New York City? Let's grab a cone from the I Scream van at Columbus Circle, thwip into Amazing Spider-Man #9, and see!

 

Story

Peter Parker’s life is one nonstop juggling act. Every time he strives to get on top of a situation, life hurls him back down. Everyone makes demands on his time, and try as he might, he never satisfies them. Perhaps Peter feels this most with the women in his life. Aunt May befriends a man who badmouths him. Mary Jane chooses a life with Paul Rabin instead of him. Shay Marken insists that they're not a couple and goes on a date with someone else. What's the point in trying hard when people shrug off your best efforts?

 

In Amazing Spider-Man #9, Peter survives his battle with Hellgate. Yet something in him has died. Whether it was Hellgate’s final punch, his broken leg, or just the unending series of disappointments, Peter has retrenched. He hasn’t given up on life as he did after Cyra’s test. Instead, he does what Aunt May requested. Peter settles down and concentrates on his job at Rand Industries. He doesn’t take on additional obligations, such as working with Norman Osborn to put down the Hobgoblin’s burgeoning organization. Nor does he don his red-and-blue suit and protect New Yorkers as Spider-Man.

 

Joe Kelly’s story ponders the delicate dance we walk through life. It also reminds us how integral we are to those around us. In Amazing Spider-Man #9, Peter Parker makes the responsible choice. Peter distances himself from the people that he can never please and doesn’t accept responsibility for another would-be protégé. If New York falls apart in his absence, it’s not his problem. Then Peter watches to see how the people he can never please, like Aunt May, Shay Marken, and Mary Jane, react.

 

 

Art

Guest artist Michael Dowling shows the Shocker taking over the streets of New York City. Peter stands on a street corner, his leg in a brace, and watches the man in quilted armor attack a police truck. Then Peter hobbles off to sit in a subway train, using earbuds to tune out his surroundings. He smiles as he approaches the gleaming modern Rand building and does a choreographed high-five with Brian to end a team briefing.

 

Gold symbolizes Peter’s potential futures in Amazing Spider-Man #9. Brian Nehring’s glasses glow gold as he tries to set Peter up with a blonde coworker. The lenses match the mushrooms growing in Brian’s terrariums. The gold material of the Shocker’s armor also signals the anarchy that could reign in New York’s streets, if Spider-Man continues to play Hider-Man. Like the rivulets of lava that flowed through Hellgate’s dark skin, gold lines flow through Captain Kintsugi’s white suit. Marcio Menyz also uses green to link Peter with some of those in his web of relationships. As he hobbles through his day, Peter’s green slacks link him to a friend on his phone, Mary Jane and Randy’s green jackets, and the soup May cooks in the FEAST center.

 

As block letters locate us in time and space, Peter shares his thoughts in red-edged narrative boxes. Joe Caramagna's black uppercase letters in white balloons grow bold for intonation, swell for raised voices, and shrink for lowered voices. Small gray letters in gray balloons share the colorful future Peter once imagined, while the words of a newscast swell as Peter inserts his earbuds. Red and yellow sound effects help us hear the pain and destruction villains inflict while Peter sits on the sidelines. Thanks to Marvel for providing a review copy.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

While Peter hobbles around on a crutch, his friends worry about him. He seems to have lost his verve. But in Amazing Spider-Man #9, Peter is lying low. He realizes his dream of having it all and living the best life was a lie. So, he settles for what he can do, even if that means he’s quit with quips.

 

Rating 9.2/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

Amazing Spider-Man #8 Review

 

Writer: Joe Kelly

Pencilers: John Romita Jr with Todd Nauck

Inker: Scott Hanna with Todd Nauck

Colorists: Marcio Menyz with Erick Arciniega

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: John Romita Jr, Scott Hanna & Marcio Menyz; Humberto Ramos & Edgar Delgado; Dan Panosian; Gabriele Dell’Otto; Jeff Dekal

Designer: Jay Bowen

Editors: Kaitlyn Lindtvedt, Tom Groneman, Nick Lowe, & CB Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $4.99

Release Date: July 23, 2025

 

When the new Kingpin of New York tipped Peter off to an illegal weapons deal, Black Cat decided to tag along. Hellgate arrives mid-transaction and kills the Queen's Cola goons when Spider-Man hesitates to parley. Spider-Man owes his strength more to radioactive spider-venom than gamma radiation, but such slaughter enrages him.

 

Hellgate embarked on an epic quest to confer with the Prince of Spider-Silk. Instead, Spider-Man threatens him. Hellgate relishes testing his mettle against the warrior that Nikodimu sent him to meet. But can the inhabitants of New York City withstand their battle? Or will the Hobgoblin's soldiers be the first casualties in a war of the worlds? Let's thwip into Amazing Spider-Man #8 and see!

 

Story

Peter loved his uncle Ben, even if they often clashed. Still, his uncle's teachings return to Peter as he battles Hellgate. The fighting grows so fraught that Spider-Man struggles to quip. But his every movement is tempered by his uncle's teachings.

 

Hellgate thought he would meet someone who exercised great power. He envisioned an unstoppable Spidernaut who prevented cosmic calamities like the Blight. Instead, he finds a man clad in a close-fitting costume who hesitates to fight and wastes his energy shielding those unworthy of being warriors.

 

In Amazing Spider-Man #8, Joe Kelly reminds us how power swells our self-esteem while diminishing our view of others' importance. His story also reminds us that true power comes from helping those in need. It's a lesson that Peter has taken to heart. As Peter follows his uncle's teachings by protecting New Yorkers, another person senses he is in danger. She should be sharing this battle with him. Instead, fate has taken her on a different course. Ironically, she and her spouse confront the same difficulties Uncle Ben and Aunt May faced when they took in a young boy and raised him as their own.  

 

 

 

Art

John Romita Jr., Scott Hanna, and Todd Nauck reveal the brutality of Spider-Man's battle with Hellgate amid the "insignificant" people infesting this realm. Hellgate's armor evokes the fabled knights of yore and an Asgardian god. Peter’s punches dislodge Hellgate’s helmet and draw blood in Amazing Spider-Man #8. Yet the fire flowing through the volcanic warrior’s cooled and crackling lava-skin, and the flames he unleashes, remind us that Hellgate feeds on conflict, and that anger makes him stronger.

 

Marcio Menyz and Erick Arciniega fill the linear page flow with the colors of a new day. Spider-Man's intense conflict with Hellgate and the heat he radiates softens nearby colors by overexposure. Black And White memories help center Peter. Yet glowing red and blue circles remind him of a time he teamed with Mayor Cage to take the law into his own hands. As buildings turn to rubble, and smoke rises amid the conflict, a silver-clad warrior enters the gray fray in Amazing Spider-Man #8.

 

Block letters locate us in time and space, while narrative boxes remind us how long Peter has battled this warrior from another realm. As Peter shares his thoughts in red-edged narrative boxes, dots flock to Hellgate’s dialogue. Joe Caramagna's black uppercase letters in white balloons grow bold for intonation, swell for raised voices, and shrink for lowered voices. The enlarged colored dialogue reminds us that Peter doesn't want to fight, while gray letters in gray balloons tell us why. Sound effects accentuate the collateral damage Peter struggles to prevent as his opponent's movements prophesy his doom. Thanks to Marvel for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

While Peter battles a warrior from another realm, the people in his web sense he is in danger. Amazing Spider-Man #8 introduces another potential hero and reminds us how George Washington's fledgling army defeated a superior empire.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.