Amazing X-Men #1 Review

 

Writer: Jed MacKay

Artist: Mahmud Asrar

Colorist: Matthew Wilson

Letterer: Clayton Cowles

Cover Artists: Mahmud Asrar & Matthew Wilson; Germán Peralta; Mike Hawthorne & Dan Brown; Mike McKone & Rachelle Rosenberg; Sanford Greene

Design: Jay Bowen

Editors: Lindsey Cohick, Annalise Bissa, Tom Brevoort & CB Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Price: $4.99

Release Date: October 8, 2025

 

When Scott Summers awakens in a cave, some of the first people he meets are Magneto, Forge, and Archangel. Magneto tells him about the mutative virus that activates mutant genes and has spurred nature into overdrive. Then Scott meets Beast. Magneto and the other X-Men have also ripped Hank McCoy’s consciousness out of time and placed it in his future self.

 

Scott discovers how badly this ragtag group of survivors needs their help when Wolverine appears and kills Magneto, Forge, and Archangel. Can Cyclops and Beast prevent Revelation’s forces from killing them and their abductors? Will Wolverine regenerate after Xorn's sacrifice and hunt them down? Let’s grab our visors, leap into Amazing X-Men #1, and see!

 

Story

Scott Summers is frustrated. Seven X-Men brought him to the future. Now, only three remain. Glob Herman may not say it. Still, he blames Scott for his comrades’ deaths. Had Scott allowed him to shoot the Omega Kid, who reported their position to Quentin Quire, all of them might be alive. Scott likely contemplates this as they trek toward Philadelphia. Perhaps there, Glob Herman, Schwarzschild, and Animalia’s colleagues can help Scott understand what he and Hank can contribute to combat Revelation.

 

While Scott still resists seeing Schwarzschild as an X-Men, Beast seems more understanding. But then, he also has much in his past that others could condemn him for. As Beast gets a glimpse of how Animalia has suffered, he also uncovers a mystery. It’s not something he wants to make too much of. After all, if he hopes to return to his own time, Hank will need these people’s help.

 

Once again, Jed MacKay shows us Revolution’s ruthless determination to dominate everyone in his expanding territory. Yet Amazing X-Men #1 also reveals what sent Doug Ramsey upon this path. As Cyclops and Beast struggle to come to terms with their future colleagues and each other, they will face more danger and loss. Scott will gain more insight into how Glob Herman and all the mutants have suffered. But perhaps Doug Ramsey, the great communicator, has suffered the most. That is, until he closed himself off to his feelings, when his pain exceeded what he could bear.

 

 

 

Art

As Glob Herman protects their group, Scott frowns and crosses his arms over his chest. Standing in judgment, he thrusts a finger at Glob. Like Schwarzschild, Beast looks away from the others. Only Animalia dares look at Beast, and then, not for long. As Beast and Wolverine lope through the forest, their long hair and beards forge a link between them. Mahmud Asrar brings a cinematic quality to Amazing X-Men #1. A fallen statue in the forest evokes The Lord of the Rings, and hands rise from the ground as in countless horror movies. Then there is a marker left behind, like a warning against entering a forbidden zone. 

 

 

 

Matthew Wilson applies a lush palette to life in the Revelation Territories, as Cyclops, Beast, and their future colleagues trek through this land reclaimed by nature. Gray links Beast and Animalia. With their dark clothing, gray also links Beast and Schwarzschild. Yellow and gold link Revelation with his assistants, as opposed to the mutant aberrations in need of debugging. Orange fills the background, and his eyes glow red like his late wife's costume when Revelation exerts his power. Yet the hands and arms arising from the ground glow green, showing far more affinity for this reclaimed land than Glob Herman’s vibrant pink skin in Amazing X-Men #1.

 

 

 

Clayton Cowles fills panels with black uppercase letters in white dialogue balloons and narrative balloons. When he bends others to his will, Revelation speaks white letters into black boxes. Another character who opposes Revelation also speaks in white dialogue. Yet his words don't swell to emphasize his will. Sound effects and giant colored dialogue arise when Xorn's sacrifice proves insufficient to deter Revelation's Angel of Death. Yet a black line, instead of symbols, reveals Glob Herman's feelings about one of history's most revered X-Men. Thanks to Marvel Comics for providing a review copy.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

As a mystery surrounds their abduction, Scott Summers and Hank McCoy must accept their situation and do their captors’ bidding if they wish to return to where they belong. Yet Scott and Hank's abduction is nothing compared with Wolverine, who represents the ultimate captive. Sadly, while Revelation once cherished life, now he treats people like lifeless machines in Amazing X-Men #1.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1 Review

 

Writers: Derek Landy

Penciler: Ron Lim

Inker: Don Ho

Artist: Sara Pichelli

Colorists: Israel Silva & Travis Lanham

Letterers: Joe Caramagna & Travis Lanham

Cover Artists: Salvador Larroca & Edgar Delgado; Ron Lim & Israel Silva; Mike McKone & Dean White; RB Silva

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $4.99

Release Date: July 3, 2024

 

Thanos made his beloved Death into an Infinity Stone. Like the others, the Death Stone sought a person to inhabit. Sadly for Thanos, it wasn't him. Who are the Infinity Stone Bearers, and what do they have to do with Peter Parker? Let's thwip into Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1 and find out!

 

The Infinity Watch Part 2

Story

Spider-Man is having a bad day. When he sees someone robbing an armored money truck, he realizes it's about to get better. Apprehending a villain gives him a chance to let off some steam. But will it ease his guilt over not saving a man’s life yesterday? In Derek Landy's story, Peter's not so overwhelmed that he asks Norman Osborn to boost his spider-sense. (In Norman's current mood, he probably wouldn't help anyway). But Fission was learning to use his powers. Perhaps Fission could have matured into a hero and used his powers to help others. But he won't get that chance because Spider-Man couldn't diagnose Fission’s malfunctioning tech before it overloaded.

 

In Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1, Overtime is having a bad day. Fighting Spider-Man doesn’t make it any better. But then he realizes that Spider-Man is also hurting. So, Overtime abandons his long-term plans to ease his conscience and uses his Time Stone powers to help Spider-Man. In Derek Landy's story, Overtime can return to the same event multiple times without meeting himself. To paraphrase his conversation with Spider-Man, he can mess with the timestream without creating paradoxes. But even when he has part of his personal goal within his grasp, Overtime sacrifices his partial victory to help someone else. 

 

 

 

Art

Ron Lim and Don Ho help Spider-Man emerge from a four-panel page as skyscrapers rise to his left and motion lines streak through the sky to his right before the webslinger alights on a street light and crouches like Spidey The Hunter. Yellow police tape surrounds the broken concrete at the base of a pillar supporting an electronic billboard. Spider-Man's body language suggests more anger than amusement as the green-suited robber escalates from fisticuffs to a side-handle baton. Overtime's easygoing expression graduates to irritation, then anger when he realizes he won't accomplish his goal today.

 

 

Israel Silva lavishes a loaded palette of bright and attractive colors on Ron Lim and Don Ho’s action-packed panels in Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1. White-green energy mimics the circle on Overtime’s chest as he travels in time. Colors show depth and nuance as Overtime splashes through the wet streets, webbed Fission explodes in the rain, and the bird on the billboard changes expressions and postures. Joe Caramagna enhances Overtime's sacrificial journey with large, black uppercase letters in white dialogue balloons, white letters in green narrative boxes, enlarged colorful words, and energizing sound effects.

 

 

 

The Death Stone Saga Part 2

Story

The Death Stone rejected Nighthawk and raised Phil Coulson from the dead. Nighthawk tries to connect with Phil, but the revived man's memories are fragmented. Unlike Star, Quantum, and Overtime, Phil Coulson doesn't understand what has happened to him. But Nighthawk isn't interested in what Phil Coulson might do once he gets his head together. Like Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War, Nighthawk wants to reshape the universe. But first, he needs all the Infinity Stones. (A shiny gauntlet would also come in handy).

 

Derek Landy’s second story in Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1 doesn’t feature our web-slinging hero. Still, it’s another story about people trying to rewrite the present to suit their preferred vision of reality. Nighthawk grows more desperate to accomplish his mission here than in the Thanos Annual #1. Perhaps Spider-Man could have talked Nighthawk into making a better choice in The Death Stone Saga Part 2. As things stand, shadows cover Nighthawk's path, and his journey may grow darker with time.

 

Art

Nick Fury’s son rises from bed, pulls on his eye patch, and enters the kitchen. He gazes through the window over the sink and drinks a glass of water. Nighthawk stands atop a crypt. Like Batman or Spawn, he gazes down at Phil Coulson, sitting on the ground between the upright headstones. Coulson resembles a broken man. Yet he soon rises to regard Nighthawk. Resolve washes through his eyes as the purpose that once drove him struggles to return. But then, Tahiti is a magical place.

 

Mattia Iacono casts Nick Fury’s early morning rising in soft blues and paints the graveyard’s sky aqua green. Coulson's dark suit and Nighthawk's black costume stand out amid the pale brown trees and gray memorials. Travis Lanham enhances Derek Landy’s second story in Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1 with large, black uppercase letters in white dialogue balloons and white letters in blue narrative boxes. A shrunken final word suggests Phil Of The Dead's realization that he needs to get his head together fast if he wishes to pursue another celebrated political career.

 

 

Final Thoughts

Should we use our resources and skills to help people today or focus on correcting yesterday’s errors? Or is there a difference between the two options? In Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1, Overtime sets aside his plans to help Spider-Man, while another hero must decide if a second chance at life is worth fighting for.

 

Rating 9.3/10

 

To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

The Spectacular Spider-Men #2 Review

 

Writer: Greg Weisman

Penciler: Humberto Ramos

Inker: Victor Olazaba

Colorist: Edgar Delgado

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: Humberto Ramos & Edgar Delgado; Carmen Carnero & Nolan Woodard; Mike McKone & Alex Sinclair; Will Sliney & Rachelle Rosenberg [Homage]

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: April 17, 2024

 

When Dr. Seymour Krepps switched the power on in Miles Warren’s laboratory at Empire State University, he awakened the Jackal Hulk. The ferocious clone broke out of its containment chamber and rampaged across E.S.U. After capturing the creature, Peter and Miles Morales joined Dr. Krepps and Professor Raymond Aaron Warren in Jackal's laboratory, where they found a smoking Human corpse. How might Jackal's experiments and a new computer game interrupt Peter and Miles’ caffeinated chats at The Coffee Bean? Let’s grab our lattes, thwip into The Spectacular Spider-Men #2, and find out!

 

Story

NYPD Detective Shari Sebbins studies the burned skeleton in the morgue after Dr. Jane Foster's forensic examination. Jane Foster concludes that the man didn’t burn to death. Instead, each cell of the man’s body exploded. Did the Jackal Hulk do this? Or has Losira found a more spectacular way of killing people like Captain Kirk and U.S.S. Enterprise geologist D’Amato? “I am for you [Insert Name Here].”

 

Whatever the case, this prompts Jackal's brother, Professor Raymond Warren, to spend more time with Dr. Krepps instead of teaching at Midtown High. As the colleagues investigate Jackal's laboratory, Professor Warren grows intrigued when his friend’s taste in beverage changes.

 

 

 

Miles’ friend Cedrick has long adored Shelly. He’s plighted his troth to no avail. In The Spectacular Spider-Men #2, Shelly meets Cedric one night, tells him her feelings have changed, and promises to leave her beau Kenny. But when he meets her later at The Coffee Bean, Shelly affirms her love for Kenny and pretends their night together didn’t happen.

 

Miles grew up with Cedrick. He worries about his friend in The Spectacular Spider-Men #2. Peter accompanies Miles as they tail the distraught lover. But they lose Cedric, and when their trail leads into the sewers, they discover that Number Five is alive. Unfortunately, Number Five isn't a robot and has no plans to move to Montana. 

 

 

 

Art

Humberto Ramos and Victor Olazaba celebrate Miles's late arrival at The Coffee Bean with a double-page scene broken into panels. The staggered shots portray Miles' interactions with Shelly, Kenny, Professor Warren, and Sha Shan as he walks through the crowded coffee shop to Peter's table. Professor Warren glances up from his copy of The Daily Bugle bearing the headline Too Many Spider-Men and smiles at Miles. A woman seated with her back to Miles reads a He-Hulk comic. Peter and Miles clink together cups with their names written on them.

 

Edgar Delgado lavishes a loaded palette on The Spectacular Spider-Men #2. Scenes during the day, such as Miles' coffee shop entrance, shine brilliantly. Yet Delgado makes night scenes involving another Marvel hero and two lovers in Italy equally eye-catching. When the Spider-Men descent into the greenish sewers, light reflects off the costumes and illuminates their angry adversaries. Delgado's lighting and color choices help us understand how much Peter values their Wednesday meetups (when he should be visiting his local comic shop) and feel the danger he and Miles face as they battle more of Jackal’s creations.  

 

 

 

Joe Caramagna thwips uppercase letters into white balloons and colored narrative boxes. The appealing font rarely shrinks. Dialogue often grows bold, changes color, or enlarges. Amid the bodies hurled against the brick-lined tunnels and those splashing in the festering fluids, a spine-tingling hissing fills the darkness in The Spectacular Spider-Men #2.

 

Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

In The Spectacular Spider-Men #2, Jackal's cloning experiments continue to threaten society. Some students prove more adept than others at discerning fantasy from reality. Greg Weisman's Spider-ode to Cheers spins a healthy web of Thwippage and Quippage while reminding us that nurturing relationships is as important as accomplishing personal and career goals.

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.