Amazing Spider-Man #3 Review

 

Writer: Joe Kelly

Artist: Pepe Larraz

Colorist: Marte Gracia

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: Pepe Larraz & Marte Gracia; Alex Maleev; Ed McGuinness & Marcio Menyz; Rose Besch; Ario Anindito

Designer: Jay Bowen

Editors: Kaitlyn Lindtvedt, Tom Groneman, Nick Lowe & C B Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $4.99

Release Date: May 7, 2025

 

Peter Parker has a new job. Thanks to Brian Nehring’s recommendation, Peter is now the Supervising Engineer of Cooperative Disciplines at Rand Industries. But his boss, Maira Osmani-Milton, ponders Peter's ability to focus on his duties. Peter’s conversation skills suffer as his mind keeps flying back to his childhood. And then there are the villains that relentlessly attack him, even if they look like Korean automobiles to everyone else.

 

Peter's mad rave started in the Rhino’s apartment. So he goes for an after-party chat. But with the Rhino staying in the Ravencroft Institute, Shay Marken wonders if she should let Spider-Man question her horned guest or give the superhero the room next to Doppelganger. Can Peter discover why Rhino went on a rampage before the perpetrators detonate his life like they did the FDA Product Safety building? Let's grab some Narcan, leap into Amazing Spider-Man #3, and see!

 

Story

Spider-Man finds Itsy Bitsy playing Dr Ashley Kafka with the Rhino. But Spidey doesn't want her to scramble Rhino's brain like Queen Goblin tried to clean up Ben Reilly’s muddled mind. So once again, Spider-Man and Itsy Bitsy come to blows. But this time, Spidey doesn’t have Deadpool backing him up.

 

Peter’s recent responsible behavior fuels Aunt May’s hopes. She has invested so much in her nephew, only to see him become the most unemployable scientist in New York. Seeing him get a position at Rand Industries, even if it came via a troublesome childhood pal, gives May a chance to think about finally relaxing that parental responsibility. Riccardo Villanueva volunteers at FEAST. In Amazing Spider-Man #3, she asks Riccardo for help at her apartment. But then Peter shows up, looking every bit the nephew in need of mothering. Again.

 

While Joe Kelly plants characters and situations that bloom with action and drama, Amazing Spider-Man #3 is rooted in guilt. Peter regrets Uncle Ben's death and the way May worries about him. He struggles to avoid recognizing that he is letting Brian Nehring and Dr Osmani-Milton down. Aleksei, aka Rhino, mourns his wife’s death. Norman wishes he hadn’t hurt people as the Green Goblin. Aiding Peter’s crime-fighting assuages his guilt. Perhaps Itsy Bitsy feels guilty over all the trouble she has caused Peter. As Spider-Man investigates how Itsy drugged Rhino, Peter doubtless wishes he could have helped her embrace a better life (and not played a hand in her death). 

 

 

 

Art

Pepe Larraz uses jarring camera angles that reveal Peter's distorted perceptions as he fights Itsy Bitsy. Despite not knowing what he can believe or where he stands with Shay, Peter's first inclination in Amazing Spider-Man #3 is a desperate lunge to save his would-be girlfriend. A meetup on a bridge spanning the Harlem River must provoke more bad memories for Peter. But seeing Peter climb the stairs to her apartment in another man's dripping wet clothes must remind Aunt May of her plea for Spider-Man to leave her nephew alone.

 

Itsy Bitsy's red, black, and blue uniform suggests a funhouse mirror reflection of Spider-Man. Her six arms wield red swords in a hypnotic rhythm like Kali's battle with Sinbad. Black and White memories overlay Marte Gracia's colorful people and places amid the living and the dead. Violet foregrounds in Ravencroft Institute emphasize that Itsy Bitsy’s swords are red for a reason. But when darkness tinges her spider-eyes, mask, and swords with magenta, Itsy forms a powerful connection with Spidey in Amazing Spider-Man #3.

 

Joe Caramagna thwips uppercase black lettering into dialogue balloons and narrative boxes. Words grow bold for inflection, swell, change color, and shrink for lowered voices. White letters in edgy black balloons hail a villain's return, while gray dialogue balloons drive daggers into Peter’s heart. Sound effects shatter glass, recall a stormtrooper’s stun beam, and suggest a villain’s fiery temper as Peter’s investigations continue. Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Drugs helped Itsy Bitsy cope with life. Illicit chemicals enable Peter to connect the dots in his investigation. But Peter's brainstorm worries his friend Brian, who breeds magic mushrooms for a living. And despite Peter's plea, Norman says, "No more." As Peter struggles to discern reality, the drugs twist his childhood memories into an unending nightmare in Amazing Spider-Man #3.

 

Rating 9.2/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Spider-Boy #14 Review

 

Writers: Dan Slott

Artists: Paco Medina & Humberto Ramos

Colorist: Erick Arciniega

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: Paco Medina & Edgar Delgado; Rose Besch; Doaly; Natacha Bustos

Designer: Adam Del Re

Editors: MR Daniel, Kaeden McGahey, Kaitlyn Lindtvedt, Tom Groneman, Ellie Pyle, Nick Lowe & CB Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $4.99

Release Date: December 25, 2024

 

Tabitha Briggs grudgingly let her son continue his superhero ways. Then, Daredevil abducted Spider-Boy to nab Bailey’s Hellfire Club trophy from his secret stash atop his news-making nemesis. When Daredevil subsequently lost the Golden Fang to Bullseye and Spider-Girl, the Man Without Fear forced Bailey to break international law by stowing away on Madripoor Air flight 359. The red-and-blue pillars of virtue furthered their crime spree by stealing an airport taxi, ambushing Enormo and Hulkette, and using their newly stolen Golden Fang to enter a contest against experienced fighters.

 

Can Spider-Boy help Daredevil win The Dragon’s Challenge? And with a mentor like Daredevil, will Tabitha Briggs ever let Bailey don his costume again? Let's buy front-row tickets, thwip into Spider-Boy #14, and find out!

 

Story

Mist, the Demon's Breath of the Gaping Maw, knows that Daredevil and Spider-Boy followed Bullseye and Spider-Girl's example and entered the contest with a stolen Golden Fang. But the Gaping Maw is an amoral assassin order founded on brutally and efficiently dispatching their targets. So, when Enormo and Hulkette bust into their headquarters and demand fairness, Mist sends Enormo packing.

 

The clan leader promises Hulkette her revenge if she waits until Daredevil and Spider-Boy lose. That may not prove difficult, as Spider-Boy shrinks from hurting his opponent in the first round. But that’s not a weakness Spider-Girl shows in Spider-Boy #14. Instead, the Hawaiian cliff diving champion, Maka Akana, happily disfigures her opponent for life.

 

 

 

Daredevil hasn’t told Spider-Boy what they are fighting for. But while he insists that Bullseye must not win the prize, Spider-Girl's mentor claims that victory will give him power over the entire world. Spider-Boy isn’t happy with Daredevil for stringing him along and getting him into hot water with his mom. But while both apprentices fight for their masters in Dan Slott’s story, Spider-Girl likes her mentor because he enables her to destroy her opponents.

 

As the Web Of Life And Destiny stretches across the multiverse, memories help people adhere to their proper place and time. Spider-Man sacrificed his memories of an alternate life with Uncle Ben to help Bailey stick in people’s minds. Spider-Girl’s mutant gene helps her copy other people's memories. When Maka stares into her opponent's eyes, she "remembers" how they mastered their abilities. Win or lose, Spider-Girl will leave Madripoor with more skills in Spider-Boy #14. But because she steals their memories instead of creating her own, Maka quickly tires of her accomplishments and seeks another easy victory. 

 

 

 

Art

While Gaping Maw soldiers wear Pandemic masks bearing a dragon design, the Mist’s mask reveals her mouth but obscures her face. Horns rise above her head, symbolizing her power. Paco Medina and Humberto Ramos show Bailey sitting in readiness while Daredevil hunches forward in need of rejuvenation. But that doesn't happen as the Devil of Hell's Kitchen and the Spider of PS 19 in the East Village draw the first fight with a luchador and a monkey. The wrestler wears gold to signal his respect for the Gaping Max. The monkey fighting Spider-Boy may be as ill-tempered as Captain Barbossa's pal. Still, Spider-Girl and Hulkette demonstrate the same horror of Bailey's monstering out that prompted The Daily Bugle to label Spider-Boy “The Monster Among Us.”

 

Characters shine as they fight for ultimate power against muted colors in Spider-Boy #14. Erick Arciniega adorns the Gaping Maw headquarters in green, gold, brown, and beige. Bailey leaps above brown and gold rooftops as a ship anchors in Madripoor’s green and gray harbor. Pink and red enliven an outdoor munchfest when Bailey dines beneath yellow paper lanterns. He remembers fighting an opponent clothed in black, white, and yellow. Then, green-skinned Hulkette, adorned in her pink vest and purple shoes, returns him to the contest, where red X’s and color photographs signal that the second-round battles have begun.

 

As Erick Arciniega lavishes an appealing palette on Paco Medina and Humberto Ramos' likable characters, Joe Caramagna thwips uppercase black lettering into white dialogue balloons. Words shrink for lowered voices, embolden for intonation, and swell for volume. Sound effects help us hear Enormo get his comeuppance, La Mota screech, Spider-Girl making Bullseye smile, and Daredevil mentally scarring his apprentice. Mahalo to Marvel Comics for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

While stealing distorted memories of her opponents, absorbing their thoughts and emotions unbalances Spider-Girl. The Hawaiian mutant has only met one person she couldn’t look in the eye and inhabit their mind. So, she finds another way to destroy Bailey in Spider-Boy #14.

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

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

 

 

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #22 Review

 

Writer: Cody Ziglar

Artist: Brent Peeples & Daniel Picciotto

Colorist: Bryan Valenza

Letterer: Cory Petit

Cover Artists: Federico Vicentini & Neeraj Menon; Rose Besch; Ron Lim & Israel Silva

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $3.99

Release Date: July 3, 2024

 

Miles fought at Blade's side. They teamed up with Bloodline to trap the energy vampire R’ym’r with an ancient seal. Now, Blade fights for the vampires, his daughter has vanished, and R’ym’r’s followers have freed their lord. Miles fights R’ym’r alongside Hightail, his former enemy on Agent Gao’s Cape Killers squad. Can Miles and Hightail prevent R’ym’r’s followers from overtaking Brooklyn? Let's grab our venom swords, leap into Miles Morales: Spider-Man #22, and find out!

 

Story

R’ym’r once converted Hightail to his cause. Blade turned Miles into his minion. Now, both are free from their vampire masters' control. Yet they are changed, and the anger at being violated still burns.

 

In Miles Morales: Spider-Man #22, R’ym’r returns from his imprisonment. Hightail insists she’s nobody’s pawn. She’s happy to prove that by working out her aggression on her former lord. Miles fights alongside her. Hurting R’ym’r and his minions brings satisfaction. But the energy vampire’s followers released him at a power plant. Every moment he stands before them, R’ym’r absorbs the plant’s energy.

 

 

 

When Bloodline learned that Blade was behind this Darkforce invasion, she dropped out of sight to process the revelation. But Bloodline isn't content to sit on the sidelines for long. Like Miles, she won't rest when danger, particularly the undead, threatens her fellow Humans. So, in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #22, Bloodline returns to aid her friend. Hightail doesn't want to be with either one. Like Rabble, her past has turned her against Humanity. Miles' joke about her nationality isn't a turn-on. Yet when Bloodline arrives, Hightail fights beside her. Thankfully, Bloodline has a plan. It requires all their strengths, but it could imprison R’ym’r again.

 

Cody Ziglar's story hums with the drama and humor that arises from our differences and shows how we can work with others who don't share our values. Miles struggles to accept Bloodline's cold, logical view on how to combat her father. Yet, he's willing to compromise and commit to actions he may later regret to defeat the evil threatening not just his beloved borough or all of New York City but the entire world.

 

 

Art

Smoke rises as smiling R’ym’r displays his six-pack abs. His face reflects off Hightail’s shades as one of her knives thuds into his rippled forehead. Miles and Hightail charge when vampires attack. But R’ym’r’s forces soon force them to fight back-to-back. Brent Peeples and Daniel Picciotto highlight Hightail's flight with three full-page panels and one double-page spread. They also work across the pages when Hightail displays her celerity. Hightail, Miles, and Bloodline look good together as a team. Intriguingly, R’my’r may have wings, but he charges his enemies or swoops close to the ground, while vampires without wings bound and fly.

 

Bryan Valenza casts vivid heroes against beige and brown vampires in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #22. Orange and yellow frequently replace the gray smoke and gray-blue sky. Miles’ sword glows yellow-white, while Hightail’s lime green armor shines. But no one outshines the sword-wielding, high-kicking Bloodline with her vibrant pink hair. Crimson spurts and flies. A wave of Dracula's gray hand opens a swirling orange portal. A multiple exposure shot shows Hightail’s suit shift from yellow to lemon-lime to green as she completes a circuit of her enemies.

 

Cory Petit thwips the black uppercase letters into white dialogue balloons. The delicate font rarely shrinks and emboldens for inflection. R’ym’r’s dialogue hovers in cloud balloons, while an exchange in Spanish resides within < and >. Colorful sound effects help us hear knives thud, bones break, and Miles’ sword cutting off a fresh link of vampire sausage. And no, John Cougar Mellencamp fans, R’ym’r doesn’t say, “It hurts so good.” Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review.

 

 

Final Thoughts

Blade’s plan to empower vampires demonstrates the divisions in the bloodsucking community. Blade, Dracula, and R’ym’r may despise each other, yet it takes a woman who despises Miles and a vampire hunter who despises Dracula to banish R’ym’r back to his prison dimension in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #22.

 

Rating 8.8/10

 

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