Amazing Spider-Man #1: Old Threads, New Webs

From the moment it was revealed, The Amazing Spider-Man #1 seemed like yet another tired attempt at renewing Marvel’s flagship book. Once again, a veteran of Brand New Day was returning to steer the ship alongside storied illustrators, with a promise of breaking new ground upon well-worn tracks. For the most part, that expectation is proven true by the setup of a status quo tonally identical to Brand New Day, Big Time, and Back to Basics—all major jumping-on points for the character in the last decade and a half.

However, for all its familiarity, there is something so “true to form” about Joe Kelly’s voice for Peter Parker that it has left me anxious for more. Without throwing the baby out with the bathwater, the team here has subtly shifted the character’s maturity in the face of the last few years in a way that leaves him at his most believable. This issue follows Peter trying to get himself back on his feet with a newfound optimism for the future, taking responsibility for the past, and leaning a bit on the “Parker Luck” cliché with a more positive outlook than we’ve been accustomed to in recent years.

On the Spider-Man side, Kelly does a good job threading together an intriguing villain mystery that ties early into both sides of the web-slinger’s life. For the first time in a while, Roderick Kingsley finds himself at the center of something genuinely compelling, his Hobgoblin identity being used as more than jangling keys as the team works to build up threats new and old without baiting nostalgia to make do. When he’s in action, we’re greeted with a Spider-Man who’s both competent and compassionate—but not without flaws.

It’s a take on the character as safe, but as genuine, as Insomniac’s take in their recent video game titles, which have dominated in both critical and commercial success. Joe Kelly manages to distill a rendition of Spider-Man that reads as genuinely youthful without a hint of character regression, renewing a sense of (amazing) fantasy in the title that doesn’t fly so high it loses that quintessential relatability.

As for the art, Pepe Larraz elevates the entire project with excellent panel work and a fluidity to the action that utilizes the expressiveness of these larger-than-life characters to really hammer home their more cinematic appeals. The teased fight between Spider-Man and the Rhino is a thrilling tour de force that allows Larraz to do what he does best, between pages of rather impressive normalcy. The same fluidity in action translates over to the “slice of life” scenes in a way that elevates them to heights that emphasize emotional expression and environmental atmosphere.

Alongside the main story, there are two backups illustrated by John Romita Jr. that set up the future for Norman Osborn and the new villain, Hellgate. Neither is particularly exciting, but they do reaffirm the role of Norman Osborn in the modern landscape while continuing the villain mystery established in the main story. Romita’s art looks like it’ll be the same “take it or leave it” level of quality from the Wells run. While I still love and find much to appreciate about that, those tired of the seminal illustrator’s work in recent years won’t be swayed.