Giant-Size Amazing Spider-Man: The Chameleon Conspiracy #1: I Want You to Show Me The Way

This is it. The big finish to the Chameleon/Finisher/Clairvoyant/Chance/Foreigner/Ned Leeds/Betty’s pregnant story, and it leaves you with just as many questions as it does answers, and I’m more interested in it now than I was at the beginning of the arc. This issue was a huge step up over the last, but also a large disappointment with the several points.

Spencer and Brisson are doling out action, quips, but the answers to questions we never knew existed, more questions for what the actual #%^% was that, and surprises aplenty. The answers didn’t land as well as they could have, despite bringing on Brisson to help finish this run. 

I wasn’t sure what Teresa’s role in this was from the beginning, but the twist?! Only time will tell if we’ll be seeing more of it unfold in the Beyond era. I’m hoping they do, but if not in the main Spider titles, maybe it could be picked up in one of the Spider adjacent books. 

I was originally kinda disappointed with how little the Chameleon was involved at the first, we see that he’s just one of many, and that Russia has an entire program dedicated to creating and training these agents of manipulation, and subterfuge. I would love to see this program added to the Russians Red Room, as the ability to look and act like anyone could be an interesting asset, and allow an in for one of Spidey’s rogues to make it to the big times. Also, what is the secret between the Chameleon and Kindred? Why would he need his help if he’s a demon from hell? 

Jamie’s lesson through this whole thing, a very obvious take on the “with great power, comes great responsibility,” while one of the ongoing subplots that was finished here ended, but hopefully we’ll see more of him in the days to come. He could be a great new player in the Spidey supporting cast. Only time will tell.

One thing that didn’t click with me was the Ned subplot. In a story featuring a master of disguise and deceit would you drop a story like this? This just seemed like a misstep, and should have happened during a previous story. It just felt a little rushed, and the ending lacked satisfaction.

The story seems to be a victim of Marvel’s Spider-Man almost weekly schedule. Much like the ending of David Michelinie & Mark Bagley’s Chameleon story from the ’90s, it’s a tragedy what happened to what could have been.

The art team of Marcelo Ferreira, Carlos Gomez, Ze Carlos, and Ig Guara are here, and each plot involved in this arc having a consistent art team was a highlight. The art’s enjoyable, and their styles are similar enough that it isn’t as jarring as it has been in other recent years. I can’t wait to see when Marvel will finally give these artists a title to really strut their stuff.