The Amazing Spider-Man #11: All the Goblin’s Men

Some stories work intrinsically better as trades or collected volumes due to their pacing, narrative content, or use of cliffhangers. With ongoing comics, the mode of storytelling is usually split between serialized stories, or done in one, episodic issues. It’s not uncommon for monthly titles (or in Amazing Spider-Man’s case, bi-weekly) to blend the two types, telling standalone stories that compound and build to the large arc. With that differentiation in story construction, the way comics consume also influences the effect of the comic and can color the experience of the reader. 

For example, Tom King and Greg Smallwood’s Human Target, which recently returned from a mid-series hiatus, reads great as a trade, functioning like the first half of a mystery novel and building to a satisfying cliffhanger that propels the series into a second act. On the other hand, Chip Zdarsky and Jacob Phillips’s Newburn reveals in the monthly release schedule, telling one-off cases that would later become parts of a larger mystery, but the fun comes from the various situations the titular character finds himself in. Neither is an intrinsically better or correct format, but the way the story is constructed influences how it is consumed and enjoyed. 

As of now, it’s difficult to place where The Amazing Spider-Man sits on the spectrum of the reading experience. Issue #11 – written by Zeb Wells, with pencils from John Romita Jr., inks by Scott Hanna, colors from Marcio Menyz, and lettering from VC’s Joe Caramagna – begins a new arc after multiple tie-in stories, focusing on Norman Osborne’s attempts to make amends and the reappearance of the Hobgoblin. As Peter starts to get his life back on track, by mentoring Kamala Khan at Oscorp, asking Felicia Hardy (aka the Black Cat) out, and possibly escaping the debt collectors, former acquaintance Ned Leeds comes back to his life with a warning about Norman and his association with former villains. As Peter takes heed of Leeds’s warning, and Norman returns the various holdings of Rodrick Kingsley before someone in the guise of the Hobgoblin attacks the meeting of the former villains. 

The issue delivers a seemingly standalone Hobgoblin story, while also picking up threads from the previous arcs of the run. This change from back-to-back tie-in/set-up gives a breath of fresh air to the title, allowing the story to unfold in a natural place. In a run that has jumped around in time, pivoting from the ongoing narrative and having to play with the other universe-spanning events of the Marvel line, Wells’s finds footing in this smaller scope, getting to play in the world of Spider-Man history and continuity. His script reestablishes where the various Hobgoblin’s are in the universe, with Ned Leeds adjusting to fatherhood and freelancing as an investigative reporter again, while Roderick Kingsley is working to rebuild his empire by going after Norman Osborne.    

Romita Jr. brings the creepiness and horror of goblins to this issue, starting with the disturbing cover of an empty Hobgoblin suit. Pairing that striking image with interiors channeling the second heat of tense conspiracy mystery, the book captures a tone that feels more street-level, mirroring the tone of the book’s opening story. The most striking aspect of the issue is when Peter returns home and Ned is waiting for him, hidden in shadow. The scene plays like a noir, harsh lights and shadows accenting both Peter and Ned as they discuss investigative journalism and Norman’s possible backsliding. Romita frames and blocks the sequence like a scene straight out of All the President’s Men, with plenty of back-and-forth close-ups that utilize those shadows and bright light sources to illuminate the evidence against Norman. It’s a great showcase of Romita’s skills in capturing expressions, from Ned’s accusatory glares to Peter’s uncertainty, and everything in between. 

The scene, and by extension the entire issue, is bolstered by Menyz’s coloring, which utilizes a more muted palette to play in the world that Wells’s script is paying to. The grays, yellows, and browns of the confrontation between Peter and Ned lend to the neo-noir genre and work to establish a gritter, more street-level focus of the story. Gone are the brighter colors of the Hellfire Gala tie-in issue, or the striking attack of the Vulture, which played in a more action-oriented palette. Here, even when Peter is in costume, webslinging with Black Cat, the backgrounds and his suit is also muted, playing in gray-blues and a quieter red. It’s an excellent choice that fits the tone of the story and sets an expectation for the arc going forward, which helps to recalibrate expectations after the previous stories on the run.