The Amazing Spider-Man #12: Gobby’s Web

Following up on the thrills of last issue, The Amazing Spider-Man #12 continues by following Norman’s antics as the titular web-slinger with an issue full of his innermost thoughts. With Ben Reilly circling his periphery and an interesting internal monologue from Norman, this new era continues to separate itself from the similarities of previous stories by giving Norman’s character a moment to breathe on his own.

That being said, there are a lot of different ideas stumbling atop each other right now that lead to some pretty poor narrative threading and a pacing that feels lopsided. Having both Ben and Norman as replacements for Peter’s dual identity is conceptually promising, but not enough time is spent with either of them in true developmental fashion in this issue for me to care about either. The two-birds-one-stone approach would have been to simply let Ben play both roles, but the potential for Norman’s character to grow from this is too great to pass up. In truth, this issue may flesh out the thoughts within Norman’s brain as Spider-Man, but doesn’t do enough to grow our story with new plot hooks or satisfying explanations.

The issue is kept afloat by some really brilliant action and careful emotional writing from Kelly. The art, a gift from guest artist and series all-star Ed McGuinness, is also a shot in the arm of adrenaline that really gives both sides of the “quality coin” some true spit-shine. The big Web-Warrior brawl showcased on the main cover is paced with brilliance and looks stellar, the panel layouts dynamic in ways that help keep even the most monologue-focused scenes visually interesting.