The Amazing Spider-Man #12: Why Not Both?

The Amazing Spider-Man #12 – written by Zeb Wells, with pencils by John Romita Jr., inks by Scott Hanna, colors from Marcio Menyz, and lettering from VC’s Joe Caramagna – continues the Hobgoblin storyline introduced in the last issue, along with furthering some of the elements Wells put on the back burner due to multiple tie-in stories. This issue largely deals with the fallout of the previous cliffhanger, as the Hobgoblin attacked Norman Osborn and Roderick Kingsley during their shady dealings. This places the focus back on Peter, as he realizes he’s been played by all the major characters in the arc, including Norman, Kingsley, and the recently returned Ned Leeds. That scripting decision ensures the tension between Norman and Peter remains while building the unease about Ned’s recent behavior and his weariness of Kingsley comes to fruition. 

A byproduct of the shift in focus, and affirmation of these elements means the issue loses the sweaty, conspiratorial tone from the last issue. Which is a shame, as that at least gave the book something unique, and by losing it, the issue returns to its middling feeling. The structure and pacing of this run have been off and written about in multiple instances, but it’s clear that this story is on an accelerated track while waiting for the open salvo of Dark Web (which ASM #14 will be the prelude to).

With that dropping of a paranoia thriller aspect, the book returns to the bland adventures of regurgitating various Spider-Man plot elements into something that doesn’t say anything new or original about any of the characters. The Norman/Peter dynamic hasn’t shifted, sitting in a holding pattern that doesn’t offer any insight into either character. After the Judgment Day tie-in issue, it seemed like there would be some movement with Norman’s character, but that isn’t the case with this issue. 

At the core of this book is a frustrating and uneven throughline, which is an attempt to build mystery and hype around an event that caused the changes to Peter’s life. But the book is so unconcerned with building out or showing anything new that it just feels like an excuse to not reference other elements of the Spider-Man mythos. This entire run feels like a reaction to the end of Nick Spencer’s run, and antithetical to what was set up in the Beyond arc, which Wells took part in, and reads like the company got cold feet about moving the Peter Parker character forward.

Combined with the myriad of tie-ins cutting any momentum for the ongoing story, Amazing Spider-Man has been reduced to a hollow shell of a title just waiting for something to get started. What makes this even more egregious is the fact that the art from Romita Jr. and Hanna continues to be excellent, and when paired with Menyz’s strong colors, makes for a great visual look that far exceeds the writing in most issues. 

It’s a shame that Romita Jr. and Menyz got to play in a more noir aesthetic in the last issue and that’s immediately dropped, as it inspired some excellent uses of panel compositions and shadows. Instead, the art and colors reduce down to the same as the writing, offering more of the same that comes to be expected from this title. The dynamic pairing of these three artists is wasted on stories held back by weak writing and what feels to be editorial mandates.

The fight in this issue between Spider-Man and Hobgoblin should have been a spectacular knock down, drag out, but is reduced to a meh skirmish overly reliant on trying to make the spider-glider work. The match-up appears to be an extended toy commercial for the item and seems like a justification for its existence, which Romita Jr. has to carry the burden of doing. After the innovative art like the one with the Vulture in issue #8 or the blitz from the Hobgoblin in the last issue, this just reads as a by-the-numbers scene.