The Amazing Spider-Man #14 – Round and Round

It was a big risk to split The Amazing Spider-Man title into two halves, but it has paid off by giving the characters room to breathe and work through the last few years of characterization changes in a way that feels earnest and natural. That being said, the prospect of that is beginning to wane on the side of Norman Osborn and Ben Reilly, whose section of the book grows slower and slower in its pacing without much payoff to its respective promise. Thus far, each issue focusing on these two as they fill in for Peter on Earth has grown repetitious, lacking any sense of added depth or narrative momentum. Issue #14 is the apex point of that, where the arc begins to flatten out.

There is still a ton to love here, though—that I cannot argue. Norman slowly discovering the specific kind of heroism Spider-Man operates within, and Ben forming a deeper sense of self-worth as he begins working toward something unrelated to “Spider-Man,” both have so much potential. However, Kelly only scratches the surface of these ideas with style but not much substance. That being said, the writing continues to elevate the personalities of these characters beyond their initial characterization switch-ups. Ben is written as a conflicted but well-intentioned man who has gone down the wrong path in search of a good ending. Norman’s continuing evaluation of what it means to shape yourself in the mantra of “Great Responsibility,” while slow, is rich and gives his turn to the light side more logic and depth in these last few issues than in the hundred that span the distance from when his sins were removed to today.

While the constant switching of art duties for this portion of the book is killing its visual identity, the team here is still doing a darn great job. Todd Nauck having this de facto identity for the Chasm scenes is fantastic, and McGuinness does not even break a sweat working on this title now. Pair that with some of the best coloring work in the game, and you get a book that has such a strong visual storytelling language that it balances out everyone’s strengths in just the right ways.