The Amazing Spider-Man #68.DEATHS – Nothing Stops The…

The Eight Deaths of Spider-Man has been a very uneven but ultimately fine story arc that has suffered from bloat more than anything else, so I didn’t go into this extracurricular tie-in issue with hopes that it would somehow right the course of this story just before its finale. Instead, I read this as a standalone issue and was surprised by how fun—if ultimately disposable—this tale of stubborn perseverance was.

Regardless of whose name is in the title, this is ultimately a story about the Juggernaut doing what he does best, but from the perspective of heroism instead of his rampant villainy of yesteryear. While Gage isn’t saying anything particularly profound with the character, he makes a case for Marko’s modern standard as a member of the X-Men and staples that message onto a big, dumb, quintessentially Marvel hero vs. hero fight that was rendered expertly by Mark Buckingham.

That’s it, though—that’s the entire issue. There are some teases for the conclusion of this arc and a bit of flavoring for the relationship between Marko and Cyttorak, but outside of that, it’s twenty-something pages of character glazing that’s completely inconsequential and admittedly benign in its themes and message about the Juggernaut as a character. It might be time for the Spidey office to retire these ASM.DOT issues, as they’ve been a victim of diminishing returns since Nick Spencer’s run on the title.

However, the art really stands out here. Buckingham should—if he’s willing, of course—get a shot to illustrate more than just a single issue for the modern Spidey office in the same way Mark Bagley has been lately. His work in this issue was classic but never dated, and his balance between paneling standards and smashing convention was mighty enjoyable.