The Amazing Spider-Man #69: Love on the Brain

I don’t think, overall, The Eight Deaths of Spider-Man will jump considerably in fan favorability after the release of this issue. It carries much of the same disjointed and misplaced sense of development that the rest of the storyline has. However, it is also an issue whose theme inspires greater hope in the title moving forward than has been seen in a while. Throughout this entire arc, there have been bits of fantastic writing surrounded by issues in structure and pacing that have managed to glow bright—this arc’s core thesis (cemented by this issue) is no exception to that.

Without wanting to sound repetitive, there’s just something off about the pacing of this storyline that leaves the otherwise shockingly well-utilized resolutions feeling out of place in the grand scheme of things. The choices made in Peter’s expected resurrection are emotionally unsatisfying but could have been the raging heart and soul of this story if executed with a bit more focus. The short-form nature of this arc’s assembly and the workload being split between authors left it feeling both rushed yet bloated, and the payoff to that pain is seen in such a deflating lack of satisfaction. This applies not just to Peter’s return, but across the board with our villains and supporting cast.

However, what that resolution did bring was a core statement by Joe Kelly on how important the concept of ‘love’ is to the character of Spider-Man—not just romantically, but the love for life itself, which is an unspoken core tenet of the character. It breeds a multi-faceted, layered characterization for Peter that allows his stories to be both momentously powerful and heart-splittingly sad at the same time. The triumphant finality of a swing through New York doesn’t feel heroic if it isn’t placated by both the rewards and losses caused by Peter’s endless quest to protect the life around him. We’ve seen what the absence of love has done to this title in the last few years, and seeing those winds begin to change, even thematically, is reassuring for the upcoming relaunch of the title.

On the art, Ed McGuinness really put his all into this issue, and it shows. While the backgrounds may occasionally lack detail, the emphasis on the emotions of our characters and dynamic paneling gives Kelly’s attempt at drawing out emotion more gravitas than it may have had on its own. The opening splash to this story did more to justify the X-Men’s inclusion in this arc than the last two issues, with his panel-by-panel pacing nearly inducing a sensation of ‘hype’ in me despite my criticisms of this issue overall.