Amazing Spider-Man has been an excellent example of teamwork making for a better end product. The Beyond Board writing team has introduced Ben Reilly as the new Spider-Man working for the Beyond Corp, but Peter Parker is back in the narrative this week. Actually, he was back last week with Amazing Spider-Man #82, but now that he’s mobile after his coma, Patrick Gleason takes over writing and drawing this week’s issue.
A common theme in the latest issue is imprisonment. Gleason tells a good one-shot here that progresses Peter’s story with some rather visceral and even spiritual moments. The issue opens focused on Janine, Ben Reilly’s lover who lives with him inside the Beyond Corp. She’s enjoying amenities, but soon we see she must enjoy them on Beyond Corp’s say. We see her walk towards some windows eventually enveloped in their shadows, like bars in a cage. It’s a great visual to solidify her current state.
The story switches from Janine to Spider-Man, who is recovering in a hospital and refusing to take part in physical therapy. He’s in pain, can barely move, and wants to rest. After the nurse leaves, Gleason does something a little different by first showing Peter’s mess around on his phone. Instead of doing the work, much like all of us, he’s fiddling with his phone. Before he knows it, he’s sent inside himself with a shockwave of pain.
Freaky!
Credit: Marvel
Peter is sent to another place within himself, which acts as a prison of sorts. It’s scary, with big splashy art to convey his mental state and a kind of internal battle Peter is having with the spider powers made incarnate, at least in his mind. There are some interesting visuals to convey this tortured state of his powers fighting him, which pop up later as a sort of payoff for his torture early on.
Added to all the self-discovery and nightmare scenes is a heroic story within the story for Peter to accomplish. This issue might require a second read to gather what is actually happening here though a conclusion should be obvious by Peter’s state on the final page. Some of Gleason’s art can be so detailed and literal looking it’s hard to know what could be a fever dream from scene to scene. It’s obvious when Peter is facing off against a web version of Spider-Man, but did Spider-Man really fight two criminals in the parking garage? It’s hard to say.
For the second issue in a row, Amazing Spider-Man #83 focuses on Peter Parker’s health and current state in the hospital. This issue does a bit more with Parker’s psychology, building towards a heroic moment that’s particularly relatable if you’ve ever been stuck in the hospital. Amazing Spider-Man #83 offers a transfixing exploration of the mind and deep discovery for Peter Parker.
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