Amazing Spider-Man has been an exciting adventure for the Beyond era and things are only ramping up. There are only two more months to this era before Zeb Wells takes over, but whether Ben Reilly can make it out alive with his mind intact should be at the forefront of our minds. The Beyond Corp thoroughly scrambled his brains in the last issue, removing key memories, but what did that do to him? More importantly for his immediate safety, who is Queen Goblin?!
It’s rather obvious who she is, to be honest, and while it hasn’t been thoroughly announced in the story, AIPT reported on the leak months ago. She’s important to this issue as her origin starts here and she serves as the main antagonist in the second half of the issue. The main antagonist Maxine in the first half doesn’t wear a supervillain costume, but she’s just as dangerous, which is obvious in how writer Zeb Wells unveils her cunning nature.
Michael Dowling does a great job too, especially in the key character beats with close-ups and emotion. Maxine may not be a sociopath, but she’s close — she’s capable of messing with real people’s lives and treats them like pawns. Queen Goblin is even crowned the name by Maxine, who knows what she is but doesn’t care in the slightest. The Beyond Board writing team has made her stand out as a force to be reckoned with over the last few months and she continues to evolve into something truly dangerous. She takes on a new shade of evil in this issue.
Queen Goblin is quite frightening.
Credit: Marvel
Subtlety is the name of the game as far as how Wells moves around the chess pieces in this issue. Mary Jane rears her head, but in a lot of ways, she says more when she speaks less and lets Janine take the floor. Both have their Spider-Man baggage and there’s an unseen connection here that is tragic. These women must relate on some scale and in a key moment, Janine even tells MJ how she’s felt about her in the past. There are complexities afoot here that are relatable and ring true.
Meanwhile, something is very wrong with Ben. Similar to how MJ and Janine are depicted, and even Maxine’s cunning plotting, Ben says less, which speaks droves about where he’s at mentally. In a key moment to end the book, there’s a serious decision that is incredibly out of character for Spider-Man (Ben or Peter) which ends up feeling a bit haunting. You’ll end this issue worried for him and wondering if he can ever come back to be himself.
Colors by Bryan Valenza add a subtle glow to scenes that enhance key moments. The cold blue light of the office or the warm glow of the sunset adds a sense of atmosphere and mood to key scenes.
This issue lacks the humor we’ve come to expect to lighten moments, though. Queen Goblin’s start is nearly played for laughs but it ends up being horrific. The lack of levity ends up bringing this issue to a crushing sort of experience where nobody wins except for those that enjoy squashing bugs. Queen Goblin could certainly use it since she’s a victim herself. Speaking of Queen Goblin, little is shown about her costume and how she got to this point. It’s explained just enough, but she comes into this book so quickly it’s hard to know how to feel about her.
If you’re looking for character drama, Amazing Spider-Man #88 has it in droves as we see manipulation at work. Through its characters, you will feel dread and uncertainty that’s hard to turn away from.
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