The Beyond era heats up this week with Amazing Spider-Man #88.BEY, a tie-in that features the return of the Slingers. Geoffrey Thorne, Jan Bazaldua, and Jim Towe aim to bring the Slingers into the Beyond Corporation’s clutches, but what could they want with Hornet of all heroes? Find out in a one-shot that’ll make you want a Hornet solo series.
Geoffrey Thorne has done a good job here making Hornet likable, interesting, and a major player. He used to be The Prowler, and he’s the central focus of the book. Opening during the King in Black event, we see Hornet was there in New York City fighting off Knull’s soldiers. As you can see in the preview, he’s a force that’s there for the people on the ground level.
As a spoiler-free review, don’t expect details beyond what is seen in the preview, but there’s enough there to show how Thorne is grounding this story in reality. After King in Black, we learn Hornet wants to focus on helping people. There are agencies in the Marvel universe to rebuild buildings and help infrastructure, but we learn people hurt or harmed during alien or supervillain attacks get nothing. As we’re all too familiar with in the real world, crowdfunding is used for medical expenses and care. It adds a harsh truth to the story while also making Hornet’s goal to help others a strong element.
Don’t mess with Hornet!
Credit: Marvel
By the end of the issue, you’ll feel like Hornet deserves his own book. He’s smart, uses detective work, and looks cool as hell in the costume to boot thanks to Bazaldua and Towe’s art. It’s unclear which pages are drawn by which artist, though Towe’s cel-shaded cartoony look is prominent throughout. The opening action is great entertainment and it’s a standout moment for the book as he holds his own against many Symbiotes.
This issue is, unfortunately, a bit wordy and has slower plot progression, which counters the superhero elements a bit. There’s a scene with a lawyer explaining things to Hornet that runs three pages, which seems unnecessary. It helps to explain things and also tie into how corporations threaten lives, but it’s one example of characters standing around for way too long explaining everything. More scene changes, action, or subplots could amp things up.
Amazing Spider-Man #88.BEY does well to draw you into Hornet’s perspective while making the Slingers a target for the Beyond Corporation. As we near the end of this era, it’s plain to see tie-in stories like this are building towards a big finish. More importantly, Thorne will make you want more Hornet comics and ties the narrative into real-world issues worthy of hero intervention.
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