The Amazing Spider-Man returns this week with issue #3 and Spider-Man is in big trouble. Captured by Tombstone, he’s tied and has no way of escape. Pair this with the mystery surrounding something changing his life six months ago and we’re witnessing one of the darkest times for Spidey in recent memory.
Picking up where we left off with The Amazing Spider-Man #2, a guy is waiting outside Peter’s apartment expecting him to pay his debts. Enter the man Mary Jane is with–and seems to have kids with–who is sympathetic towards Peter, so it’s not all bad for Spider-Man. Or so it seems. Soon we see Spider-Man chained with blood caked on the front of his mask.
It’s a dark time for Spidey depicted well by Jon Romita Jr. All the punches Spider-Man takes from Tombstone later in the issue are truly brutal. You feel every punch thanks to Romita Jr.’s art, but also Marcio Menyz’s colors. One of the biggest pluses is how well the art team, along with Scott Hanna, makes you feel for Spider-Man with every blow. The only negative as far as visuals are how the blood pools on Spider-Man’s mask. It doesn’t seem very realistic. The rest of the book is quite dramatic with lots of close-ups of characters talking.
You’ll feel every punch.
Credit: Marvel
If you’re expecting answers to the bigger mystery you’ll need to wait. Instead, this issue is more about Tombstone. Since the first issue, we’ve seen he’s in a bit of a war. Not only in the gangster world, but with his daughter wanting to get married. To give readers some insight into just how cutthroat Tombstone is, writer Zeb Wells dips into a flashback to show Tombstone’s first violent act. Pairing this flashback with Tombstone’s dialogue, Wells does a great job making Tombstone come off as one of the most dangerous villains in all of Marvel. Bravo to that.
Unfortunately, the pace and plotting of this new story arc continue to be way too slow. This series would do better as a bi-weekly series or at the very least longer issues. Instead, each issue has been a slow crawl to progress and answers. Sure it’s nice to see Tombstone get some focus, and you’ll feel for Spider-Man as he takes each blow, but it’s also maddening to have an entire issue devoted to that beating. The lack of Mary Jane in the story continues to annoy. The big mystery seems incredibly far off as well. I’m not sure how the reader could remember the scant details surrounding the six-month “what did you do” mystery let alone still care.
The Amazing Spider-Man #3 is another frustrating read for the series. Hindsight is 20/20, and when this is collected it may read well, but it’s trying the reader’s patience with so little detail on what the mystery could even be.
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