We may be months past the Hellfire Gala, but that won’t stop Amazing Spider-Man from tying into the extra-sized one-shot. Fans will remember Mary Jane’s body was taken over by Moira to gain access to the Hellfire Gala, and it’s up to Wolverine and Spider-Man to save her. In that one shot, we saw them run off, but what happened next? Find out in Amazing Spider-Man #9!
This is a good time for Patrick Gleason to guest draw since the regularly scheduled story arc jumps back a few months. Gleason does a great job with big, in-your-face moments, and that’s not even counting Mary Jane’s big eyes and hair. Gleason gets to go ham on a cool full-page splash of Wolverine and Spidey fighting robots, for instance, and the new gold costume is on full display. In the history of artists drawing Spider-Man, Gleason will assuredly go down as one of the best to do the expressive eyes, adding excellent volume and detail to the lenses. Extra props to little details like the scuffed-up and hairy arms on Wolverine.
As stories go, this issue is more of a bridge to more stories, showing us how Moira is stopped after snatching up Mary Jane and hinting at where she goes from here. Moira is a so-so villain at best here, not really doing anything of value. Again, it’s a bit odd reading this issue since it doesn’t exactly take place where we left off in the last issue, while it also spills out of the Hellfire Gala that’s long been over. That said, writer Zeb Wells does give us a little extra heat surrounding Mary Jane and Spider-Man’s relationship.
Time to kick butt and take names.
Credit: Marvel
I can’t say there are answers, but in the closing scene, we do get a hint that Mary Jane is seriously upset with Spider-Man for something involving responsibility. A tease on a mystery with few answers so far, but just enough to wager whatever Spider-Man did six months prior, to ruin his relationship with Mary Jane — and somehow give Mary Jane two young kids.
If you’re expecting some primo moments between Wolverine and Spider-Man, you won’t be disappointed. Spidey interacts with many characters in a slightly goofy and funny opening set at the Hellfire Gala. Regarding Logan and Spider-Man, a mutual respect is evident, and Wolverine isn’t as annoyed with Spidey as with Deadpool, though it’s similar.
Marcio Menyz’s colors play into the bright colors and extra energy in the action-packed moments. Joe Caramagna’s letters add a lot of pizzazz with sound effects too. As far as the action, this book is an excellent read.
The timing of Amazing Spider-Man #9 is, unfortunately, its downfall. There’s a small clue as to what Spider-Man did, but it’s not big enough to sustain the fact that this issue should have come closer to the release of the Hellfire Gala special. The action is excellently drawn, however, and it’s suitable for some fun interactions between Wolverine and Spider-Man, so if you’ve got a few extra bucks, throw it on the pile for the visuals alone.
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