Answers are coming for the long-awaited mystery surrounding Zeb Wells and John Romita Jr.’s takeover of Amazing Spider-Man. Starting in the last issue, we now know whatever Spider-Man did a year ago started by being transported to another dimension. Stuck there with Mary Jane, they must get out while a Mayan god plots their demise.
If the cover didn’t give it away, that Mayan god wants to eat Spider-Man, but before the story can kick into gear with monsters running about, this issue opens with Norman Osborn. As of this issue, we know Norman is a key element in saving Spidey, which ends up making him his only friend. Whatever happens, we know Peter does something that royally pisses off nearly every superhero and Mary Jane. That said, the issue opens when Norman recognizes the threat and rushes to action.
Before we can check back in with Norman, the rest of the issue focuses on Mary Jane and Spider-Man trying to stay alive one year prior to current events. Dino Mayan monsters are attacking, and the only way they can survive is from a character familiar to the reader but not to our characters. This character is a fixture in Mary Jane’s life in the future and ends up being hugely helpful in explaining what the heck is going on.
Clearly, there’s some gobbledygook science being explained here, but it at least makes some semblance of sci-fi superhero sense. Wells smartly ties it into the Web of Life that has allowed all the interdimensional Spider characters to connect in the Spider-Verse, so it’s not entirely impossible what is happening. It’s still wildly different from what we’ve seen in Spider-Man for some time–Benjamin Rabin hasn’t been seen since Amazing Spider-Man #557, 359 issues ago–and feels out of the left field. Regardless, the story is focused on deities and interdimensional exploits, so I guess we have to run with it.
Who is Mary Jane’s hero?
Credit: Marvel
John Romita Jr. continues to show he’s very good at making Spider-Man look battered as he takes huge hits. We saw it in the Hobgoblin story arc, and we get more of that here. He’s literally throwing himself in front of threats to keep Mary Jane unscathed, and it looks heroic as hell. Paired with Scott Hanna on inks and Marcio Menyz on colors, and this issue looks as good as anything Romita Jr. has done on Spider-Man.
The conclusion to this issue leaves a lot to be desired, though. Spidey will presumably feel sore after what happens, but what exactly is happening isn’t clear. Since we know the location is the very same one we saw him pop up in a crater with issue #1, I suppose we can assume it’s all connecting back, but why or where he’s being flung in time or space isn’t clear. Not to mention, if he is being shot like a cannon, how can he survive? Seeing him land would allow the scene to make more sense, but instead, we get some bright light as if he’s headed to heaven. There’s also the matter of what causes him to be flung so hard, which isn’t very clear either.
Amazing Spider-Man #22 picks up where we left off with more explanation and clarity on where this is all going. What exactly is happening in the closing scene is confusing, though, and it remains to be seen why we should care about any of this. That said, the art works in this issue and the big mystery is starting to make sense if you connect the dots.
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