Amazing Spider-Man’s 950th issue also marks the beginning of the end for Zeb Wells’ run on the series. Things are coming full circle, down to Peter Parker getting into Tombstone’s limousine. Plus, as usual for Marvel, this milestone issue features additional backup stories and extras. Can Wells and artist John Romita Jr. stick the landing and close the loop on this series? The answer may surprise you.
Amazing Spider-Man #56 opened in Mozambique a long time ago. Tombstone is working for Kingpin, and Kingpin teaches him a lesson about how, in the animal kingdom, terrible things take place to ensure dominance. The lesson? Sometimes, you have to eat your children. This harsh reality ties directly into Tombstone’s current predicament, as his daughter is very upset that Tombstone has taken over the crime boss role.
From this scene onward, Wells clearly has a good handle on dialogue and situational drama between characters. Peter’s insecurity, as seen through joking, is apparent when he speaks to Randy Robertson, who we learn is hiding the fact that he’s back with Tombstone’s daughter Janice. Other scenes show this throughout, including the tense back-and-forth between Peter and Tombstone in the limo. Reading this issue makes you wish there was more of this melodrama throughout the run.
The big conflict of this issue revolves around Spider-Man leading criminals on to the fact that he’s working with Tombstone. It’s not true, but it’s seriously messing up Tombstone’s ability to lead as crime boss. This leads to a direct conflict between Peter and Tombstone that you won’t want to miss. Capping off the issue is a good courtroom scene.
Dog eat dog. Or lion, I guess.
Credit: Marvel
John Romita Jr.’s art dazzles at times, with some awesome shots of Spider-Man and generally good acting throughout. The spider-web smashed car windows add a lot of drama in one scene, and the closeups draw you in. His art can look pretty stiff at times, and faces can get awkward at different angles, but the master is still present throughout.
There are also three backup stories, two of which tie into this story and the last issue. The first involves Rhino, who actually goes on a date after bringing it up in the last issue. It builds towards She-Hulk and Spider-Man teaming up and directly ties into a surprise twist in the main issue. It’s solidly told with good art by Andres Genolet.
Next up is a Paul-focused story, which follows him when he’s not hanging with MJ. It’s a redemption tale for sure, as it reveals, he’s trying to make amends for his father’s murders and actions. Ramon Rosanas brings realism to the art that grounds this humanizing story. Wells again writes good dialogue throughout.
Capping things off story-wise is a fun one-page tale by Lee Gatlin. It’s super cute involving Kraven as he attempts to find his prey.
The final extra to this issue is a 10-page reprint of every cover of Amazing Spider-Man. It’s tricky to make out all the details since each page has 100 covers, but it’s a nice way to commemorate the milestone.
There’s a lot to like in Amazing Spider-Man #56, which celebrates the 950 issues of the series. Wells writes great dialogue throughout, grounding Peter and the rest of the characters in a human way. It’s also a fitting start to the final arc for Wells as it bookends how this all began.
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