After an excellent start to his final story arc, Zeb Wells’ third chapter in the wrap-up of Tombstone’s reign continues this week. Tombstone is going to do the unthinkable: kill his daughter, and only Spider-man can save her. It’s a race, a chase, and a fight-comic issue in Amazing Spider-Man #58!
The issue opens exactly where we left off, with Tombstone pointing a gun at his daughter. Just like Janice, we don’t actually believe he’ll pull the trigger until he does. Soon, she’s diving for her life and narrowly escaping death. She’s got her moves and gadgetry, though, but it’s not enough. Wells and Jon Romita Jr. make you believe there’s no way to stop Tombstone. But maybe Spider-Man can.
The issue opens up with a double-page layout of Spider-Man kicking Tombstone in the back of the neck as he crashes through a window. Now it’s a battle of inches, with Tombstone narrowly killing Janice several times. The story moves from a single room to the street and back into another building. It’s a tense race of life and death.
A very tense moment.
Credit: Marvel
It’s also a shockingly quick read. Thin on dialogue and with absolutely no captions, the story moves at a fast clip, focusing entirely on the beatdown Janice, Spider-Man, and, in turn, Tombstone’s take. I was honestly shocked when the issue ended; it felt over before it had barely begun. All told, this issue takes place over 5 minutes tops, leaving you wanting.
That means a lot of your enjoyment rests on Romita Jr, who does an admirable job with the art. If you like his style, you know it’s dynamic and always places the camera in the right places. Part of the reason the book moves so quickly is the layouts, which tend to be fairly basic, with six panels on top of a page, but with many having only four. Still, the fight choreography is stellar, especially with three people crawling over each other to either escape or die.
Amazing Spider-Man #58 is over before you know it in a rush of a fight comic. The intensity is very high, but there’s not a lot here to sink your teeth into. If you dig Romita Jr., you’ll get a lot out of this, but with so little to it, it’s hard to recommend. Definitely a trade-waiting arc at this point.
You must be logged in to post a comment.