Now that we know Nick Spencer is officially leaving Amazing Spider-Man, it’s safe to say all that has occurred since Kindred was captured is setting things up for the next creator. Much of what Spencer has done since Amazing Spider-Man #800 could be considered a reset, from bringing back characters like Rose and Sin-Eater, to promises of more information coming soon like with Peter Parker’s sister. That makes for an interesting reading experience since we know what happens here will be the new status quo, but it still needs to captivate us.
And for the most part, Amazing Spider-Man #69 does captivate readers moving along its main plot while setting up Teresa Parker’s soon to be revealed fate. This issue moves along much nicer than the last thanks to it not juggling so many plots all at once. There’s a check-in with Betty Brant, but it’s brief and reduced to one scene. This issue is mostly about Jaimie Tolentino’s machine known as the Clairvoyant getting snatched up and eventually used.
This issue continues to juggle multiple artists like the last issue with Ze Carlos, Carlos Gomez, and Marcelo Ferreira penciling, Carlos, Gomez, and Wayne Faucher inking, and Andrew Crossley and Morry Hollowell coloring. The book opens with a very clean full-page splash of Spidey punching out Jack O’Lantern with all the main players in the scene standing about. There’s more Spider-Man in this single issue than usual and it’s an enjoyable first half that looks great no matter who is drawing. Ferreira continues to ink and draw in a darker tone, which suits the evil nature of Spencer’s take on Spidey. At one point the action moves outside to a rather blank and simple grass lawn, but the figures look sharp and quite cool.
That’s a slick looking Spider-Man punch!
Credit: Marvel Comics
The weakest element is Teresa Parker’s scenes, which are more slow teases than anything else. The cliffhanger seems to suggest we’ll get some kind of answer in Giant-Size Amazing Spider-Man: Chameleon Conspiracy, but the four pages in this issue that focus on this scene — which includes Chameleon and The Finisher — mostly just tie up loose ends. Again, this series has felt like it’s in a mad dash to clean up the Spider-Man timeline more than anything else and that extends to The Palace seemingly on its way down, too.
This issue continues the prelude to Marvel’s next six-issue event Sinister War as well, with two more pages showing off Doc Ock’s plan to bring the Sinister Six back together. Even this story seems to be working towards resetting classic Spider-Man villains so the next writer can do as they please.
Amazing Spider-Man has been given a new intriguing element thanks to the news of Nick Spencer’s departure, as we’re witnessing an active effort to resolve plots and reset characters in Spider-Man’s life. That’s an interesting thing to see actively transpiring on the page which adds a meta-level element to a series that may have too much plot.
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