As “8 Deaths of Spider-Man” rages on, Amazing Spider-Man #68 is a turning point for Spider-Man. For multiple issues, Peter Parker has given up, but surely he wouldn’t like the X-Men to die at the hands of the Scions, right? As is revealed in this issue, the stakes couldn’t be higher and all may be lost because Spider-Man was too late!
Amazing Spider-Man #68 picks up where we left off as Scion of Cyttorak Cyra continues to try to convince Peter to get back in the fight. He’s given up on all of humanity after seeing everyone die millions of times. Forced to see the results of the X-Men’s battle, we learn Aunt May and others at F.E.A.S.T are dead. Not only that, they died in different ways than Peter saw, showing him things can change.
From the get-go, the premise of this issue feels very forced. Peter giving up at all was always a hard pill to swallow, but by seeing Aunt May die differently, he’s changed his mind. That makes him seem foolish and petty. Spider-Man reverses the deaths, obviously, but it costs him his remaining lives. Given that Spider-Man has died facing each Scion, that’s likely a dangerous move.
While the dead bodies lack impact, I do like the striking red panel of Peter’s reaction.
Credit: Marvel
Customary of longer story arcs like this one, this issue is mostly fluff as we wait for the next chapter to kick into gear. The X-Men fight against a foe they can barely scratch, and they even admit it. It means waiting for whatever upper hand for any of their punching and kicking to matter. It all leads to a rather obvious twist involving Spider-Man’s death, but since he’s died so many times in this story arc, does it even matter?
Andrea Broccardo’s art feels far more unfinished and simplistic than in the last issue. The big epic moments in the final few pages are well done, but scenes with the X-Men or the death of Aunt May aren’t up to snuff with a triple-A comic like Spider-Man. It’s also rather comical that Cyra’s spruced-up costume gets a lot more revealing of her chest, but I guess that’s the price of superhero comics. What does work are the inverted panels highlighting key moments. Like a photo negative, Broccardo uses red and white to highlight a moment twice in the issue.
Amazing Spider-Man #68 struggles with a forced premise and predictable twists, making it feel like filler in the larger “8 Deaths of Spider-Man” arc. While the issue delivers some visually striking moments, the emotional weight of Peter’s decision feels unearned, and the action lacks real stakes. With inconsistent artwork and a thin plot, this installment doesn’t quite live up to Spider-Man’s usual high standards.
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