It seems like if Spider-Man isn’t getting beaten to a pulp once every six months, there should be cause for concern, which is very much not the case with Amazing Spider-Man #8. Hellgate has arrived in New York as of the last issue, and this week’s issue is all about Spider-Man knowing when to fight and when to flee. It’s another exploration of new memories from Peter’s youth while Hellgate continues to use his fists instead of words to get his point across.
Amazing Spider-Man #8 is a sort of test as to how much damage Spider-Man and Hellgate can take without needing a hospital. By the end of the issue, it’s very clear Spider-Man loses this test, though he gives his fair share of hits on Hellgate. In fact, that’s how the issue starts, with Spider-Man punching Hellgate over and over. At one point, he swings Hellgate’s axe into him. While Hellgate bleeds at one point, it’s Spider-Man who ends up with broken ribs and maybe worse.
The fight scenes look great, thanks to John Romita Jr.’s pencils, which often frame a panel so that it’s as if we’re missing elements off-page. It’s a neat trick I’ve seen other artists do that can stretch things and force your imagination to fill in the gaps. There are some iconic elements in the fight, like Spider-Man holding something up to prevent others from getting hurt, as well as a neat way of showing Spider-Man pushing up a bunch of turf. My only gripe is the second-to-last page, which features a close-up of a mysterious character, but it’s hard to make out what’s being shown. I guess it’s a mask? It’s odd.
It bleeds!
Credit: Marvel
Pinch-hitting for a few pages is Todd Nauck, who gets to draw a Mary Jane scene. It’s nice to see MJ show up in the series, and if you haven’t been following All-New Venom, you might be at a loss for the nod as to which hero she is these days. Writer Joe Kelly reminds us that Paul and Dylan don’t get along, and this is primarily a check-in with the promise that MJ may enter the fight to help Peter soon.
Kelly continues to demonstrate a high skill in writing Spider-Man dialogue, with plenty of anxiety-ridden lines, and his heroism comes through loud and clear. He’s desperate and trying to find time while fighting a seemingly cosmic-level character. What takes the cake from a writing standpoint is a flashback with Uncle Ben, which further shows the flashbacks are working. It’s a wholesome moment where Ben teaches Peter about fighting and how it’s not about always fighting, and sometimes you need to know when to run. This flashback connects to the action set in the present, adding an emotionality to a fight that would typically be lacking in purpose or meaning.
As far as gripes, they’re minor, though they add up. One is the lack of plot progression, as this issue reduces things to a long fight with hints at more to come. The MJ scene is welcome since it means she’ll likely show up soon, but it’s also a bit stuffy and long, especially if you’ve been reading All-New Venom.
Amazing Spider-Man #8 is a bruising, emotionally resonant entry that uses strong visual techniques and smart writing to elevate a knock-down, drag-out fight into something with heart and thematic depth, though it stumbles a bit with clarity and wider continuity references.
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