Just like Romeo and Juliet

Writer: Nick Spencer
Artist: Federico Vicentini
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: April 7, 2021

I have gone on record to complain that this Spider-Man run of Nick Spencer’s has had a bad case of ADHD at times, jumping from one story to another and then back again. That’s not a problem if all the stories are hitting and eventually get resolved. However, when you have been laying hints about Kindred for years and finally reveal that it’s Harry, it feels a bit anti-climactic to go off to a social media Spider-Man suit, a Randy Robertson/Janice Lincoln romance etc. instead of sticking with the big stuff. Still, Nick Spencer is a good enough writer to make me enjoy each issue for what it is as I wait patiently for more Kindred, which will probably happen on a big numbered issue (75 maybe?). So what do we get this issue? Well, kind of a mixed bag of everything…

The issue opens with Norman talking to his imprisoned son while Wilson Fisk watches like a creeper using the security cams. He has a special guest with him that I won’t spoil, but it’s Spencer ramping things up even more and making me that much more impatient! We all know what Fisk wants, and it seems he is now trying to get the tablet pieces as bargaining chips so he can get it from Kindred like he always wanted.

It’s then off to see Spider-Man and Boomerang fighting off goons and gangsters looking to score Fisk’s golden ticket, and while the art is good, I did have a little problem following the action. Plus, it did feel like filler in what is essentially a setup issue.

Nick Spencer then gets to the Randy/Janice stuff, first by reminding us that their fathers, Robbie and Tombstone are not so fond of each other and then laying the seeds of doubt in each of them about their relationship. Robbie tells his son that Janice is a criminal through and through, but Randy says he can change her… just as Janice’s friends and villain cohorts warn her, Randy WILL try to change her. The back and forth play out well, and we do see some more details of their romance, but I am not connected enough to it to care much.

It leads to a cliffhanger that gets another cool character in the book and the obligatory explosion to make the reader wonder who will make it to the next issue. We haven’t had one of those in this book for a bit.

This was a down issue as far as overall story progression goes, and the Randy/Janice thing now feels like a gimmick to remind readers of past grudges more than anything else. The art was good overall, action scene confusion withstanding, and those enjoying Spencer’s run will recognize this sort of issue as par for the course as he puts pieces in place for his next big storyline.

Final Thoughts:

Amazing Spider-Man is a setup issue that felt a little crowded at points as Nick Spencer continues putting his pieces in place for something big down the line.

7.0/10