Writer: Cody Ziglar
Artist: Ivan Fiorelli
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: December 8, 2021

Amazing Spider-Man #80.Bey continues out of the last issue’s extra cliffhanger with Aunt May going to Doc Ock in a desperate move to save Peter. I thought it was obvious this would happen, so while I think it’s a cool play, I wasn’t as surprised as some. What did surprise me was how much of a slog this issue was to get through.

I was not a fan of Cody Ziglar’s Kraven two-parter that just ended, so seeing he was still on the book for this issue was an immediate bummer. While his resume points to funny, the issues were a mix of odd references (tap dance to the theme of cheers???) and kind-of jokes. What was not funny, though, was the lack of setup to Kraven’s plan and the wonky way it transitioned and progressed. Why was Kraven even in town with a few days to thrill? Why didn’t the captured Beyond tech guy try to phone home? How did “hangover pills cure Kraven’s poison? The list goes on and on, and while some just chalked it up as a fun time, I didn’t see it that way.

That’s a bit of the problem here as well. While it’s awesome to see May and Octavious work together to help Peter, everything is so surface level, complete with sexual innuendo that felt off. I get that a “Pro-Boner” joke might seem like solid gold, but forced in here it just felt desperate.

The issue itself boils down to Aunt May and Octavious finding a clue where the Spider-Men fought the U-Foes, which leads them to Pro-Boner Landlord, which leads them to the down-low Beyond prison they are held. Ock does find something that ticks him off there, and I am guessing that the U-Foes were set up by Beyond for some PR, not expecting Peter to show up.

Things get a bit wonky by the end. Aunt May gets mad at Octavious for going back to his old ways. No shit! He’s in a meta-prison being attacked, and he’s, you know, Doc Ock! Besides that, though, Aunt May decides to ditch everything because of it and maybe figure something out later to help Peter. BULLSHIT! Of course, Cody Ziglar has to throw in the line that Ock is irresponsible. Get it?

I was really looking forward to this issue, but this just wasn’t good. We get a humongous moment by the end, but everything that led to it felt forced and extended. Ziglar filled his last two issues with nonsense, but I thought his dialogue was decent enough. Here, though, he is struggling with both characters and leans heavily on catch-phrases that would probably fit better in the sitcom he seems to think he’s writing. Still, the ending of the issue makes it worth a read-through despite all of that.

Final Thoughts

The Amazing Spider-Man #80.BEY is a big issue by the end but is a slog getting there. The issue looks great, but Cody Ziglar seems more intent on writing lame jokes than a gripping plot, and it just feels like a missed opportunity. However, the ending is big enough to recommend finding out what happens, but that’s about it.

5.0/10