Amazing Spider-Man #3 Review

Written by: Zeb Wells
Art by: John Romita Jr., Scot Hanna
Colors by: Marcio Menyz
Letters by: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Cover art by: John Romita Jr., Scot Hanna, Marcio Menyz
Cover price: $3.99
Release date: June 8, 2022

Amazing Spider-Man #3 continues the fallout from Spider-Man’s interference in the business dealings between the Rose and Tombstone. Will Spidey learn a very harsh and painful lesson?

Was It Good?

Amazing Spider-Man #3 is a rock-solid issue and (re)establishes Tombstone as a brutally intimidating crime lord, possibly worse than the oft-referenced Kingpin. The issue isn’t perfect. RRomita Jr. makes a creative choice that comes off comical when it shouldn’t, and the story continues to ignore an important element established in issue #1, but getting past those down points leaves the reader with a darn fine comic.

The strength of this issue is Wells’s backstory and positioning as a merciless force of criminal nature. By the end of issue #2, Spider-Man was captured by Tombstone, presumably to enact his revenge for Spidey’s interference in his business dealings. Now, Tombstone’s plan for revenge begins, and it’s a deadly plan designed to break Spidey mentally and emotionally before he’s broken physically. “Revenge is a dish best served cold,” as the saying goes, and Tombstone is a cold-blooded killer. Between Tombstone’s panel-chewing scenes, we learn about his childhood and upbringing to help you understand his motivations without totally sympathizing with him.

The mixed reaction to this issue comes by way of Romita Jr.’s art. In the present, Tombstone is imposing in every scene and the beating he gives Spidey is savage. However, Little Lonnie (aka Tombstone as a little boy) has a comically oversized head that makes him look like a rejected design for James from James and the Giant Peach. Little Lonnie’s body proportions are so out of place that it nearly stops you in your tracks.

The down point isn’t something that’s in this book but what’s not in this book. The wild, confusing moments from issue #1 are almost entirely ignored. The only hint about MJ’s new life comes by way of her partner (boyfriend? husband?) attempting to pay Peter Parker a visit to warn him off leaving creepy stalker calls. He demonstrates he’s a nice guy, which gets you on his side, but there’s nary a hint as to the timeline, what happened in Pennsylvania, where Peter went for six months, or how MJ has two elementary school-aged children. Dropping a major plot point and not paying it off with at least a little more information after two issues is the kind of decompressed storytelling we don’t need.

Again, if you can get past Little Lonnie with a balloon head, and a reminder of the issue #1 bombshells without actually doing anything with those bombshells, this is a largely satisfying issue.

About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.

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Bits and Pieces

Amazing Spider-Man reminds readers why tombstone is a formidable and dangerous presence in Spider-Man’s world. Snared in Tombstone’s trap, readers get interesting details about the villain’s history and a clear picture of the lengths he’ll go to keep what belongs to him. There are a few art oddities, and the shocking moments from issue #1 are still ignored, but this is a hard-hitting issue overall.