- Written by: Zeb Wells
- Art by: Patrick Gleason
- Colors by: Marcio Menyz
- Letters by: VC’s Joe Caramagna
- Cover art by: John Romita Jr., Scott Hanna, Morry Hollowell
- Cover price: $3.99
- Release date: August 23, 2023
Amazing Spider-Man #32 begins a new challenge for Peter Parker when Kraven and Queen Goblin team up to restore Norman Osborn to his former glory.
Is It Good?
Amazing Spider-Man #32 is a strong idea to kick off a new arc. What happens when Kraven II wants to outhunt his father’s legacy? He creates the greatest hunt of all by restoring Spider-man’s greatest villain to his most dangerous self. That’s a cool idea, but this is Zeb Wells we’re talking about, so it’s hard not to expect to be disappointed with the payoff (or lack thereof).
When last we left Spider-man, he served as best man at Randy Robinson’s wedding – A wedding that never happened because Shotgun showed up to put bullets in Tombstone’s chest. Oh, and Felicia broke up with Peter. Now, Peter goes out on a date-not-date with Michele (Janice’s maid of honor), making Felicia mildly jealous in the process.
When the date-not-date goes south, Peter joins Norman at the Oscorp lab for a project when Kraven II shows up with a spear containing Osborn’s sins extracted from Queen Goblin. If Kraven II can turn Osborn back into the Green Goblin, he’ll have a worthy opponent to make Kraven’s Last Hunt look like a schoolyard game of Tag.
Unfortunately, Peter steps in front of the killing blow and takes on all of Osborn’s sins for himself. Oopsie!
Putting aside all the ASM drek of the last year, Wells’s idea about infusing Peter with Osborn’s sins is a novel concept with a lot of potential. Curiosity and anticipation abound, so we’ll see how it plays out.
That said, this issue has two things working against its success. First, Wells is rightfully developing a rep for bungling the payoff on big ideas. There’s always a chance to make good on the promise of the premise, but Wells has shown repeatedly that he either can’t or won’t.
Second, this is the second or third arc in a row where somebody has tried to get the Green Goblin back, and it’s starting to become a repetitive theme. Norman’s fragile, post-Goblin life puts him in a constant state of unease, which is a ripe opportunity for drama. But Wells seems content to merely poke at that fragility instead of either going all in or finding another source of material. As the saying goes, “$%^& or get off the pot.”
How’s the art? Great! Patrick Gleason produces excellent figure work, complex (in a good way) panel compositions, and Marcio Menyz’s color shading is outstanding. This comic looks great.
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 #32 goes back to the well (again) for another villain trying to get Norman to revert to his Green Goblin ways. This time Kraven II gets in on the act to top his father’s greatest hunt, and the accidental slip at the end leads to intriguing possibilities. The art looks great, and the idea has merit, so it’s up to Wells to pay off the concept… for once.
Weird Science Marvel Comics 