Amazing Spider-Man #48 Review

Written by: Zeb Wells
Art by: Todd Nauck
Colors by: Sonia Oback
Letters by: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Cover art by: John Romita Jr., Scott Hanna, Marcio Menyz
Cover price: $4.99
Release date: April 24, 2024

Amazing Spider-Man #48 starts and finishes the battle for the Winkler Device that could clear Ned’s name. Unfortunately, Chasm doesn’t know what he’s getting himself into.

Is Amazing Spider-Man #48 Good?

File this one under “It’s over before it gets started.” Amazing Spider-Man #48 immediately jumps into explaining Queen Goblin, Chasm, and Hallows’ Eve intersected with Spider-Man and Betty Brant at the Winkler Device at the same time for separate reasons, leading to a fight and a resolution that ends quicker than it started.

When last we left Spider-Man and Betty Brant, Spidey swung into action to save Betty from armed thugs intent on stopping Betty from finding the Winkler Device (maybe). Betty needs the machine to prove her husband, Ned, was forcibly brainwashed into becoming the Hobgoblin again and shouldn’t be in prison. At the same moment Spidey and Betty find the machine, they crash into Chasm, Hallow’s Eve, and Queen Goblin looking for the same thing.

Now, Queen Goblin takes a couple of swings at Spidey with her flaming morning stars to drive him back before sending Hallows’ Eve to attack Spidey to keep him away from the device. In a flashback, we learn Queen Goblin promised to restore Chasm’s memories in exchange for burying the hatchet.

Hallows’ Eve morphs into a Jason from Friday the 13th to attack Spidey and Betty while Chasm straps into the Winkler Device for Queen Goblin’s treatment. Of course, it was all a lie. Queen Goblin intends to turn Chasm into a Goblin out of revenge for the pain of Goblin’s sins she endured that transformed her into a goblin.

Betty convinces Hallows’ Eve it was all a lie, giving Spidey room to get back to the machine and knock out Queen Goblin with one of her own morning stars.

In an epilogue, we see the Sinister Six gathering to plot revenge on… the Living Brain?

Amazing Spider-Man #48 Video Review

Does Chasm turn into a Goblin? No. However, his time in the machine gives him an inkling of another person’s mind that portends trouble for Spider-Man in the future. The details are foreshadowed but not provided.

Does Betty eventually get the Winkler Device? Yes.

What happened to Chasm and Hallows’ Eve? They skoot skoot skedaddle and later have an intimate chat about letting go of lost memories in favor of building new ones.

What’s great about Amazing Spider-Man #48? Chasm letting go of his quest to get his memories back is a welcome albeit minor status quo change. Ben constantly whining about getting memories back (that technically weren’t completely his in the first place) was starting to sound like a broken record, so that’s enough of that.

What’s not so great about Amazing Spider-Man #48? At a high level, this issue was devoid of any dramatic tension, and the net result is a forgettable story. Plus, questions remain, such as “Who hired the goons to attack Betty and why?” and “Why is Wells trying to make a big deal out of who originally owned/created the Winkler Device?” and “Why did Chasm and Hallows’ Eve go to Queen Goblin for help in the first place if they already had a contentious past?”

Ultimately, those questions will probably never get an answer, but maybe it doesn’t matter since nobody will remember this story.

How/s the Art? Excellent Todd Nauck has a strong sensibility for figure work and integrating the characters into the scenery. Every panel 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 #48 delivers a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it setup and resolution to the fight over the Winkler Device. The motivations for almost every character except Spidey and Betty are implausible at best, and the overall conflict lacks weight. If not for Todd Nauck’s excellent art, this issue would be a forgettable throwaway.