- Written by: Zeb Wells
- Art by: John Romita Jr., Scott Hanna
- Colors by: Marcio Menyz
- Letters by: VC’s Joe Caramagna
- Cover art by: John Romita Jr., Scott Hanna, Marcio Menyz
- Cover price: $7.99
- Release date: August 28, 2024
Amazing Spider-Man #56, by Marvel Comics on 8/28/24, finds Tombstone ready to make an example of Spider-Man to cement his reputation, starting with a very messy murder of Peter Parker.
Is Amazing Spider-Man #56 Good?
Amazing Spider-Man #56 is a return to form for the one part of Zeb Well’s run that worked well – the personal conflict with Tombstone. If Wells can finish the rest of his tenure with issues as strong as this one, his run won’t be a total loss.
When last we left Petr Parker in Amazing Spider-Man #55, Peter went on a date with a nurse he met at Ravencroft. That’s it. Let’s just agree to never mention that issue again.
In Amazing Spider-Man #56, Peter catches up with Randy Robertson in his apartment while the latter is still recovering from gunshots sustained during the (awful) Gang War event. The two appear to be on better terms. Little does Peter know that Randy’s former bride-to-be, Janice Lincoln aka Beetle, is quietly listening in the next room. When Peter leaves, it’s clear Randy and Janice have also begun to mend their relationship.
Janice and Randy together never made sense. Janice is a super-criminal, a killer, and the daughter of NYC’s top gangster, but Marvel keeps pushing this narrative that they’re meant to be together in a clunky Romeo & Juliet scenario. Ahh, well. C’est la vie.
Later, Peter heads to the Daily Bugle to meet with Robbie Robertson, assuming Robbie wants to offer Peter a job after the Gang War business and the return of Green Goblin(?). In truth, Robbie wanted to meet with Peter to let him know Janice was back in Randy’s life. Rather than wait for the worst possible outcome, Spider-Man decides to pay Janice a visit.
I’ll give Zeb Wells credit for getting Peter off his butt to stop a problem before it becomes a problem in the form of Janice and Randy’s relationship. That said, it’s unclear why Peter is not unemployed when the Green Goblin appeared to have been defeated and permanently dispelled for good. Wouldn’t Peter choose to stay on with Oscorp to keep a close eye on Norman? Wouldn’t Norman welcome the accountability partner? Peter’s separation from Oscorp comes off as forced.
Later again, Spider-Man breaks up a weapons deal between a local gang and White Rabbit, dropping quips that imply Tombstone backstabbed the buyers to weaken Tombstone’s credibility. The plan works. When Tombstone hears about the loss, he decides he needs to kill Spider-Man in front of all gang leaders to clear the air. How does he intend to do that? By kidnapping Peter Parker in a redo of the limo scene from the first arc, of course.
Despite the abject failure that marks Zeb Wells’s time on ASM, the first arc that centered on Tombstone remains a bright spot, so repeating what works is not a bad approach. Peter appears to be in a tough spot when he has no choice but to enter the limo, but he softens what will be a dangerous beat down by handing Randy a card with a phone number before getting into the vehicle.
The issue ends with unexpected help arriving before Peter gets completely pummeled, a Court hearing, and a surprising witness.
Overall, the bright spot (the only bright spot) of Zeb Wells’s run was the first Tombstone arc, and it feels like Marvel is capitalizing on what works with a tense challenge for Peter, a brutal villain in Tombstone, and a twist you won’t see coming, which is how this run should have played out since the beginning.
How’s the Art? John Romita Jr. and Scott Hanna work when they work and don’t when they don’t The brutal fight between Peter and Tombstone looks amazing, but we get weirdly disproportionate head sizes and bizarre facial anatomy in others. In short, the art is a mixed bag.
Backup #1: Proxy
In a flashback, backup prequel to the story you just read, Spider-Man contacts She-Hulk for help arranging the legal trap he wants to snap on Tombstone. She-Hulk says no prosecutor will talk to him, so he needs to send a “proxy” to talk for him. Enter Peter Parker who rushes to get the courthouse to witness Ned Leeds exonerated for his recent Hobgoblin activities by proving he was brainwashed by the Winkler device.
Afterward, Peter congratulates Ned who acts perturbed that Peter didn’t do more to help. When they part, Peter rushes over to She-Hulk to explain he’s the proxy.
I don’t know why this backup is here as a backup and out of order from the issue we just read. The main story sets things up well enough so there’s no need to explain how Peter arranged the legal trap. In short, this backup is well done but reads like filler to justify the outrageous cover price. Further, Ned’s attitude towards Peter is obnoxiously unfair, and I think ASM fans have had just about enough of that.
Backup #2: Responsibilities
We catch up with the most hated man in Marvel comic, Paul Rabin, as he works his way through an apology list of people who were harmed by his father’s madness while becoming the avatar/host of Wayep. Today, Paul visits Cale Naughton, a manager who worked at the lab where his father learned the power of symbology. Without giving Cale many details, Paul secretly offers to pay for all of Cale’s medical expenses before moving on to the next name on his list.
Zeb Wells is doing his darnedest to make his most-hated creation a little less hated by going through an apology tour that reads like something an addict would do during their recovery process. Yes, paying to relieve the victims of his father’s misdeed from their burdens is a nice thing to do. That said, forcing Peter into a three-way dinner with the love of his life and the man who stole her away is never going to work, and the explanation for reaching out to Cal doesn’t make a lot of sense since the story suggests that the Earth-616 Cale is not the Cale Paul knew.
Paul is never going to get over. It would be best if Marvel put him away for good.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.
Follow @ComicalOpinions on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
Final Thoughts
Amazing Spider-Man #56 is a tentative return to form when Tombstone decides to reassert his dominance in NYC by killing Peter Parker and Spider-Man. Zeb Wells creates a tense, dramatic main story, but the backups are not much more than irritating filler. Is this issue worth the bloated cover price as a “milestone?” No, but it’s better than most of Wells’s run, so take the crumbs that you can.
6/10
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