• Written by: Joe Kelly
• Art by: Ed McGuinness, Mark Farmer, Niko Henrichon (Dream Sequence)
• Colors by: Marcio Menyz
• Letters by: VC’s Joe Caramagna
• Cover art by: Ed McGuinness (cover A)
• Cover price: $4.99
• Release date: November 13, 2024

Amazing Spider-Man #61, by Marvel Comics on 11/13/24, begins a new era for Spider-Man with the start of The 8 Deaths Of Spider-Man arc. May God rest his soul.

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Is Amazing Spider-Man #61 Good?

Amazing Spider-Man #61 was it. After an unequivocally disastrous run by Zeb Wells from issue #1 to issue #60, Amazing Spider-Man was Editor Nick Lowe’s opportunity to prove to his manager, to all of Marvel, and to superhero readers everywhere that he deserves to be the Spider-Man group editor. This was his moment to show the world that the last 60 issues were not his fault.

Did Nick Lowe set the haters straight by bringing Joe Kelly aboard and resetting Spidey’s place as the flagship hero of the superhero world? No, and no. This issue isn’t “Paul and MJ making out on the sofa while Peter watches from a corner” bad, but using Spider-Man as a side character to hype up Dr. Doom’s new role as Sorcerer Supreme just goes to show Nick Lowe has well and truly exceeded his expiration date at Marvel.

When last we left Old Web Head in Amazing Spider-Man #60, Spidey’s conflict against Tombstone and Zeb Wells’s tenure on the title came to an abrupt end, accomplishing absolutely nothing of value. The less we dwell on the failures of the past, the better.

In Amazing Spider-Man #61, Joe Kelly steps into the title to begin The 8 Deaths Of Spider-Man arc.

One fine morning, Spider-Man engages in crimefighting shenanigans with a fire-themed villain calling himself Burnout. During the battle, Spider-Man rescues a window washer named Kevin, who was caught in the crossfire. As the fight progresses, Spidey urges Kevin to hold his ever-dropping satchel, which contains Peter’s smartphone, camera, and an envelope of money Aunt May gave him to deposit for F.E.A.S.T. Spider-Man sorta defeats Burnout, but not really because the villain turns into a flock of firebirds and flies away after receiving a stiff punch.

Joe Kelly starts the issue with a standard Spider-Man action scene to ground the reader in Spidey’s powers and personality. Dragging Kevin around to “hold his stuff,” however, seems needlessly dangerous, and the lack of clear resolution for Burnout is unsatisfying. In short, the action is good, but the scene as a whole is clunky.

Toward the end of the fight, Dr. Doom, now the Sorcerer Supreme after the boneheaded and poorly-received Blood Hunt event, magically appears to assign Spider-Man a task. After a harsh exchange of words, Spider-Man refuses.

Later, Peter Parker makes it back to Aunt May’s apartment, where he has to sheepishly explain and/or avoid answering for partially burnt money for the F.E.A.S.T. deposit and a missed Lunch with Shay (Marvel’s pitiful romantic consolation prize for Peter). When the pestering gets to be too much, Peter sneaks out and heads up to the rooftops to continue training Spider-Boy, who appears in this issue for no apparent reason.

The word you’re searching for is “reductive.” Judges will also accept “repetitive.” Marvel’s need to continually have his friends and family nag him for being an absent-minded, irresponsible boob is long past tiresome. It was bad during the Wells era, and it’s bad now that Joe Kelly is on the title. The constant beatdown comes across as petty sadism.

Spider-Man’s training session with Spider-Boy is interrupted by a large explosion blocks away. Spider-Man swings into action to investigate, leaving Spider-Boy behind for safety. When he arrives at the source of the explosion, Spider-Man finds a red, demonic, armor-skinned behemoth named Cyntros. Spider-Man leaps into action, but his physical attacks are no match for Cyntros’s powerful frame.

Suddenly, Dr. Doom arrives and gives Spider-Man a lengthy montage explanation about Cyntros’s presence. Previously, Dr. Strange brokered a deal with Cyttorak to create a protective cover around Earth’s realm to stave off otherworldly threats. In exchange, Dr. Strange would have to defeat eight of Cyttorak’s progeny in single combat every so often. Strange agreed, but he found a loophole involving magical reeds that resurrect him if he should die during each fight. Eight challengers must be defeated, and the champion is given eight reeds to be resurrected.

The issue ends with one down and seven more to go.

What’s great about Amazing Spider-Man #61?

Yes, this entire review leans heavily on chastising Marvel and Editor Nick Lowe for their unceasing incompetence, but I can concede Joe Kelly tried to level-set Spider-Man back to a palatable status quo. Spidey’s battle-time quips mostly work, the idea of acting as Earth’s champion for a cosmic contest could be interesting, and Spidey’s gumption to stand up to Doom shows more courage than we’ve seen from him in years.

What’s not great about Amazing Spider-Man #61?

The quips that don’t work, especially Spidey’s obnoxious attempt to “rename” Burnout, are painfully corny. Again, turning Peter into an irresponsible sad sack is frustratingly reductive. And the “8 Deaths” concept, once it’s spelled out, appears to be super predictable.

Further, Spider-Man is too important a character to act as somebody’s lackey. After a painful run that still stings, ASM deserves better than to become a pseudo-tie-in series to hype up Dr. Doom for his upcoming appearance in the MCU. Turning Dr. Doom into the Sorcerer Supreme was handled poorly. Permeating that mistake into other titles was and will be the wrong move.

How’s the Art?

Ed McGuiness and Mike Farmer take over art duties from John Romita Jr. and Scott Hanna, and the net result is a visual upgrade. Romita is a legend, but his time on ASM did not do Zeb Wells’s writing any favors. Of course, McGuinness is a master in his own right, so the action, acting, figure work, gestures, and layouts are top-notch.

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 #61 begins a new arc with a new creative team by naming Spider-Man as Dr. Doom’s champion to fight and die to protect the Earth, over and over again. Joe Kelly does his level best to turn a predictable concept into a meaningful story, but the entire issue barely rises above mediocre. If nothing else, Ed McGuinness and Mike Farmer’s art looks great.

5.8/10

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