- Written by: Joe Kelly
- Art by: Ed McGuinness, Mark Farmer, Cliff Rathburn
- Colors by: Alex Sinclair, Marcio Menyz
- Letters by: VC’s Joe Caramagna
- Cover art by: Ed McGuinness, Cliff Rathburn, Marcio Menyz (cover A)
- Cover price: $5.99
- Release date: March 26, 2025
Amazing Spider-Man #70, by Marvel on 3/26/25, brings the 8 Deaths arc to a close when Spider-Naut battles a god, mano-a-mano, for the fate of the universe.
Is Amazing Spider-Man #70 Good?
Recap
When we last left the corpse of Spider-Man in Amazing Spider-Man #69, Cyra experienced an existential awakening, thanks to the help of Phil Coulson, the Avatar of Death, about the nature of life, love, and pain. To stop the Blight from taking over the universe, Cyra bargained away her immortality in exchange for Spider-Man’s resurrection. To seal the deal, she imbued Spidey with the power of Cyttorak to transform him into Spider-Juggernaut… err, Jugger-Man… erm, Spider-Naut?
Plot Synopsis
In Amazing Spider-Man #70, the 8 Deaths arc ends. Spider-Naut Knocks Callix back to Earth (somehow) and joins Juggernaut for a crash course on wielding his unstoppable strength. The shockwave from Spider-Naut’s mighty blows (somehow) knocks the Blight out of the X-Men, freeing them to handle the “light work” in battle. Juggernaut explains it’s time to let the support team handle Callix so Spider-Naut can handle the manifestation of Blight in orbit.
Spider-Naut launches into orbit and gives the force of nature a big old whack in the kisser. Then, he uses a magic spell to craft a new casket to protect the Earth, using himself as a shield. Cyttorak finally shakes off his daze and meets Spider-Naut. The god decides that if a puny mortal is willing to bear the burden for a hundred years or so, a god can bear the burden of blocking out the Blight forever, so Cyttorak takes up the burden of shielding the Earth for good.
The issue ends with Spider-Man and his friends returning to normal, Doctor Doom (somehow) getting credit for the outcome, and Peter making up with his family and friends, including Shay, just in time for his photo exhibition.
First Impressions
Thank Uatu, this terrible story is finally over. Joe Kelly’s capper to one of the worst ideas in modern ASM history (excluding the entirety of Zeb Wells’s run) was a stinker from the start, and it never got much better. Is Amazing Spider-Man #70 the worst ASM comic ever? No, but the world would have been better off if it never existed.
How’s the Art?
On the whole, Ed McGuinness’s artwork is good enough to get the job done with visual interest as the finale delves into cosmic manifestations between gods and reality. High-brow ideas are tough to manifest on the best of days, but McGuiness pulls it off admirably.
What’s great about Amazing Spider-Man #70?
If nothing else, Joe Kelly’s vision for the finale establishes a new status quo to protect the Earth against the Blight, ensuring the 8 Deaths Challenge never has to happen again. Given how this arc played out, a one-and-done is a positive.
What’s not great about Amazing Spider-Man #70?
The downside of this finale is a reflection of the arc as a whole. The rules for the tournament went out the window almost immediately. Cyttorak had the power to block the Blight but chose not to without making a bargain for reasons that were never made clear. Somehow, Doom is given credit by Cyttorak for stopping the Blight, which is a mind-boggling revelation that makes no sense. And by the end, everything went right back to the way it was.
In every way that matters, this arc said a lot, accomplished little, and set a very uneasy stage for Joe Kelly’s turn as the ongoing writer moving forward. If this is the kind of storytelling Joe Kelly has in mind, ASM fans are in for a very dark Summer.
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 #70 ends the 8 Deaths arc with big punches, magical spells, and (almost) all the toys going back into the exact same toy box, leaving a bad taste in your mouth. Joe Kelly’s finale is a pointless mess, which doesn’t bode well for his upcoming tenure as the main ASM writer.
4/10
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Weird Science Marvel Comics 
I’m a bad fanboy. Back in the day (which was a Thursday, probably), I pissed and moaned about One More Day and I griped about Doc Ock and Spidey trying to recreate Face Off. Little did I suspect that this series was in the future, waiting to suck all enthusiasm I might ever have for Amazing Spider-Man into a cold dark void. From the introduction of Paul to this complete turd of a conclusion, I just HATED it. Gang War 2: Electric Boogaloo was bad. Dark Web…? I can’t talk about it without throwing up in my mouth a little.
Listening to the podcast, I agree with their derision for mopey emo Peter, and WTF, Doc Strange? Perhaps my vernacular herein might not out me as a 51-year-old, but it’s true. Once upon a time, Doctor Strange had a similar experience to Peter’s in this storyline. He thought that he was responsible for the annihilation of the entire Earth. Not a What if? storyline and long before the multiverse was crammed down our throats. Check out Doctor Strange # 13 (1976)- “The Earth is No More!” But rather than act like a jabroni, SS gets back up and keeps on keepin’ on. I expected more of Peter Parker, and really, the way he was written for just those few issues killed my interest in subscribing to future runs of Amazing.
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