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Reviews

Amazing Spider-Man #4 Review

  • Written by: Joe Kelly
  • Art by: Pepe Larraz
  • Colors by: Marte Gracia
  • Letters by: VC’s Joe Caramagna
  • Cover art by: Pepe Larraz, Marte Gracia
  • Cover price: $4.99
  • Release date: May 21, 2025

Amazing Spider-Man #4, by Marvel on 5/21/25, finds Spidey struggling to stay in the moment when Hobgoblin and Itsy Bitsy team up to take him down.

Is Amazing Spider-Man #4 Good?

Recap

When we last left Peter Parker in Amazing Spider-Man #3, the Wall Crawler escaped Itsy Bitsy’s murderous clutches when it turns out Itsy Bitsy has romantic feelings for her “father.” Later, Norman Osborn and Peter Parker deduced…somehow…that Rhino became sick after drinking large amounts of Queen’s Cola. When Spider-Man went to the Queen’s Cola distribution facility, he was attacked by Hobgoblin.

Plot Synopsis

In Amazing Spider-Man #4, Spidey’s battle against Hobgoblin and Itsy Bitsy gets a tad bit harder. The issue begins with Brian Nehring and Maira Osmani-Milton (Miss Om) discussing Peter Parker’s poor attendance as a new employee at Rand. Miss Om demands Peter be fired, but Brian explains Peter’s attendance is not his fault because he’s drugged with something infused in Queen’s Cola. The discovery prompts Brian and Miss Om to call the Justice Department.

Meanwhile, Hobgoblin attacks Spidey at the Queen’s Cola plant. Spidey has a tough time focusing because the drugs pull him into a string of memories and hallucinations about his rebellious struggles as a young teenager. Aunt May and Uncle Ben were at a loss as to how to respond to Peter’s behavior. In the end, May and Ben choose to love Peter no matter what.

In the present, Spidey barely survives Hobgoblin’s attacks. Itsy Bitsy arrives with news that someone at Rand tipped off the Justice Department. Hobgoblin gives Itsy Bitsy strict orders to kill Spider-Man while he flies off to kill the whistleblowers at Rand. The issue ends with Spidey…somehow…defeating Itsy Bitsy but not fast enough to stop Hobgoblin.

First Impressions

Writer Joe Kelly’s deep exploration into the mind of Peter Parker just isn’t cutting it. After 63 years of character development and history, there’s no value in spending multiple issues exploring Peter’s brief rebellious period, especially when the adventure at hand is so poorly developed.

How’s the Art?

Pepe Larraz’s dynamic, explosive art is better than anyone has a right to expect. It looks amazing (no pun intended) as the plot flip-flops between blue tones during the fluid hallucinations and unreliable memories Peter’s experiences and the hard-hitting action Spidey encounters in the real world. Every superhero comic should look this good.

What’s great about Amazing Spider-Man #4?

Joe Kelly’s bright spot in his script is the unrelenting sense of urgency and tension that holds your attention throughout. Kelly grips you when it’s unclear how Spidey will push through the hallucinations to avoid death at the hands of two supervillains. Plus, the call to the Justice Department sets off a race to stop Hobgoblin before he gets to Rand and kills Brian.

What’s not great about Amazing Spider-Man #4?

Spidey’s hallucinations about his rebellious years, which may or may not be twisted, are novel, but they don’t add anything to his character that we haven’t seen before, and they’re not pertinent to the plot. It’s as if Joe Kelly wants to elevate the notion that Peter wasn’t a perfect kid by taking up a lot of time in a comic that has nothing to do with Peter’s youth. Why?

Hobgoblin’s plan to infect New Yorkers with anxiety-inducing hallucinogens is so clunky and awkwardly presented that the multiple pages spent on reliving Peter’s rebellious years would have been much better spent improving Hobgoblin’s part of the story. Kelly is wasting time creating pathos when it’s not needed.

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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Final Thoughts

Amazing Spider-Man #4 has great art and great action but wastes a lot of time on flashbacks of Peter’s youth for no Earthly reason. Joe Kelly’s clunky script about a Hobgoblin plot to poison New York has some merit if he would develop and stay on it long enough to let it play out. Conversely, Pepe Larraz’s art is spectacular and too good for this story. The score below is mostly for the art.

5.5/10

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