Writer: Joe Kelly
Penciler: John Romita Jr.
Inker: Scott Hanna
Colorist: Marcio Menyz
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Cover Artist: John Romita Jr. & Scott Hanna (Cover A)
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: June 18, 2025

Brief Summary

John Romita Jr. returns on art for this issue which gives us a lot of friendly neighborhood Spider-Man and reintroduces an old foe last seen in Zeb Wells’ run. Plus, do you remember Hellgate?..

Legacy issue #970

Plot Summary

We open with Peter Parker narrating how happy he is at the moment and how weird that feels to him. Could it be that persistent poor Peter Parker luck has finally changed for the better? Peter being happy? Surely it can’t last. He rescues a kidnapped senator from a group of thugs while subjecting us readers to his infamous Spidey humor courtesy of Joe Kelly: “Thank you for being my crime appetizer…my crappetizer as it were.” Yeah, thanks Joe!

This is followed by a scene set earlier at Rand Enterprises in which Peter was actually present and doing some work under the watchful eye of his boss Dr. Osman-Milton. She reminds him that he has been late or absent twenty out of the thirty days he’s been employed there. “Are you firing me?” Nope. Instead she appears to be offering Peter the chance to “temporarily” run the company if she needs to step aside for a short while. Intriguing and also kind of bizarre. Is Joe Kelly setting up Dr. OM as a future adversary for Spider-Man? And how will Peter’s new bestie Brian take this news? Not well, I think. I could easily see Brian becoming Peter’s enemy, too.

During lunch break, Peter and Brian are chatting outside when a big car with mirrored windows pulls up. It’s Tombstone and he has a message for Spider-Man via Peter. There’s trouble brewing on the streets and Tombstone wants Spidey to take care of it. It’s a threat veiled as a favor because Lonnie assures Peter that if Spidey doesn’t help, then things will “get loud quick.” As Tombstone drives away, Brian seems half shocked and half impressed that Peter is “down with the mob.”

The scene shifts to the present and Spider-Man is hanging out high up in a building site. We get some narration about Tombstone and the Gang War event during Zeb Wells’ run. Black Cat sneaks up on Spidey and surprises him. She asks how things are going with “the nurse” and we get a brief flashback showing Peter and Shay earlier in the day. Yes, this issue likes to jump around in time! Shay tells Peter she has a date and then laughs at his surprised reaction, “why, you’re seeing other women, aren’t you?” So she must know about Felicia.

The rest of the issue continues this time-jumping theme and we see Peter spend time with Aunt May and her new friend Ricardo who appears to have taken a strong dislike to Peter. There’s a scene with Spidey chatting to Norman Osborn at Oscorp about Hobgoblin’s drugged soda plot. Norman is pissed and wants to take Hobgoblin down. Spidey asks him if he has any new info on his attempted assassination–I’d completely forgotten about that plot thread! But the assassin is still in a coma. Then we are back with Black Cat and Spidey as they are about to apprehend some of Hobgoblin’s “Queen’s Cola” thugs. But right before they make their move, the giant godlike figure Hellgate materializes in front of them and starts speaking like Thor: “Honored prince of the steel silk, the gate stands open for you.” And that’s where the issue ends.

Here’s my video review if you’d like to see more of the art:

Sharp Points!

It’s good to see Peter back being the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man we all know and love. It’s also nice to spend time with his close friends and family, although it does get a bit much at times (see Dull Points below). John Romita Jr. & Scott Hanna do a good job on art duties this issue, even though I have really enjoyed the wonderful Pepe Larraz up until now. If you are a fan of JRjr’s style, you will enjoy the art here. 

Dull Points!

All this jumping around in time and from character to character left me feeling dizzy. It felt like Joe Kelly was trying to remind readers of ALL the plot points & characters he’d introduced so far, which doesn’t make for a smooth reading experience. The cliffhanger felt like it was thrown in at the last minute with no development or lead up. Even though John Romita Jr.’s art is solid throughout, I already miss Pepe Larraz on the book.

Final Thoughts

Amazing Spider-Man #6 gives you a lot of Spider-Man in his friendly neighborhood role as he spends a fragmented day catching up with friends and family. We see the (brief) return of Tombstone and what feels like a dropped-in-at-the-last-minute cliffhanger. Issue #6 also features the return of John Romita Jr.’s pencils for the full issue. It all looks good, but might be a disappointment for those who have been loving Pepe Larraz’s art so far.

7/10

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About the reviewer: Wakizashi Gray has a YouTube channel where he reviews comics. It has the rather bizarre name of Wakizashi’s Teahouse. He also keeps a WordPress blog called Wakizashi Teahouse Blog.