• Written by: Joe Kelly
• Art by: Ed McGuinness, Carlos Gomez, Francesco Manna, Mark Farmer, Wade von Grawbadger
• Colors by: Marcio Menyz, Erick Arciniega
• Letters by: VC’s Joe Caramagna
• Cover art by: Ed McGuiness, Marte Gracia (cover A)
• Cover price: $4.99
• Release date: April 22, 2026

Amazing Spider-Man #27 (Marvel 4/22/26): Writer Joe Kelly and a small army of artists bring the Death Spiral crossover to an end when Spidey battles the Carnage personality invading his mind, but Venom is the one who makes a fateful decision. The issue is filled with plenty of twists and turns, capped by a surprising outcome, but the net sum is a crossover that feels like filler. Verdict: Take it or leave it.

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First Impressions

Meh *shrug*. When a crossover or event ends, it’s always wise to take stock of whether or not the whole is better than the sum of its parts. It’s fair to say the Death Spiral crossover is not greater than the sum, and worse, probably should have been left in pieces with better quality and focus. Beyond the flaws to be mentioned below, this entire crossover exercise is almost entirely forgettable. That said, something happens at the end with distinct possibilities.

Recap

In Amazing Spider-Man #26, Spider-Man and Venom team up to stop Torment, now bonded with Carnage, as the serial killer leverages the power of his new, darker half to kill everyone in Peter and MJ’s lives.

Plot Analysis (SPOILERS)

The issue begins with Spider-Man/Carnage battling Torment, buying time for Aunt May and Aunt Anna to get away. The fight is one-sided, but in Peter’s mind, he desperately fights to keep control away from Carnage. In the physical world, Carnage rips the Shocker gauntlet off of Torment’s hands, relegating him to just a guy with a whip. Suddenly, Venom attacks Carnage (for no clear reason). During the fight, Torment slips away to go after the Aunts. Then, Eddie Brock shows up, picks up the Shocker gauntlet, and lays Carnage out, giving Peter an opportunity to overcome Carnage’s control. Then Anti-Venom emerges to help Spidey contain the Carnage symbiote.

Meanwhile, Venom races off to stop Torment from killing the Aunts. Powerless, Torment is no match, but he chooses to taunt Venom by explaining it’s only a matter of time before he’s let out of jail to continue the killing. Venom/MJ kills Torment but explains Torment “fell” when Spidey and Anti-Venom arrive. The issue ends with a montage of everyone recovering and contemplating where they go from here.

How is the story in Amazing Spider-Man #27?

Whoa! That last bit is the only reason this crossover is worth reading. MJ crosses a pretty big line, which could have significant repercussions for the character moving forward. That said, the “moment” comes out of nowhere with very little moral wrestling on MJ’s part, either during or after, so it remains to be seen if MJ is more deeply affected by Venom than anyone thought or if she’s just morally inferior to Spider-Man.

How is the art in Amazing Spider-Man #27?

Forget trying to figure out who to credit for what in this comic. As you can see from the credits above, you get a small army of artists to bring one floppy to life. Why? Nobody knows. The art is generally fine, but there are a few points where it reads like the artists skipped a beat or two.

For example, Eddie arrives and knocks out Carnage with the Shocker gauntlet, but the next time you see him, he’s sitting on the floor with his back against the wall with his eyes closed. What happened?

In another example, the Aunts are presumably taking 10 minutes to run down one flight of steps, giving Torment oodles of time to catch up. When he does, he takes 10 minutes to make a move, giving Venom plenty of time to catch up. The art and script project a wonky sense of time in a fast-paced issue, and it throws the urgency completely off.

Characters

Spider-Man is (or should be) the central character, but he acts as one element in an ensemble cast where no one takes center stage. Peter is able to “absorb” Carnage’s madness in his mind, but it’s unclear what that means. Beyond Peter, the big twist comes by way of Venom/MJ’s almost cavalier killing for Torment. That should be a big deal moment, but it gets no follow-up in this issue, and it remains to be seen how much or little it will be explored.

Originality & Concept Execution

Serial killer goes after innocents, Spider-allies team up to stop him. There’s nothing particularly original about the scenario, so the originality falls to Torment as a new villain. His modus operandi is somewhat unique, but once you get past his “why,” he’s still just a garden-variety serial killer.

Pros and Cons

What We Loved

• The art is action-packed and vivid
• The potential for MJ’s character is high… if Marvel follows through.
• The ending feels complete.

Room for Improvement

• The art progression either skips beats or slows down too much in some spots.
• Venom/MJ’s final move is serious, and yet, when Peter asks her about it, she brushes it off in a frustratingly dismissive manner.
• There was no reason for Anti-Venom to show up.

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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

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The Scorecard

Writing Quality (Clarity & Pacing): 2/4
Art Quality (Execution & Synergy): 2.7/4
Value (Originality & Entertainment): 0.3/2

Final Thoughts

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Amazing Spider-Man #27 brings the Death Spiral crossover to a close with lots of action and a big twist in the end. That said, Joe Kelly’s concept is generic; some characters show up without adding to the story, and the twist ending only works if Marvel follows through, which is highly unlikely.

5/10

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