Tags
Green Goblin, Kindred, Last Remains Part 1, Marvel Comics, Nick Spencer, Norman Osborne, Patrick Gralson, Sine Eater, Spider-Man, Spider-Man #50, Spider-Man #50 Review, Spider-Man Last Reamins, The Order of the Web
The Amazing Spider-Man #50
Review by Paul Bowler.
The Amazing Spider-Man #50 marks another landmark issue for Marvel’s friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man. LAST REMAINS begins here, the first chapter of a new epic from writer Nick Spencer and artist Patrick Gleason. The mysterious villain Kindred finally enters the fray to strike at Spider-Man. But, having just saved Norman Osborne – director of the Ravencroft Institute for the criminally insane — from the Sin Eater, Spider-Man and his friends, the self styled Order of the Web (Spider-Gwen, Spider-Woman, Spider-Girl, Miles Morales, and Madame Web), are all completely unprepared for the terrifying horror that Kindred is about to unleash!
Following on directly from the colossal Amazing Spider-Man #49 (or #850 if we go by the legacy numbering), the double-sized Amazing Spider-Man #50 kicks off the LAST REMAINS story-arc with a bang. The scope and scale of events depicted in this issue are mind-blowing and far-reaching as writer Nick Spencer balances the twisting narrative threads into a nerve jangling web of intrigue, one where every strand is relevant, precisely crafted, and rich with powerful emotional beats for Spider-Man, his friends and even his foes. Furthermore, this issue also spins an uncanny recapping of the battle at Ravencroft, its chilling aftermath, and the brooding set-up for LAST REMAINS into the mix. As such, there’s plenty here for long-term fans to enjoy whilst still providing enough for newcomers to go on to quickly get up to speed with the plot.
After seeing Spider-Man and the Green Goblin fight side-by-side last issue against the Sin Eater, it was inevitable the Goblin would betray him. However, Spidey’s subsequent fit of rage and his decision to leave Norman behind in the ruins of Ravencroft as he escaped with The Order of the Web now pays off big time with the frightening aftermath of what that battle holds for Sin Eater, Norman Osborne and Kindred alike. Throw in a frightening encounter for The Order of the Web, a crushing defeat for Spider-Man, a visit to Doctor Strange, and some rather ominous interludes with Kindred and the stage is set for what might well become one of Spider-Man’s darkest and scariest stories ever.
Patrick Gleason takes over artistic duties with this issue of Amazing Spider-Man to craft the distinctive tone and style of the saga that is LAST REMAINS. Using a striking mix of overlapping page layouts and bold splash-pages to convey the action, Gleason packs every scene with rich detail and grim atmosphere, which, together with colorist Edgar Delgado’s subtle use of intricate shades and hues, ensures this issue of Amazing Spider-Man is a visual treat. Spider-Man’s frenetic flight from the danger and horror he encounters is also hauntingly portrayed, as is his conversation later with Doctor Strange about the fate of The Order of the Web, Norman Osborne’s sinister encounter in the bowels of Ravencroft is steeped in horrific menace, and Kindred looks absolutely terrifying. Overall I was really impressed with the style of Patrick Gleason’s work on this issue of Amazing Spider-Man and look forward to seeing more.
Nick Spencer’s run on Spider-Man has had its ups and downs for sure, the early optimism and back to basics approach of the relaunch did go on to get bogged down in a deluge of seemingly unrelated events and crossovers, but for the most part I’ve enjoyed the majority of Spencer’s run and Amazing Spider-Man #50 really sets the series back on a more even keel — more so perhaps than even last issues super-sized 850th extravaganza.
Aside from brining two years’ worth of plotlines to fruition, what really makes Amazing Spider-Man #50 stand out is how Kindred’s gruesome agenda begins to take shape as this skin-crawlingly disturbing villain steps from the shadows for the first time. Nick Spencer has teased us for a while now as Kindred Spider-Man’s life, watching, waiting and plotting. Amazing Spider-Man #50 is an excellent milestone issue, elements of Spencer’s run begin to slot into place to reveal a much wider picture as Kindred’s identity is uncovered, and its a bombshell of a revelation that is sure to rock Spider-Man’s world to the core!
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Writer: Nick Spencer / Artist: Patrick Gleason
Colorist: Edgar Delgado / Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramanga
Cover: Patrick Gleason and Morry Hollowell
About The Author
Hi, I’m Paul Bowler, blogger and reviewer of films, TV shows, and comic books. I’m a Sci-Fi geek, a big fan of Doctor Who, Star Trek, movies, Sci-Fi, Horror, Comic Books, and all things PS4.You can follow me on Twitter @paul_bowler,or at my website, Sci-Fi Jubilee, and on YouTube and Facebook
That’s one amazing covert art!
I really like this cover for Amazing Spider-Man as well, brilliant artwork.
Haven’t read it yet but looking forward to it. Great review.
Its a great issue of Amazing Spider-Man and it brings a lot of plot lines to a head, enjoy, this is one epic scale milestone issue!
Before I started my break from comics, I was enjoying Nick Spencer’s Spider-Man run. It really sounds like a series worth catching up on. Spider-Man teaming up with the Green Goblin. Don’t tell me how that came into being, but that’s got me really curious. I think one of the last issues I read was Parker hanging out with a bunch of Boomerang’s buddies at a bar (after having become roommates), and that one was kind of fascinating.
Ah yes, I remember the story you mention where Peter was hanging out with Boomerang and his pals. That was a fun story. Indeed, the early half of Nick Spencer’s run was a nice return to basics and quite a lot of fun as well. There were two big crossover events after that, one with Kraven and another with Carnage. Then the Goblin stuff. Sure they are all in trade collections now if you want to catch up. Amazing Spider-Man #50 is a good jumping on point though as it recaps a lot of stuff. I’ve enjoyed Spencer’s run a quite a lot and I’m excit4ed now to see where this big storyline goes next as Spidey and Kindred head towards their inevitable showdown.
Got to admit that I’m out of touch with what’s going in with Spider-Man, although I read the back end of Dan Slott’s run (which I enjoyed) I didn’t carry on when Nick Spencer took over, but I do generally like his stuff.
Sounds like an exciting new story arc, I forgot Patrick Gleason had gone over to Marvel…I have a bit of love/hate thing with his art, I know it looks good but leans a little towards the cartoonish for me, I could never shake the feeling that his Superman looked a bit like Mr. Incredible (which you can’t unsee once you think about it…sorry haha)!!!
I’ve enjoyed Nick Spencer’s run on Amazing Spider-Man for the most part, and I think he’s done a good job of getting the character more on an even keel. This issue is a great jumping on point as well. I quite like Patrick Gleason’s art, his cartoonish style really suits Spider-Man, especially how he draws Spidey’s eyes on the costume, but I have to agree his Superman wasn’t to my taste either.
Yeah, good point, I was thinking that the cartoonish style is a better fit for something like Spider-Man!
His art style really suits the wall crawler and captures the more exaggerated near nuances, especially the eyes, brilliantly.