Tags
60th Anniversary, Amazing Spider-Man #1, Amazing Spider-Man #1 (2022) Review, Amazing Spider-Man #1 review, Human Torch, John Romita Jr., Marvel, Marvel Comics, MJ, Peter Parker, Scott Hanna, Spider-Man, Zeb Wells
Amazing Spider-Man #1
Review by Paul Bowler
So, what exactly did Spider-Man do web heads? That’s the burning question behind Marvel’s April 27 relaunch of Amazing Spider-Man #1 (2022), as Peter Parker’s life spirals out of control in the run up to Spider-Man 60th Anniversary celebrations. Probably the biggest draw for this latest reboot is acclaimed Spider-Man artist John Romita Jr’s return to Marvel after a long stint at DC, and that this run also sees the return of JR.JR.’s longterm inking collaborator Scott Hanna as well.
Amazing Spider-Man #1 also sees fan favourite writer Zeb Wells – who spearheaded the ASM Beyond storyline — taking up the reins for his first solo run on a Spider-Man title. The issues starts with a bang, or at least the aftermath of some game-changing event for the wall crawler, before fast forwarding six months to where we discover Peter is well and truly down on the old Parker luck again, and this time it looks like there might be no way back for him. He’s at odds with the Avengers and the FF, dodging debt collectors for medical bills, there are rifts with his friends, MJ doesn’t want anything to do with him, and even Aunt May has cut him loose. Throw in the imminent threat of a gang war between Tombstone and the Rose, with Doctor Octopus scheming in the background along with a new mystery villain, and it quickly become apparent why Peter isn’t exactly behaving like a friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man these days.
Art wise John Romita Jr. brings his A-game to the table, with his distinctive angular line art totally firing on all cylinders here to give the book a highly stylised look and feel. JR.JR’s art style is one that people either love-or hate, but I feel it totally suits the somewhat downbeat air of mystery and suspense that Zeb Wells is clearly striving to hook us with and get everyone on board for this new era. John Romita Jr’s work is perfectly complemented by Scott Hanna’s intricate inking style, and together they nail some great character moments and hit all the right emotional beats, especially the scene where the Human Torch drops in to see how Peter’s doing, and the big action-set piece where Spider-Man takes on the Gamma-irradiated gangster Digger is another highlight. The vibrant colors by Marcio Menyz also really stand-out, and ASM lettering aficionado Joe Caramagna does a fantastic job with making this issues dialogue heavy sequences flow smoothly.
Fanfare and hype aside Amazing Spider-Man #1 certainly provides a good set-up for something that has a lot of potential — especially if that jaw-dropping reveal at the end of the issue is anything to go by! Did we really need another relaunch and volume of Spider-Man? Well, probably not, but then that’s modern comics these days. I did enjoy the story and the art in Amazing Spider-Man #1 a lot more that I was expecting to be honest. I will certainly stick with it for a few issue and see where it goes from here. My only real concerns are the big plans Marvel have coming up for Spider-Man, the X-Men, Avengers and Eternals that will apparently begin to unfold in their Judgement Day Free Comic Book Day special, especially what’s apparently in store for MJ and Peter – which I find particularly unsettling. Until then I’ll be looking forward to seeing how this new Amazing Spider-Man volume shapes up in the months ahead, this book has a great creative team, here’s hoping they can deliver on the promising start they’ve made here with this first issue.
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
Publisher Marvel Comics / Writer Zeb Wells
Artist John Romita JR. / Inker Scott Hanna
Colorist Marcio Menyz / Letterer VC’s Joe Caramagna
Cover Artists JR.JR, Scott Hanna & Marcio Menyz
Sci-Fi Jubilee 
Will be reading this one later today. I do think a new #1 was unwarranted but not that big a deal when it comes down to it.
This new Amazing Spider-Man series certainly gets off to a strong start and the creative team work really well. I don’t think a new #1 was really necessary either really, but that’s just part and parcel with the modern comics industry now. I really liked the art as well, think JR.JR did a really good job with this issue.
This is the first issue of Spidey I’ve bought in years. I used to be a big fan of the comic. In fact it was the first series I regularly collected when I was a teenager back in the Victorian era. I really enjoyed this issue, both the story and the art. It pulled me right in and I’m already looking forward to issue 2.
I was the same collecting Spider-Man as well. I’ve kind of dipped in and out of the series in latter years, but still a big fan of Spider-Man. I really enjoyed this new Spider-Man #1 as well, I thought the story set up lots of potential and mystery. The art was great as well. Nice to see some classic villains and new villains appear as well.
I thought Parker was dead? when did he come back to life and become Spiderman again? I am soooo confused….
That was back when there was a kind of Freaky Friday body swap that happened when a dying Doctor Octopus swapped mind and bodies with Peter Parker in 2013-2014’s Superior Spider-Man. Peter was soon back in the weed though and the Amazing Spider-Man comic has been rebooted thrice over since then. This is a good jumping on point if you’ve been out of the loop with everything Spider-Man for a long while.
Apparently I HAVE been out of the loop 🙂
Well, I guess I’ll keep watching this blog to see what happens next!
Yeah, there certainly have been some big changes for Spider-Man over the years. I can understand how new readers or even long term fans can wonder what on Earth is going on in comics sometimes. Cheers, glad you enjoyed the review and I’ll do my best to keep you informed about what happens next. 🙂
Although I wish Marvel would stop canceling their books and start over with new Number 1 issues, I really enjoyed this new volume/chapter in Spider-Man ‘s life.
As usual, Romina, Jr. shows why he is one of the best Spider-Man artists and it’s great to see him back on the book where he belongs. Meanwhile, Wells hooked me in with the story and wow that ending was a true shock and will probably earn the title some more attention!
So far, this is off to a promising start!
I feel the same way and am a bit tired of Marvel’s continual rebooting and relaunching with new #1’s all the time. I have to say though I really enjoyed this new start for Spider-Man and how its turned Peter’s life upside down. The mystery of how and why it all happened is a great hook Wells has used to draw you into the story. The art by JR.JR was also excellent. So glad to see him back at Marvel and Spider-Man again as I’ve enjoyed his work so much on previous volumes of Spider-Man. All in all a great start to the new volume and I’m excited to see where it all goes from here.
I’ve never been a fan of Romita Jr.’s art, but being forced to start at the bottom after some sort of recent event does sound like it could lead to a great Spider-Man story. Haven’t read much from Zeb Wells, but I enjoyed what I have read.
I’ve always liked JR.RJ’s art, but I know his style isn’t for everyone. Guess he’s been around for some of my favourite Spider-Man stories in the past, so that’s why I like his work so much. His move back to Marvel is a welcome move, I never wen’t much on his work at DC that much. Zeb Wells a good new writer. As this new era spins out of the previous Beyond storyline its a good move to take things in a radically different direction and it will build things again from the ground up – especially for new or returning readers.
Oooo! This will be a treat to read!
It was a such an exciting story and it set up so much mystery as well. I’m excited to see how this storyline develops in this new era of Spider-Man!
Constant rebooting to number #1 means to me that comics are no longer a collectible. How unimpressive to say you own Amazing Spiderman #1 when there are so many now. I will forever be a fan but I stopped regularly buying during the Superior years (the 80’s was the decade I was the most involved in I read and collected from 82-92, then primarily was a reader from 93 on). But I do like JRJR and Hanna, who I met a few times at a local comic shop here in Pa (Scott lives in the area). Your review kinda makes me want to check it out.
I agree, to a point. I think the constant rebooting in comics has burst the collecting bug for many, especially from an investment perspective. I also prefer the 70’s & 80’s eras of comics. That will always be my favourite for comics. I’ve had periods where I’ve stopped buying comics but II still always seem to come back. The biggest draw for me with this new Spider-Man series was the return of JR JR to Marvel as I’ve always liked his work, and so far the new direction and mystery at the heart of this storyline has got me hooked. While most aspects of modern comics, reboots, big events, tie in’s, digital, and the awful move to Substack that some creators have made don’t interest me at all, my love for comics will never fade. No matter how formulaic modern comics can get sometimes, there’s always decades of Classic stuff to go back to and read again… and again…. and again! 🙂