The Amazing Spider-Man #25 (Marvel Comics)
Hello there! Padawan J here, the resident Star Wars expert from the ODPH! This week I'm going to be reviewing the 25th issue of The Amazing Spider-Man from Marvel Comics!
This issue presents to us Part 5 of the nine part crossover series titled Death Spiral! Spider-Man & Venom were on the trail of Torment with Carnage, BUT that was before Carnage turned and attacked them! Just how are they going to get out of this one? Let’s jump into it!
Credit: Marvel Comics // The Amazing Spider-Man #25 by Joe Kelly (Writer), Ed McGuinness (Penciler & Cover), Cliff Rathburn (Inker), Pere Perez (Spider-Versity Interlude Artist), Marcio Menyz & Erick Arciniega (Colorists), VC’s Joe Caramagna (Letterer), Marte Garcia (Cover) is an incredible issue that is going to leave you wanting more!
*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***
The Story
After the shocking conclusion to Part 4 in last week’s The Amazing Spider-Man #24, a lot of questions were left hanging in the air. Thankfully we didn’t have to wait long and for as many questions that were answered, we had just as many new ones raised! Joe Kelly wastes no time hitting the ground running, and we finally get to peel back the layers on some of what’s going on with Torment and their plans.
Kelly wastes no time jumping right into the action, and the issue picks up right where the previous one left off where we saw Venom & Spider-Man having to take on not only Torment but now Carnage as well. It’s a fantastic fight as you would expect, but the real intriguing part is the conversation between Carnage & Torment. It’s important to note as well that the conversation is specifically between Torment & Carnage and NOT Eddie Brock. I shouldn’t be surprised by just why Carnage decided to do what it did but I kind of was.
Carnage at the end of the day is a killer, and it makes no secret about that fact. No matter what universe we’re in and no matter what incarnation we’re reading the result is still the same, Carnage wants to kill. It’s also no secret that Carnage is not thrilled with the way things have been going since it joined up with Eddie last year. It does make for some interesting reading and a possible twist in the final 4 parts of this story, because can you really trust Carnage when it’s been acting so independently lately? Spider-Man & Venom can trust each other (for the most part), but I think Mary Jane is right when she brings up the fact “he’s broken” when referring to Eddie. Something seems off about Eddie, and I don’t quite know what it is right now. Maybe I’m wrong and maybe I’m reading too much into it, but it feels like there’s still a few more twists yet to come.
There’s also the interesting bit in the middle between Miles Morales & Norman Osborn having a conversation in Norman’s penthouse. It’s important to remember that while Death Spiral storyline is taking up so much time in the recent issues that there are other pieces in motion at the exact same time. While I don’t expect anything to come of their conversation in the next few issues, you can be sure that this storyline is going to develop into something in the near future.
As for how the issue ends, it’s an incredible ending that is sure to leave readers wanting more. It’s a big move on Torment’s part, and one that won’t go unnoticed or uncontested by the parties involved with the characters in the end. Expect another explosive issue when Part 6 drops in Venom #256!
The Artwork
I really like the way Ed McGuinness, Cliff Rathburn, Pere Perez, Marcio Menyz & Erick Arciniega worked on the artwork for the issue. They all managed to keep the familiar look and feel readers should be used to over the last decade or so for Spider-Man comics. Also I really enjoyed the use of color and just how dark it’s gotten over the last couple of issues. It’s obviously some heavy subject matter we’re dealing with in the issue and the use of color is definitely reflecting that.
Overall Grade: 9/10
The Death Spiral story is one you do not want to miss out on, and this issue raises the stakes even further than before. An incredible story from Joe Kelly, together with stunning artwork from an incredible team make this an issue you absolutely cannot pass up on!
