The Amazing Spider-Man #28 (Marvel Comics)
Hello there! Padawan J here, the resident Star Wars expert from the ODPH! This week I'm going to be reviewing the 28th issue of The Amazing Spider-Man from Marvel Comics!
Spider-Man is recovering from an incredibly difficult series of events recently. He was the defender of the Earth against the Scions of Cyttorak, then he was sent to the other end of the galaxy by Hellgate. Once he made it back he had to team up with Venom (Mary Jane Watson) & Carnage (Eddie Brock) to stop Torment from killing everyone related to them. So surely he’s gonna get 5 minutes to rest & relax right? Let’s jump into it!
Credit: Marvel Comics // The Amazing Spider-Man #28 by Joe Kelly (Writer), Cory Smith with Francesco Manna (Guest Pencilers), Oren Junior, Roberto Poggi & Francesco Manna (Inkers), Marcio Menyz & Erick Arciniega (Color Artists), VC’s Joe Caramana (Letterer), Corey Smith & Mate Garcia (Cover)
*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***
The Story
Peter is usually put through the proverbial wringer over the last couple of months as I mentioned above. So it’s time for some rest & relaxation right? Well unless you’re brand new to reading Spider-Man comics then you know the answer to that question! Joe Kelly tells a fantastic story in this issue that really is a nice transition between one story ending and another one beginning.
Peter has a LOT of pieces to pick up since the last time he had a moment to take care of his personal life. The first of which stretches back to when he was fighting Cyrios back in 2024! From there the story spins out in typical Spider-Man fashion where one crisis leads to another and nobody is giving him 30 seconds to solve a single problem.
I really liked how even without the world ending threat present throughout the issue, there were still some tension surrounding Peter. This didn’t feel like “filler” at all, and did a great job at setting up some interesting storylines for some upcoming issues. Let’s not forget there’s the crew Peter came back with from the other side of the universe now on Earth, there’s his cousin who now has his own suspicions surrounding Spider-Man’s identity, and oh then there’s the matter of what Mary Jane (or possibly Venom) did at the end of issue 27!
I really like the set up Joe Kelly does for the next storyline and other issues down the road. It’s such a breath of fresh air after previous runs were less than exciting to be honest. Joe Kelly is definitely hitting some familiar beats that feel familiar to long time Spider-Man fans, but he also makes this super accessible for readers who might not be as seasoned.
The Artwork
The entire art team did a spectacular job with this issue and it really stands out as some of the best artwork in the series thus far. While yes there is action sequences in the issue, it isn’t jam packed with them from start to finish. So as such they really had to do a great job with the backgrounds and the characters and they stepped up to and exceeded the expectations! I really enjoyed the final panel of the issue and just how it was drawn and the color used for it. It’s a great final note to end on that really gives you hope for how things will go for Peter moving forward.
Overall Grade: 9/10
If you’ve not been reading Amazing Spider-Man lately, this is the PERFECT issue to jump in on. A fantastic story that serves as a bridge between storylines that makes it the perfect entry point for new/lapsed readers. Together with artwork that is some of the best of the series, this is an issue you cannot pass up on!
