The Amazing Spider-Man #33 (Marvel Comics)

Hello there! Padawan J here, the resident Star Wars expert from the ODPH! This week I'm going to be reviewing the 33rd issue of The Amazing Spider-Man from Marvel Comics!

Spider-Man is dealing with A LOT these days. He’s trying to put his life back together after an extended period of time in outer space, and he’s also dealing with the shocking revelation that he has a cousin! So just how much more complicated can it get? Enter Damage Control! Let’s jump into it!

Credit: Marvel Comics // The Amazing Spider-Man #33 by Joe Kelly (Writer), Ed McGuinness (Penciler), Mark Farmer (Inker), Marcio Menyz (Color Artist), VC’s Joe Caramanga (Letterer), Ed McGuinness & Marcio Menyz (Cover)

*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***

The Story

Joe Kelly really is taking the story into an interesting place right now and while it doesn’t feel like a major earth shattering story in every issue, it does however deliver an impactful story that at it’s heart feels like a quintessential Spider-Man story. There’s a lot of stories taking place in this issue, but he takes the proper time to flesh each story out in a way that makes them all feel equal in importance.

Peter is trying to do the right thing by his newfound cousin Cormac & his Aunt May. He knows he owes that much to her at least, and he appears to be willing to put in the effort despite some misgivings he has (more on that later). However the family outing gets cut short when duty calls and Peter has to go off and be Spider-Man. Things get a little complicated when during the battle a group from Damage Control come to Spider-Man’s assistance much to his surprise. I feel like this group is going to end up causing more trouble than they will end up solving, but as always time will tell.

You’ve also got Cormac going out of his way to be incredibly friendly and helpful to Aunt May to make up for lost time. And perhaps it might be a little TOO eager and friendly to help. Peter certainly has his suspicions as he visits Robbie at the Daily Bugle and poses the question “Who is Cormac Crane?” in spiderwebs. Personally, I don’t trust the guy and his whole act is not passing the smell test. I’m willing to be proven wrong, but I get the feeling a larger force/enemy is at play.

The Artwork

Ed McGuinness, Mark Farmer & Marcio Menyz are all in charge of the artwork for this issue and it’s as outstanding as you would expect. It retains the familiar look fans will be used to, while packing an incredible punch in the action sequences. You can tell they all put an incredible amount of work into each panel and it really comes through across the pages.

Overall Grade: 8/10

A fantastic issue that feels like quintessential Spider-Man in the story and artwork. Joe Kelly’s work is simply can’t miss and this issue is no exception!