Written by: Zeb Wells
Art by: Emilio Laiso
Colors by: Bryan Valneza
Letters by: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Cover art by: John Romita Jr., Marcio Menyz, Scott Hanna
Cover price: $4.99
Release date: August 14, 2024
Is Amazing Spider-Man #55 Good?
Amazing Spider-Man #55, by Marvel Comics on 8/14/24, enters the last arc of Zeb Wells’s run with a date. No, I’m not kidding. That’s it.
In an ASM run that will likely be remembered as one of the worst in Marvel history, Zeb Wells uses the first issue in the last arc of his tenure to do the last thing in the world he should be doing – nothing. I’d be surprised if I wasn’t so disappointed.
When last we left Peter Parker in Amazing Spider-Man #54, the “spirit” of Green Goblin passed between Peter and Norman Osborn in a bizarre game of hot potato before the entity was ultimately vanquished by the strength of Peter’s innate goodness. Yeah, it was a lousy ending.
In Amazing Spider-Man #55, Peter Parker makes his third attempt at going on a date with Ravencroft nurse Shay Marken. As usual, Peter is late after a tussle with the latest Stilt Man, so Shay is none too pleased and wonders aloud if there’s no point in going forward with the date.
After a lengthy back-and-forth involving a shockingly repetitive series of 6- and 8-panel pages as Peter and Shay talk, Peter excuses himself when he sees Rhino and Screwball fighting outside. When Peter begins to undress in the alley, he thinks the better of it and approaches the villains as Peter Parker, asking them to knock it off so he can have an uninterrupted date.
The issue ends with Screwball helping Rhino sign up for a dating app and a smooch for Peter.
I’m not kidding. That’s it.
There’s no villain setup for the final issues. No Tombstone appearance. No new arguments we haven’t heard before about Peter sacrificing his personal life for the greater good. No nothing.
I can’t even praise the art in this issue due to the ridiculous amount of repetitive panels with identical backgrounds.
Shame on Zeb Wells for wasting everyone’s time. Shame on Emilio Laiso for phoning in a lazy art job. And shame on Nick Lowe for being asleep at the wheel for years as the Spider-Man editor.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.
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Final Thoughts
Amazing Spider-Man #55 takes a break from nothing by sending Peter and Shay on a date. That’s it. That’s the whole issue. Zeb Wells’s run may go down as one of the worst in Marvel history, and this issue cinches it. The issue earns two points for getting the printing, stapling, and credits page right.
2/10
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