A new team of familiar creators injects some magic — literally — into Peter Parker’s life in The Amazing Spider-Man #61, kicking off the much-hyped “The 8 Deaths of Spider-Man” storyline. Writer Joe Kelly and artist Ed McGuinness have worked separately on The Amazing Spider-Man in the past and collaborated on several other projects, including the Spider-Man/Deadpool team-up series. The duo typically bring out the best in one another. That remains true with their reunion in the opening chapter “The 8 Deaths of Spider-Man,” which delivers pretty much what anyone would expect from a Spider-Man story but with extra polish and a gimmicky hook.
As The Amazing Spider-Man #61 begins, Peter Parker gets a triple dose of the “Parker Luck.” A run-in with a newbie villain called Burnout leads to him losing F.E.A.S.T. money that Aunt May had entrusted to him, breaking his camera, and missing a lunch date with his current girlfriend, Shay. Kelly brings the requisite repartee as Spider-Man workshops Burnout’s burgeoning supervillain career throughout the midair showdown, drawn with McGuinness’s (and inker Mark Farmer’s) signature strong, dynamic poses, fluid action, powerful splash pages, and energetic characterizations.
It’s practically the platonic ideal of a modern Spider-Man comic up until Doctor Doom shows up and tries to forcibly conscript Spidey into fulfilling something called “The Covenant,” at which point Spider-Man gets drug into a magical conflict that’s usually out of a wheelhouse. After initially refusing Doom’s cryptic call to action, a run-in with a scion of an eldritch god causes Spidey to reconsider. One flashback infodump and magically-enhanced new costume later and Spidey is weaving arcane webs against his powerful new foe in a battle preordained to end with the first of his eight-fold fatalities.
Amazing Spider-Man #61 repeatedly emphasizes that Spider-Man is out of his depth here, being a hero who typically deals with street crooks rather than extradimensional demons or cosmic gods. Visually, the idea is held up by the switch in artistic style when flashing back to the actions of young Doctor Strange that set the stage for the current story (depicted over a few gorgeous pages of Nico Henrichon artwork). Whether this attempt to paint Spider-Man as a B-list hero within the Marvel universe tracks with Spider-Man’s history is debatable — when he’s not playing the part of “Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man,” Spidey has been involved with wars secret, civil, infinite, Hulk, and of the realms — Kelly seems determined to link Spidey not being a heavy-hitter in the hero space to Peter Parker’s inability to get his personal life together. Peter Parker and Spider-Man both need to level up and figuring out how to step up as Spider-Man may give Peter some insight into how to manage his hectic life without the mask.
[RELATED: 8 Deaths of Spider-Man: Where to Start Reading the New Era of The Amazing Spider-Man
That’s a fine enough premise, thematically, but the plot mechanics are hamfisted and tacky. Spider-Man ends up with another new costume. However, the frequency with which Marvel trots out new Spider-Man costumes saps the moment of any potential thematic weight even before noticing that the new suit is hardly Spidey’s best look. What’s worse is that this suit — or whatever magical incantation Doom used to summon it — seemingly downloaded all the magical know-how Peter needs to cast spells and wield magic powers on a whim. Thematically, it clashes with Spidey’s whole deal, granting him new power without any particular responsibility. More practically, it feels like a narrative shortcut, like a training montage without the montage.
Kelly and McGuinness can capably deliver a story in the tried and true Amazing Spider-Man mold, as the first half of this issue attests. They’re trying something different, which is commendable, but endowing Spidey with magical powers feels more like a stunt than a meaningful story. More depth may come as the story progresses. For now, readers are better off enjoying the nice art and snappy dialog.
Published By: Marvel Comics
On: November 13th, 2024
Written By: Joe Kelly
Art By: Ed McGuinness, Mark Farmer, Nico Henrichon
Colors By: Marcio Menyz
Letters By: Joe Caramagna
The post Amazing Spider-Man #61 Review: Old Spidey, New Magic appeared first on ComicBook.com.
