Writer: Zeb Wells
Pencilers: John Romita Jr, Emilio Laiso & Zé Carlos;
Inkers: Scott Hanna, Emilio Laiso & Zé Carlos
Colorist: Marcio Menyz & Bryan Valenza
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Cover Artists: John Romita Jr, Scott Hanna & Marcio Menyz; Elena Cassagrande & Jordie Bellaire; Jim Cheung & Jay David Ramos; John Tyler Christopher; Greg Land & Frank D’Armata; George Pérez & Alex Sinclair
Publisher: Marvel
Price: $9.99
Release Date: August 9, 2023
Peter Parker’s friend Randy is marrying Janice Lincoln. Can Tombstone’s supervillain daughter be a good wife to a Daily Bugle editor’s son? Can Peter be a Best Man without breaking out the old red-and-blue? Let’s fwip into Amazing Spider-Man #31 and find out!
If you’re interested in this comic, series, related trades, or any of the others mentioned, then simply click on the title/link to snag a copy through Amazon as you read The Amazing Spider-Man #31 Review.
Story
Tombstone wants his girl’s big day to go without a hitch, so the crime boss insists all his associates attend. The night before, Janice parties like it’s 1999, while Randy’s bachelor party in Atlantic City struggles. Yet the lovebirds’ final night of freedom proves magical in unexpected ways. The next day, as the sun shines upon attendees in Marcus Garvey Park, Peter seats Hammerhead across the aisle from Aunt May. The psychopath’s associates wait for Peter to escort them. Things seem to go swimmingly, but as Tombstone quietly tells his daughter, getting married is always an insane decision. At least the crime boss has tried to make his daughter’s wedding bulletproof.
While readers can look forward to a little Spidey action, this first story focuses on relationships: what makes them work and how and why they fail. How do you sustain a commitment to someone you care about? Can you know you’re the right partner for the one you adore? Zeb Wells’ story puts Randy and Peter’s romances under the spotlight while highlighting how committing to the love of your life affects everyone else caught in your web. This first story in Amazing Spider-Man #31 satisfies, even though it dwells on the more personal aspects of Peter Parker’s life. I wish Wells had foreshadowed Peter and Black Cat’s chat more. After following this run since issue #9, I identified with Randy’s situation but didn’t know him.
Art
An enticing array of villains populate Amazing Spider-Man #31. While I want to read more about them, Bunny and Hammerhead struck me as cold fish, and I couldn’t help but warm to Tombstone. The nightclub scenes are exhilarating. Later the ladies don their costumes and strut their stuff for energetic and electrifying fun. Peter and Randy’s quieter evening pulses with energy, even if the boys are the stillness at the heart of the storm. Sometimes Marcio Menyz and Bryan Valenza’s colors look soft. At other times they’re vibrant. They always provide contrast, give the characters individuality, and enrich the background. The glowing lights of Atlantic City, and the nightclub’s dazzling illumination, evoke rapture.
Ms. Marvel Story
Writer: Zeb Wells
Artist: David López
Colorist: K. J. Diáz
Soft colors accompany Peter and Kamala’s heartfelt reunion in Amazing Spider-Man #31. It’s one of those If Only stories where a person gets more precious time with a late friend. I’m unsure how story events gel with the spell Emma Frost casts on Ms. Marvel’s behalf in X-Men #25, but I enjoyed it.
“The Man With All The Answers”
Writer: Dan Slott
Penciler: Mark Bagley
Inker: John Dell
Colorist: Edgar Delgado
Rich coloring and sharp, detailed art breathe atmosphere and charm into Doctor Octopus’ night out. Yet instead of dancing the night away or enjoying his favorite beverage, Ock’s desperately trying to reclaim lost knowledge in a villain’s bar. His integrated ocktoids try to help, but Octavius knows they can’t pull the secrets from his mind. Still, maybe there’s a way he can make himself whole—and superior–again. This one’s a perfect follow-up to the Ock’s recent tussle with Spidey and Golden Norman.
Mary Jane Story
Writer: Celeste Bronfman
Penciler: Alba Glez
Inkers: Elisabetta D’Amico & Craig Yeung
Colorist: Jim Campbell
Mary Jane and Paul tread the dark road of grief as Celeste Bronfman follows up her story in the Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1. The couple grapples with their children’s disappearance as they meet with a therapist and the authorities while trying to pick up the threads of ripped-and-torn lives. It doesn’t help that memories haunt their home, and the owner of their new abode inhabits an asylum. It’s a penetrating look at how grief isolates and unites. While nothing can take grief away, the story reminds us that friends can help us find a way through. It’s hard not to love the second half, but the first part—which unspools with narrative but little dialogue—is achingly real.
Spider-Woman Story
Farewell, Doc Ock! The Bar With No Name has filled with other supervillains. Of all those, Spider-Woman picks a fight with Taskmaster. This story follows the End Of The Spiderverse story in Dan Slott’s Spider-Man series. Confrontational and atmospheric, it makes me eager to follow her desperate search in Marvel’s upcoming Spider-Woman series.
“The Mother Of Invention”
Writer: Dan Slott
Artist: Paco Medina
Colorist: Erick Arciniega
This story in Amazing Spider-Man #31 starts with a chicken farmer. Or a rooster who’s also a farmer? Sadly, he can’t cock-a-doodle-do because something’s stuck in his craw. You’ll also meet a Tabby Cat maid, the suit-wearing parrot Polly, and the porcine butler Hogsworth. These Humanimals attend Madame Monstrosity, an elegant villainess unafraid of feeding anyone a poisoned apple if they steal her technology. This whimsical romp presages another Spidey series spinning out of the End Of The Spiderverse story. Might it feature a team-up with Squirrel Girl? Wait and see!
“The Case Of Perry Thomas”
Writer, Artist & Colorist: Albert Monteys
Carefree art sucks you into a typical creator’s dilemma. How do you deal with fandom? In this case, it’s Peter navigating the difficulties of hero worship. I like how Peter consults a fellow superhero on his dilemma but arrives at his solution.
“Spider-Man Loosey Goosey”
Writer, Artist & Colorist: Cale Atkinson
Atkinson’s delightful cartoon pays homage to Marvel’s brightest luminary. This too-short two-pager is something to honk about.
Huntress
Writer: Zeb Wells
Artist: Patrick Gleason
Colorist: Edgar Delgado
This teaser for the next issue is arresting, mesmerizing, and visually stunning. Told from Kraven The Hunter’s viewpoint, it sucks you into a nightmare world where life is death, love is hate, and violence is passion. Tell me more!
Dystopian Future Story
Writer & Artist: Kaare Andrews
This Blade Runner-like sequel to the miniseries Reign showcases a monstrous Wilson Fisk. Glittering, magical, and terrifying!
Lettering
Joe Caramagna’s talents guide you through the stories in Amazing Spider-Man #31. Black uppercase letters inhabit white dialogue balloons and colored narrative boxes. Rarely does the font shrink below the easily readable. I love how he intertwines Peter and Kamala’s dialogue in the opening panel of the Ms. Marvel story, and his sound effects always impress. The final tale features lowercase words, while the partially colored, gently rounded narrative boxes remind me of Ultimate Spider-Man, which served as my introduction to Spidey—and contemporary comics–a decade ago.
Final Thoughts
Stories in Amazing Spider-Man #31 ask if love can conquer all barriers and tease upcoming Spidey titles, making this issue a must-read for all Spider-fans.