Writer: Zeb Wells

Artist: Carmen Carnero

Colorist: Marcio Menyz

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: John Romita Jr, Scott Hanna & Marcio Menyz; Carmen Carnero & Alejandro Sánchez; Alex Maleev; Vitale Mangiatordi

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $4.99

Release Date: March 13, 2024

Peter Parker brought a poorly decorated cake to Anna Watson’s birthday party. Mary Jane’s enraged aunt attacked her niece, Peter’s aunt May, and her other party guests. Mary Jane’s quick thinking and Spider-Man’s timely thwipping landed Aunt Anna in New York’s Ravencroft Institute. Can Spider-Man cure Anna Watson and help her return home? Let’s thwip into Amazing Spider-Man #45 and find out!

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Story

Shay Marken wears a brave face as she carries out her duties. Yet the inmates at Ravencroft Institute frighten her. Chief among those is Anna Watson. Sure, the kindly senior citizen projects an air of sweetness and gentleness. But when Anna’s Krakoan Derangement Syndrome manifested last year, she hurled her party guests around like a supervillain. Anna unleashes a torrent of abuse upon Shay as the young nurse arrives to feed her. It’s a good thing the Ravencroft staff keep Anna in a straitjacket. Were Anna to get Shay in her clutches, there’s no telling the violence she could unleash.

Peter Parker feels sorry for Anna when he sneaks into her cell. He promised Mary Jane he would carry her out of the Ravencroft Institute after delivering the antidote, but Anna objects. The woman’s manipulative and malicious ways vanish. She remembers hurting the people she cared about. In Amazing Spider-Man #45, Anna Watson refuses to leave until the Ravencroft staff releases her.

Norman Osborn has led a troubled life. The businessman has spent far more time as a villain than a hero. Peter hasn’t seen Norman much lately, as his boss sat out the Gang War to protect Oscorp. In their last interaction, Peter fears how Norman will react to his latest proposal. It could cost him his job and livelihood, but Peter believes it’s the right thing to do. Like leaving Aunt Anna in the Ravencroft Institute for the Criminally Insane until the staff and the city of New York release her.

Art

Lights reflect off the transparent cell walls and floor, leaving the hallway in Ravencroft’s residents’ wing awash in light. While the blue in Spider-Man’s costume blends with the light blue ceiling, the red webbing seems impossible for Nurse Marken to miss. Norman looks far more interested in his food when Peter visits his office in Amazing Spider-Man #45. Norman seems more remote than before he freed Peter from the sins that turned Peter into Black Spider-Goblin. Is it just business concerns that cloud Norman’s mind?

Marcio Menyz enhances Stormbreaker artist Carmen Carnero’s institutional scenes with cool blues, beiges, and grays. Menyz imbues Carnero’s realistic faces with warm skin tones. Foliage casts dappled shadows across Spider-Man’s red and blue suit as he peers through the orange-and-yellow sky at the Ravencroft Institute. Mary Jane’s vibrant hair and red, white, and black Jackpot attire stand out amid the surrounding greenery as the two friends meet, then turn away.

Joe Caramagna thwips uppercase black lettering into white dialogue balloons and narrative boxes. The font grows bold for inflection and rarely shrinks. Enlarged colored letters and colored balloon borders enhance sentences. Zeb Wells’ story doesn’t give Caramagna much license for sound effects. Yet a crunch and resultant yowl could hint at future developments in Amazing Spider-Man #45. Thanks to Marvel for providing this essential chapter of Peter Parker’s life for review.

Final Thoughts

Former villains remind Spider-Man that no one is above the law, Dr. Curtis Connors has something on his mind, and a new coalition threatens to give Peter Parker nightmares in Amazing Spider-Man #45.

9.8/10