Writer: Nick Spencer
Artist: Mark Bagley
Colorist: Brian Reber
Cover Artists: Mark Bailey, John Dell & Brian Reber
Reviewer: StoryBabbler
The battle for the Lifeline Tablet is over and the Kingpin got what he wanted – his son, The Rose, is back. Spider-Man was betrayed by a friend he trusted, and is feeling down but ready to do something about it. However, Amazing Spider-Man #66 throws a few surprises towards the web-slinger’s way.
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Review:
With everything that happened in the last issue, this comic is a simple cool-down story. The issue shows where the main players are after the events of King’s Ransom and where they’re all likely going to be doing going forward. There’s no thrilling story here, the comic just moves from one point to the next to set up more stories and subplots.
From the get-go, Baron Mordo is wrapping up his “interrogation” with Kindred but is interrupted by Norman Osborn. However, this is anything but a happy reunion as Kindred makes his intentions clear to Norman Osborn very quickly. To anyone following the Kindred storyline, we all could’ve seen this outcome coming light years away.
Another point of this comic is that it talks about how big of a deal the return of The Rose is, but it doesn’t show or explain why. Does he have superpowers, is he a ruthless criminal mastermind on par with his father or better? Nothing. The comic doesn’t provide a good impression as to why his resurrection is a big deal and bad news for the heroes. Hopefully the next issue rectifies this.
There is a bit of a touching moment in the comic where Robbie and Tombstone are with their kids at a jazz bar. It’s a more wholesome moment to be sure, as the two call a truce for their kids’ sake. But then the comic goes right to setting up the next subplot, then the next subplot, and the more immediate setup, maybe, for the upcoming Chameleon Conspiracy.
Spoilers:
So, I have a minor issue with how the other heroes in this story arc are written – the Defenders, Wolverine, Jessica Drew aka Spider-Woman, and Hawkeye. During this comic, Luke Cage basically says that they should do something about the Kingpin and take him down. My question: Why didn’t they do that before? Heck, this could’ve been what the whole story arc was about instead of focusing on Randy and Beetle. Where the Kingpin’s trying to get the Lifeline Tablet, the Defenders try to take him down or out, while Spider-Man’s just trying to stop the madness.
But now it feels a little too late to be exploring this story now that the next issue will lead into the next big Spider-Man story arc – The Chameleon Conspiracy. If Nick Spencer tries to cram this storyline in there too, then it’s going to be even more bloated than it probably will end up being.
Final Thoughts:
Amazing Spider-Man #66 shows the aftermath of King’s Ransom and sets up the next big story arc or several. However, there’s only story setup and a few surprise character re-introductions to set up future stories. Some that Spider-Man fans may or may not remember. It also talks about how big of a deal The Rose’s return is but never shows or even explains why. Hopefully the next issue brings everything up to speed.