Writers: Nick Spencer & Ed Brisson
Artists: Marcelo Ferreira, Carlos Gómez & Zé Carlos
Colorists: Morry Hollowell, Andrew Crossley & Erick Arciniega
Cover Artists: Mark Bailey, John Dell & Brian Reber
Reviewer: StoryBabbler
Spider-Man is for a wave of surprises. First, his super-spy sister breaks into a prison to interrogate the Chameleon. Then Betty Brant calls Peter to let him know the good news, while other previous enemies conspire to stage an incredible heist. As Amazing Spider-Man #68 will show, Spidey’s going to have a lot on his plate, more than he knows.
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Review:
Last issue, Teresa Parker broke into a Symkarian prison for what seemed like an attempt to kill the Chameleon, but really she’s there for answers about her past. And the clandestine supervillain introduces her to The Finisher, the man who killed the Parkers. However, the comic puts that on the back-burner and doesn’t reveal any big answers to explore all the other subplots.
This is one of the troubling elements of this comic, it has potentially too many moving pieces. First, there’s the supposed Chameleon conspiracy, then there’s Betty being pregnant with Ned Leeds’ child (don’t worry it focuses a lot on that). Then there’s the whole Clairvoyant heist as I’m calling it, with a bunch of C and D-list supervillains. It feels like there’s too much going on all at once.
The explanation behind Ned’s return is confusing. I’m not the biggest Hobgoblin fan, but I’m aware of the twist reveals behind his past secret identities. It feels convoluted at first, and I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the explanations given for his return are major retcons. Even the story of how the two meet again is just as odd, but not that crazy.
However, the plot finds a way to connect Betty & Ned’s big story with the Clairvoyant heist that Jamie Tolentino is forced to do with Gambler and The Foreigner. Now this story is a little more fun and entertaining as their heist has some interesting fun twists and developments. But of course, Spider-Man swings in to put a stop to all of that.
Despite this storyline’s name, I have to re-iterate, it feels less like the Chameleon is the main villain and more like The Finisher is the true criminal mastermind here. Like it’s his game everyone’s playing, whether they know it or not. And I have this sneaking suspicion that even the Clairvoyant heist will play into his plot, too. In the meantime, the comic shows more setup for the Sinister War, as the comic builds up the return of the Sinister Six.
Final Thoughts:
Amazing Spider-Man #68 puts the Chameleon on standby to explain a few other things. For anyone looking to see the Chameleon in action, you’ll still have to wait. That storyline is put on hold while the comic focuses on Ned Leeds’ return and the supervillain heist for the Catalyst. The former feels somewhat confusing while the latter feels a little more fun to read.