Writer: Patrick Gleason
Artist: Mark Bagley
Color Artists: Bryan Valenza, Dijjo Lima & Andrew Crossley
Cover Artists: Arthur Adams & Alejandro Sanchez
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Reviewer: StoryBabbler
The Beyond Corporation is on the attack! Their method: Queen Goblin! Their target: Spider-Man! Too bad for them, it’s not Ben Reilly she’s fighting – it’s Peter Parker back as Spider-Man! Now, Peter is taking the fight to Queen Goblin herself in Amazing Spider-Man #90!
Review:
Wow. That synopsis couldn’t be more wrong. If there’s anyone coming out triumphant in this comic, it’s Spider-Man. The comic does gives readers a glimpse as to what happened with Ben and Janine immediately after he left the battle. It provides readers where his head’s at, revealing why he left and showing what his next move will be and just where the story will be going in the next couple of issues. However, the amount of Ben in this comic is pretty slim compared to Peter Parker.
Last issue, Peter returned back as Spider-Man and we get to see him take on Queen Goblin in this comic. Patrick Gleason does a solid job writing Peter, whether it’s his inner monologue or his spoken lines, he has a handle on the character’s voice and doesn’t miss a beat with his characterization. Mark Bagley’s art compliments the story with a lot of momentum as it provides a sense of a rush going on while the hero and villainess are fighting.
Speaking of Queen Goblin, she’s not much better here, but she’s not any worse either. Queen Goblin serves her purpose as a “functional” super-villain, where she’s here to pose a threat and advance the plot, nothing more. But she does so without coming off as a lightweight or pushover. Her fight with Peter is illustrated pretty well with Mark Bagley’s art and the colorists do a great job from start to finish. One thing Gleason does well with Queen Goblin is use her to attack her enemies with their own inner demons.
This leads to a great portion of the comic where we see how Peter overcomes this attack brought out by Queen Goblin. Some of it is predictable yet servicable, but the way Gleason has Peter emotionally bounce back and overcome the attack with Bagley’s art helps sell the moment even better than it normally would be in any other story.
Final Thoughts:
Amazing Spider-Man #90 continues the fight between Queen Goblin and Spider-Man. While the new villainess isn’t that great, she serves her purpose well for what she is. Gleason does a good job with the characterization for all of the characters, especially Peter and Ben. His writing coupled with Mark Bagley’s art and the colors provided by the colorists make this comic a fun read.