Amazing Spider-Man #13

by SeanerSurfer on January 26, 2015

Amazing Spider-Man #13
 
Spider-Verse continues with furious anger in Part 5 on Wednesday and showcases Spider-Ben, Uncle Ben who becomes the Spider-Man. If you are not up-to-date with Spider-Verse, turn away now because massive spoilers are in your future.
 
This issue has everything for every Spidey fan, including referencing Leopardon from the last installment of Spider-Verse. There is a lot going on in this issue, and Dan Slott is tying all of the events from all of the series together in masterful fashion. The first stand-out moment of this issue is that Peter takes off his mask when he hears Uncle Ben talking. This shows that Slott understands the character and sends reverberations through the heartstrings of all fans of Spider-Man lore. Granted, Ben’s trajectory in this story is a bit predictable – it is incredible to think that Peter and Uncle Ben will be fighting side by side in the near future.
 
Uncle Ben had a brief origin story play out in this issue with art to complement the grand retelling of classic Spidey stories. When Ben tells us that he lost his wife and his nephew, the artwork is very reminiscent of the classic “Spider-Man No More,” story line. This was a great throwback for veteran readers and a key reference for those new to Parker’s struggles in the big city. The amount of time that the issue spends on Uncle Ben is tantamount to the time it spends on Silk and Spider-Gwen. Albeit, it is not a lot of time as this issue handles a number of conflicts expertly in just a few pages.
 
Silk and Spider-Gwen are both slated to have their own series after the conclusion of Spider-Verse so it is only logical to devout enough time to readers to gain an understanding for the heroics of the heroines. Silk realizes that she doomed Spider-Woman on Loomworld and yearns to tears her out the bind the broken transporter Silk gave to Jessica. Gwen knows that she must help her and they vow to be back before any one notices.
 
If anyone noticed, Miles Morales seemed to have created himself a Spider-Corps. We will see if this is any indication to the fate of Miles after Secret Wars.
 
Morlun and his siblings notice and set out to fulfill their quest of extracting the blood of The Other, The Scion, and The Bride. Readers have to notice Marvel’s efforts to make the storyline very heroine-centric while giving Parker and SpOck (Superior Spider-Man) the heart of the conflict without devoting all of the pages to them. It is a very interesting dichotomy which has played out well so far. Otto realizes for Peter to be there, that he must have lost everything. This doesn’t stop Otto from giving an impassioned speech to Uncle Spider-Ben to stand up and fight.
 
For those whom found quarry with Otto as Spider-Man, myself omitted, this must be a redefining character moment as it is very powerful and transcendent through Spider-Man lore. However, one has to ask themselves, is Slott just writing himself out a Gordian Knot here in order to bring Otto Octavius back into 616 continuity? I think that he is doing this with a veteran effort.
 
This is probably the most emotional and moving installment of Spider-Verse yet which can only mean that the great battle is on the horizon! Web up because it is about to get wild! All in all, a stellar issue and one for the ages. If you still can, pick up your copy today!
 
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Recommended reading: Amazing Spider-Man #51

Undervalued book of the week: I couldn't do it better than my friend in the hunt over at EarlyRetirementDiary, so go buy Teen Titan books while you have a chance! My only other word of advice is look into Firestorm because the CW plans on pumping a ton of money into Robbie.

Our Score:

9/10

A Look Inside