The Amazing Spider-Man #55 Review
Writer: Nick Spencer
Artist: Patrick Gleason
Colorist: Edgar Delgado
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Publisher: Marvel Comics
So it’s come to this. After two and a half years, this is supposed to be the big conclusion to the much-hyped Last Remains story. “Conclusive” is a laughable way to describe this, really. It literally ends on a cliff-hanger that has to be immediately addressed in the next issue. As I’ve seen several users point out on Reddit, we the readers know just as much about Kindred as we did when the story first started. I mean, okay, sure, we know he’s Harry, but I’ve talked already about why it’s pointless to hint so directly at a mystery only for the reveal to be exactly what was expected. I really can’t think of a more fitting way to describe this arc than the phrase, “spinning its wheels”. Who can we blame? It definitely feels like there was some sort of editorial meddling here, but surely something else could have been done. For now, it is a legitimate possibility that we will have to wait another fifty issues before this is wrapped up, which is just absurd. No matter how it ends up playing out, this going down as one of the most drawn out and exhaustive Spider-Man stories because of this execution. It’s just so unnatural, the way the characters aren’t asking the most obvious questions, like how Kindred could be who he says he is or what he wants.
It’s almost impressive how much Spencer keeps adding to the mix without actually moving the plot forward at all. The recent .LR issue revealed that Norman was somehow immune to the Sin-Eater’s bullet, and he was his same old self the whole time. I’m sure that Spencer will explain that in the coming issues, but it doesn’t change the fact that it has only further ruined the pacing of this story. Kingpin’s involvement and interference at the end of the issue is more of the same. At this rate, the first three quarters of this run are going to be setting up questions, with the last answering them, and I’m sorry, but you just can’t expect the readers to care for that long.
There is always the part of me that is happy to have Gleason and Delgado doing the interior art of this book. It’s great, of course, in all the ways that I’ve said before. It’s hard to ignore the inconsistencies between Gleason and Bagley, though. Are they inconsistencies? Or is it intentional? Hard to say. Spider-Man punches a whole through Kindred’s face in this issue and he’s fine, but in a previous one, Kindred removed his mask to reveal Harry underneath. There’s obviously something supernatural going on here, duh. But how does this work? Why make it seems like a mask?
Once again, I’ve had a lot of faith in Nick Spencer’s story telling for a long time, but this is ridiculous. Don’t expect much out of this one – certainly not any sense of finality. The art is great, but that’s really all I can say for it.
Artist: Patrick Gleason
Colorist: Edgar Delgado
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Publisher: Marvel Comics
So it’s come to this. After two and a half years, this is supposed to be the big conclusion to the much-hyped Last Remains story. “Conclusive” is a laughable way to describe this, really. It literally ends on a cliff-hanger that has to be immediately addressed in the next issue. As I’ve seen several users point out on Reddit, we the readers know just as much about Kindred as we did when the story first started. I mean, okay, sure, we know he’s Harry, but I’ve talked already about why it’s pointless to hint so directly at a mystery only for the reveal to be exactly what was expected. I really can’t think of a more fitting way to describe this arc than the phrase, “spinning its wheels”. Who can we blame? It definitely feels like there was some sort of editorial meddling here, but surely something else could have been done. For now, it is a legitimate possibility that we will have to wait another fifty issues before this is wrapped up, which is just absurd. No matter how it ends up playing out, this going down as one of the most drawn out and exhaustive Spider-Man stories because of this execution. It’s just so unnatural, the way the characters aren’t asking the most obvious questions, like how Kindred could be who he says he is or what he wants.
It’s almost impressive how much Spencer keeps adding to the mix without actually moving the plot forward at all. The recent .LR issue revealed that Norman was somehow immune to the Sin-Eater’s bullet, and he was his same old self the whole time. I’m sure that Spencer will explain that in the coming issues, but it doesn’t change the fact that it has only further ruined the pacing of this story. Kingpin’s involvement and interference at the end of the issue is more of the same. At this rate, the first three quarters of this run are going to be setting up questions, with the last answering them, and I’m sorry, but you just can’t expect the readers to care for that long.
There is always the part of me that is happy to have Gleason and Delgado doing the interior art of this book. It’s great, of course, in all the ways that I’ve said before. It’s hard to ignore the inconsistencies between Gleason and Bagley, though. Are they inconsistencies? Or is it intentional? Hard to say. Spider-Man punches a whole through Kindred’s face in this issue and he’s fine, but in a previous one, Kindred removed his mask to reveal Harry underneath. There’s obviously something supernatural going on here, duh. But how does this work? Why make it seems like a mask?
Once again, I’ve had a lot of faith in Nick Spencer’s story telling for a long time, but this is ridiculous. Don’t expect much out of this one – certainly not any sense of finality. The art is great, but that’s really all I can say for it.
A Look Inside
