A Team-Up We Didn’t Know We Needed: Reviewing ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ #80.BEY
by Tony Thornley
One of the best character developments of the last twenty years is “May Parker, woman of action.” Ever since she learned about Peter’s double identity about twenty years ago, she’s gradually become more and more of an active part of his life, even after magic undid May learning about Peter’s identity. Amazing Spider-Man #80.BEY puts that new role front and center, alongside Spidey’s greatest foe.
Big things are in store for Doc Ock, and with this issue, I’m excited to see what they are. That’s doubly so if Otto and May are going to be interacting more. This issue was created by Cody Ziglar, Ivan Fiorelli, Carlos Gomez, Paco Medina, Rachelle Rosenberg, and Joe Caramagna.
In the wake of his battle with the U-Foes, Peter Parker’s medical condition is rapidly worsening. To save his life, May Parker will make a deal with the devil. What May doesn’t realize is that Otto Octavius is much, much worse than any devil.
In just three issues, Ziglar has shown an excellent grasp on Spider-Man and his world. This could have been a simple action comedy, with May nagging Otto as he went full-Doc Ock on the private prison holding the U-Foes, or it could have been a heavy handed statement on the prison industrial complex. Instead, Ziglar roots the action in the characters and personalities of Otto and May, while including some biting satire of private prisons, and adding conflict centered on past Doc Ock continuity.
It might sound like a complex story, but it gets everything it needs to just read. That makes it a brisk read, an excellent character study, and a standout part of the Spider-Man Beyond story so far.
I always roll my eyes a bit when I see three pencillers on one issue. The bigger issue for me on this particular issue is that of the three, two of them are similar enough that I can’t tell when their pages switch. Medina has a distinct enough style that I can pick out his pages, but Fiorelli and Gomez blend right together. Now, to be said, their pages look good. They have a great flow through them, and the figure work is top notch.
Simply put? More of this please. This is good comics, and just a fun issue. I can’t wait to see more, especially with Ziglar writing.
Amazing Spider-Man #80.BEY is available now from Marvel Comics.
Overview
What could have been just a silly lark of a story actually had some solid depth. This is a way better issue than the concept would have you think!
