The Dark Web Returns: ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ Annual #1 Reviewed
by Tony Thornley
The Marvel Universe is a big place, but Spider-Man has more connections than any other. In Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1, that becomes very clear.
This massive story follows up two huge story beats, with a lead story from Erica Schultz, Julian Shaw, Andrew Dalhouse, and Joe Caramagna and a back-up story from Celeste Bronfman, David Lopez, KJ Diaz, and Caramagna.
In the lead story, Spider-Man is drawn into a plot to free Chasm from the Limbo Embassy. Can he stop Hallow’s Eve before she unleashes the force of Limbo on New York? And in the back-up, the Orchis plot to discredit Krakoa hits home for Mary-Jane Watson, and if Peter doesn’t swing in on time, it may spell tragedy!
I was a bit concerned Schultz’s story was simply going to be an epilogue to her recently concluded Hallow’s Eve story. Instead, it was the next step in the Limbo/Chasm/Hallow’s Eve storyline, in the best way. This makes it way more interesting than a standard one-off story.
Janine Godbe has advanced from a cipher to a complex morally grey protagonist in the course of the last eighteen months. This story has her trying to do what she thinks is right for herself, knowing that it’s not the morally right thing. It makes her so much more interesting than a villain or even a hero.
Shaw and Dalhouse have a bright and cartoony style. It makes an interesting contrast, as the superhero action is pretty standard, but they’re able to shift their style as Hallow’s Eve launches her plan. It creates a visual juxtaposition in the line art and colors that makes it more engaging than it appeared at first. Caramagna makes his work a part of the art, incorporating his balloons and captions in the visual style I’ve really come to appreciate from his work.
The back-up is almost as meaty as the lead story. Showing how Orchis’s plot from the Hellfire Gala is affecting the larger universe is a great hook. The creative team gives it an emotional hook though, making the story more than just an epilogue to the Gala.
Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1 is available now from Marvel Comics.
Overview
Not every annual is a must-read. By injecting the larger universe into Spidey’s world, two engaging stories pushed from “one-shot side story” into an engaging part of the entire tapestry.
