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Comic Review: THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1 (2018)

[Warning: The Following Contains SPOILERS From Amazing Spider-Man #1.]

One of Marvel Comics’ flagship titles, The Amazing Spider-Man has been relaunched multiple times in the past few years, with Dan Slott writing for a decade. Well, that changes this year. In addition to yet another #1 relaunch, the series now has a new creative team. Nick Spencer is writing, with Ryan Ottley on artwork.

I’l be honest, it’s been a while since I’ve read a Spider-Man comic that actually excited me. Whether it was the Superior Spider-Man arc or depicting Peter Parker as a billionaire, very little in recent comics have captured my interest. Last year’s Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man was a step in the right direction, to be fair. But now, Nick Spencer is ushering in a fresh new era for the main title.

The issue is a classic Spider-Man story through and through. Peter is down on his luck again; he’s facing plagiarism accusations from Empire State University, he loses his job, and he’s seen as the “loser” among the superheroes – even when he’s the one who saves the day. Classic villains like Kingpin and Mysterio are at the forefront, while Peter also has to deal with Boomerang being his roommate. Oh, and Peter’s relationship with Mary Jane Watson is being rekindled.

I’m going to be real here. The Amazing Spider-Man #1 is one of the best Spider-Man comics I’ve read in a long time, if not the best. It sticks to the roots of what makes Peter Parker work in the first place, while it also pushes his story forward in exciting new ways. Nick Spencer’s storytelling is on point, while Ryan Ottley’s art is colorful and vibrant. The two are a perfect team to work on Spider-Man.

The most important aspect from this series is the return of the Peter/MJ romance, which was undone with the One More Day storyline. Peter has had a lot of relationships over the years, but one that fans are most familiar with (and my personal favorite) is with Mary Jane. Bringing the two together is a big step forward in bringing back old school Spidey fan, and it reverses the status quo change from a decade ago.

In summary, The Amazing Spider-Man #1 is another win for Marvel’s Fresh Start line, and it is (at long last) a proper relaunch for the Web-Slinger. Great writing, great artwork, and the start of a potentially great new story for Peter Parker. I was hesitant to buy this issue because of the $6 price tag, but after hearing good word-of-mouth, I decided to pick it up. And boy, was that a great decision. I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Thanks for reading! We’re giving away a digital copy of The Amazing Spider-Man #1 on Twitter. To enter, be sure to retweet the following tweet and then follow @WOBAMEnt on Twitter. We will announce the winner on Wednesday, July 18th. Good luck!

Founder and Editor-in-Chief of WOBAM! Entertainment.