J. Jonah Jameson Realizes The Error Of His Ways In Amazing Spider-Man #13

All of J. Jonah Jameson’s mistakes have been shoved in his face during an elaborate trap. Spider-Man is along for the ride and he’s been the victim of some of JJJ’s harsh actions over the years, so this is a tough pill to swallow. Fortunately for Jonah, Spidey is a stand-up guy and he’s going to make sure they both get out of this alive, but that’s no easy task when a new version of the Big Man is ready to crush them.

It’s not every day you see Spider-Man fight a big robot, but it’s a little funny that it’s not the first time we’ve seen him do it since the relaunch of Amazing Spider-Man. In this case, the robot requires a bit more of an explanation as writer Nick Spencer digs deep into the wall-crawler’s rogues gallery. There’s a healthy chunk of exposition, but it goes over well.
There is a lot of internal narration in Amazing Spider-Man #13. Spencer ensures that anyone can pick up this issue and get into the story, whether you’ve been reading everything from the beginning or if this is your very first comic. This can get a little repetitive at times, especially if you’re a long time reader, but it’s never not welcome. Remember that comics come out once a month so it’s easy to forget what’s going on in that time frame.

The Big Man may be large and ruthless, but the design looks a little cheesy. It’s essentially a giant mobster, complete with three piece suit and hat. Its pilot, Frederick Foswell Jr. is every bit the villain. Artist Ryan Ottley twists this man’s facial expressions into sinister sneers as he looks at Spider-Man with pure vitriol.
The thing about Foswell Jr. is that he’s basically the victim of gaslighting. He believed everything that Jonah said about Spider-Man over the years and that warped his world view. If Spider-Man was a villain, even if he was a card-carrying member of the Avengers, then maybe Foswell Jr.’s father wasn’t really a bad guy. This has parallels to the present day “fake news” battle and it’s chilling to see how it could play out in the Marvel Universe.

This serves as a major reality check for JJJ. He realizes the harm that he’s done and he’s working to atone for those sins. Jonah has never been much of a sympathetic character, but Spencer paints him in this vulnerable position where you can’t help but feel for him. He’s trying to be a better man and you have to admire that.
Spider-Man gets torn up early on in this issue, giving him the “battle-ravaged” costume with tears in certain places. This is always a cool look. Colorists Laura Martin and Andrew Crossley make the blood splattered on his arms and face a darker shade than the reds in his costume. This makes it stand out and highlights the danger that he’s in, even if the robot looks a little silly.

Amazing Spider-Man #13 builds to an impressive act of heroism. The web-head digs down deep to pull off an incredible deed. Letterer Joe Caramagna captures all of the thoughts rushing through his head in these solid caption boxes. They’re spread throughout the page, leading to this life-affirming moment.
There’s such intensity in this sequence. Inker Cliff Rathburn highlights each individual line in the torn Spider-Man suit. You can see the look of anger and determination on Peter’s face through the mask.

Amazing Spider-Man #13 did the impossible by making me really care about J. Jonah Jameson for the first time in years. It showed the human side of the character while also giving us some terrific action sequences. We get some closure on his relationship with Spider-Man while also building towards a long-running background story. The comic works on these multiple levels, giving us short term and long term payoffs.
Amazing Spider-Man #13 from Marvel Comics is currently available at your local comic shop and digitally through ComiXology and Amazon Kindle.