Review: ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ #89 Is A Misstep In The Middle Of A Spidey Upswing

Even the weakest issues of Amazing Spider-Man’s ‘Spider-Man Beyond’ story have been stronger than many of the stories that have preceded it the last few years. Amazing Spider-Man #89 though is a bit of a struggle for the storyline.

The event ends its game as the Queen Goblin continues her attack. This issue comes from Patrick Gleason, Mark Bagley, Andrew Henessey, John Dell, Bryan Valenza, and Joe Caramagna.

The Queen Goblin has just made her debut, and already has the Daily Bugle in her terrifying grip. After Ben Reilly abandoned the paper to her, the Black Cat might be the only hope the city has left… That is, unless Peter Parker can summon the strength to make his comeback.

Gleason’s script is fine. The dialogue is a little overwrought, and Queen Goblin feels like a completely different character. Otherwise, it’s written fairly well, and Felicia gets a solid handful of heroic moments. The lead up to Peter’s return to the suit is exciting, as is the twist to how he returns. It’s far from perfect, but it works.

The problem is with the art. Bagley’s line work is incredibly loose and inconsistent. I’m not sure if it’s because the ink lines are so different between Henessey and Dell or whether the issue was rushed. The figures are inconsistent, and the amount of detail in each character varies wildly, sometimes on the same page. The page composition is good, and the layouts are great, but it’s disappointing to see an issue like this from such a great artist.

Valenza and Caramagna are both major highlights of the issue though. Valenza’s colors are stellar, with a great eye for lighting that makes the rest of his colors pop off the page. Caramagna paces the dialogue perfectly and does some fantastic effects with both sound effects and dialogue emphasis.

It’s a rough issue overall, but I hope to see it’s just a fluke and we see the story back on track soon.

Amazing Spider-Man #89 is available now from Marvel Comics.