In this review of The Amazing Spider-Man #2, can Spider-Man push through the hallucinations to get the answers he needs?
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #2
Writer: Joe Kelly
Artists and Main Cover: Pepe Larraz
Variant Covers: Paolo Rivera, Chris Giarrusso, Pablo Villalobos, Tony S. Daniel
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: April 23, 2025
This Review Contains Spoilers
The Amazing Spider-Man #2 begins as Peter crashes through a window in Kingsley Tower and hallucinates an entire fight with his enemies while reliving memories of the past between him and Brian ditching school. He throws cars at nothing and causes destruction while the police and onlookers watch him in confusion and horror.
He snaps back to himself, the next day, dressed and at work in the middle of a conversation with his boss. It happens again in the middle of the conversation, and he finds himself in Brian’s mushroom lab, confused and disoriented. Peter has a short conversation with Brian about their past, and is about to admit something is wrong with him when he suddenly comes to again at the roof of the building.
He hallucinates an attack by Green Goblin, and almost falls off the roof before he realizes that Norman Osborn is actually there. Meanwhile, Hobgoblin asks his mysterious friend why they didn’t kill Spider-Man, and insists that they push through their personal feelings and finish him off the next time.
Norman and Peter then discuss how Peter was led into a trap while Norman administers an IV. Knowing Peter is in danger and seeing the destruction he caused, Norman tries to convince him to rest for 24 hours. Though Peter agrees, Norman calls him out on his lie and, sure enough, Peter is at Ravencroft that night, hoping to speak to Alexei.
Peter, as Spider-Man, uses Shay to get him inside of Ravenctoft. As they go to Alexei’s room Spider-Man has another hallucination about his past. Shay is about to phone in help for him when a scream that is not part of his hallucinations comes from Alexei’s room. Peter rushes in while Shay calls security and finds Itsy Bitsy hovering over Alexei, poised to strike.
Analysis
Peter’s hallucinations are a big part of this story so far, and The Amazing Spider-Man #2 does an excellent job of making you feel what Peter feels. The art splits panels into what is actually happening and what Peter sees, showing the reader both his sense of panic and urgency and the destruction he’s causing.
The panels also cut and jump a few times to different places in the story, showing when Peter blacks out and where he comes to, bringing us along for his disorientation. Looking back at it, it seems like an obvious way to get the reader to understand what Peter is feeling, but in the moment, it feels unique and fresh as it pulls the reader along for the ride.
The artwork in The Amazing Spider-Man #2 continued to exceed my expectations, even beyond the tools used to show us what Peter is going through. Everything looks amazing, from the color choices to the expressions on everyone’s faces. To top it all off, Itsy Bitsy’s new design looks phenomenal, particularly for the tone and setting of this arc.
Brian is the one piece of this puzzle that still doesn’t quite fit. He doesn’t quite feel as three-dimensional as the rest of the characters in this story. He feels like a caricature, a bit too stereotypical to fit into this world just yet.
Suspicion is immediately raised for the reader when Brian shows off his mushroom lab and admits that he has the kind that can make someone hallucinate. While he feels like he needs a bigger role and will hopefully find his place in the main storyline, more time will need to be spent building him into someone more than just an exaggerated character, especially if he is involved with the villains. Otherwise, it would feel like it was inserted for dramatic effect rather than a carefully crafted plot point.
I appreciate the look into Peter’s childhood that his character has given us in The Amazing Spider-Man #2. It’s a reminder that a large part of what made Peter who he is today was the events that made him Spider-Man, but that our hero was once a kid who had a difficult early childhood after losing his parents.
Delinquent Peter seemed like it came out of left field initially, but The Amazing Spider-Man #2 made it clear how much of it was Brian’s influence. Peter couldn’t even get himself to curse loudly without his friend’s help. The conversation between Brian and Peter in his lab makes it clear that Brian left before Junior High was over. Their friendship, and in turn, Peter’s truancy, was short-lived.
Though it was a bit of a surprise, it’s not far-fetched that Peter, a child who had lost his parents, was placed with relatives that he had a hard time connecting with, and struggled with being gifted, might fall in with the wrong crowd for a year or two.
Final Thoughts
The Amazing Spider-Man #2 is strong in its immersive paneling, clever pacing, artwork, and unique insight into Peter’s character, but it’s held back by underdeveloped and stereotypical characters and plot points like the mushroom lab, which might hurt the story’s believability if not handled carefully.
