In this review of The Amazing Spider-Man #57, Spider-Man pays a visit to prison to see Tombstone after the events of last issue. What could happen next?
The Amazing Spider-Man #57
Written by: Zeb Wells
Art and Main Cover by: John Romita Jr.
Colorist: Marcio Menyz
Variant Cover: Rogê Antônio, Chris Campana, Ryan Meinerding; Claudio Sciarrone
Page Count: 19 pages
Release Date: September 11, 2024
This review contains spoilers
The Amazing Spider-Man #57 begins with Tombstone in jail and Spider-Man coming to visit him. Through their discussion, Spider-Man confirms that he did not force Janet to be a witness in her father’s case, and she chose to be one on her own. Just as he’s telling Tombstone what a long time he’s going to spend in Jail, he gets bailed out with help from his lawyer, Michele Gonzales. After realizing this could mean trouble for his friends, Peter Parker jumps into action to protect Randy and Janice from Tombstone’s anger.
Spider-Man, Luke Cage, and She-Hulk devise a plan to get Randy and Janice out of the city in the back of a police van, but they are stopped by White Rabbit and several others working for Tombstone. After White Rabbit tries to let Janice escape, she discovers that Janice was never there and realizes that Tombstone knew this, too, and he planned all along to confront his daughter on his own.
Analysis
The Amazing Spider-Man #57 is the setup for the approaching battle between Tombstone and Spider-Man that is set up to be, as Nick Lowe called it in #56, “the most brutal fight in Spider-History.” A fight with such a mantle to live up to has to have a proper setup, so I wasn’t expecting too much action. But without action, the story has to work harder to carry the momentum forward, and this issue succeeds in most moments but stumbles in others.
The pacing early on felt a bit odd. Tombstone is in jail for all of four pages before he gets released on bail right in front of Spider-Man. Though Spider-Man’s conversation with Tombstone begins seriously, we never find out what he came to talk to him about and the entire discussion feels more like it exists for exposition about Janice and Spider-Man’s off-screen conversation instead of pushing the plot forward.
There’s no mention of Peter Parker, even though the attempted murder of Spider-Man’s civilian persona was the catalyst that got Tombstone arrested in the first place. Tombstone is bailed out mid-conversation, and the whole thing ends. It’s a moment that’s almost comedic amidst the seriousness of the rest of the issue, but it doesn’t give you too much time to linger before we’re right back into the plot.
I found the second half of The Amazing Spider-Man #57 much more enjoyable than the first. Randy and Janice plan their escape as Spider-Man, Luke Cage, and She-hulk discuss their protection. Tombstone and White Rabbit prepare for their attack simultaneously, which sets up the tension nicely and helps push the narrative forward. One of my favorite parts of the issue came when White Rabbit thinks she’s speaking to Janice, telling her she’ll let them escape the city, only to discover that Tombstone knew about her inability to harm her friend and the heroes’ plans.
It’s a human moment for her that gets set up earlier, but you don’t quite see it coming. And the reveal that Janice is back home with Tombstone feels like the cliffhanger ending that we needed this close to the end of the arc. I also appreciated the continuation of the theme of the lion from the previous issue. During the flashback in #56, Fisk was the lion with the power and the potential to harm others, even those close to him. Now, Tombstone has become the lion, and it appears he holds the same potential.
For The Amazing Spider-Man #57, there are moments where the art works well and moments where it doesn’t. The cover for this one almost seems too silly for the story they’re trying to tell. With Peter positioned on the seat the way he is, it almost looks like he’s leaning too far into his Spider-Man role, trying to further separate the hero from Peter Parker in Tombstone’s eyes. This could have worked if Peter had been brought up, but it seems like he’s not anywhere on Tombstone’s radar anymore, despite their confrontation in the last issue. I also felt it was an odd moment to highlight, considering how quickly the conversation passes.
I’m not the biggest fan of the current The Amazing Spider-Man’s art style in general. Sometimes, it feels like it can’t tell if it wants to lean into the classic comic book style or be more realistic, and the resulting style can sometimes feel awkward. But I do think this issue has some good points. The images are full of contrasting colors, putting your focus on the characters while also making the backgrounds feel full of life.
The only masked main character in this issue is Spider-Man, and even Peter Parker still gets a bit of time on the page, which allows the opportunity for the detailed expressions to shine. There is a lot of conversation in this issue, and the panels focus on how the characters look at each other as they speak, allowing you to see their faces in more detail than you usually get. Peter’s anger, White Rabbit’s shock, and Janice’s surprise feel heightened, and there’s no question about how anyone feels.
Final Thoughts
While The Amazing Spider-Man #57 has some awkward moments in story and art, there are far more where they work together to push the story forward.
Marvel Comics provided The Comic Book Spot with an advance copy of The Amazing Spider-Man #57 for review purposes. Find more reviews here. If you would like to buy a copy of this title, and help support the Comic Book Spot at the same time, consider purchasing this book at Amazon, My Comic Shop, or at Things From Another World.
