In this review of The Amazing Spider-Man #59, the battle between Tombstone and Spider-Man makes its way to the streets of New York City.
The Amazing Spider-Man #59
Written by: Zeb Wells
Art and Main Cover: John Romita, Jr.
Variant Covers: Carmen Carnero, Giada Perissinotto, Rickie Yagawa
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: October 9, 2024
This review contains spoilers.
Synopsis:
The Amazing Spider-Man #59 begins as Tombstone and Spider-Man survive crashing through the window, and Tombstone gets a head start following Janice down to the subway. He nearly manages to stop her from getting onto the train, but Spider-Man intervenes, and she is able to escape. Tombstone and Spider-Man fight as trains pass them by, with Spider-Man kicking Tombstone onto the tracks as a train approaches. He manages to save him but is injured in his stead, and the hit knocks him unconscious. Tombstone picks up a large piece of wood, intending to strike a killing blow, but his injuries catch up to him, and he falls to sit beside Spider-man.
Analysis:
Let me start by saying there’s nothing particularly bad about The Amazing Spider-Man #59. As a standalone, it’s great. There is a lot of action. The angles that the characters have been drawn in seem deliberate, avoiding many of the usual problems with awkward-looking faces that have been in past issues. The contrast in colors between Spider-Man and Tombstone works well in panels where they find themselves particularly close together. It doesn’t work quite as well when they find themselves in the subway tunnels, as sometimes Tombstone can blend in with the background.
The fight is fun to read. Though I don’t think it’s reached the title of “most brutal fight in Spider-Man” just yet, it is getting pretty vicious. Tombstone grabbing Janice’s hair, Spider-Man hitting Tombstone with a lamppost, the two just taking swings at each other after rolling in gravel, Tombstone’s back getting dragged across a moving train, and Spider-Man getting hit by a train moments later were definite highlights of this one.
My main complaint with The Amazing Spider-Man #59 is that it feels like the one released before it. Janice almost gets caught by Tombstone, Spider-Man intervenes, Janice gets away, Tombstone and Spider-Man fight, and it ends on a cliffhanger as to whether or not they will be okay. I can forgive the cliffhanger. It’s a comic book staple. However, I think it could have been better. The comic ends with Tombstone getting tired and dropping the piece of wood he was going to attack an injured Spider-Man with before slumping down beside him.
I wish they had waited to show us Tombstone’s weakness until the next issue. I would have been far more curious to find out what happens next, thinking that Tombstone was in the perfect position to strike a killing blow on the hero. Instead, they’re both down for the count. If Spider-Man wakes up first, he will probably leave to try to find Janice, and the chase continues as it already was. If Tombstone wakes up first, then he’s back in the same position, and there is no reason to have him stumble in the first place.
I was also hoping to see more from Janice in this Issue. She’s proven that she’s a reasonably capable fighter, as Tombstone is still bleeding from her attack in the last issue. I’m ready to see her do more than just run, but I wonder if we’ll see more of her at all, considering she escaped on the train.
Final Thoughts:
The action in the issue is strong, but it’s repetitive when you compare it to the last one, and doesn’t do much at all with Janice this time around.
Editor’s Note: Marvel Comics provided The Comic Book Spot with an advanced copy of this comic for review purposes. You can find this comic and help support us in the process by pre-ordering this issue digitally on Amazon or a physical copy of the title through Things From Another World.
