In this review of The Amazing Spider-Man #30, Peter Parker is unable to use his Spider-Man abilities and is forced to deal with Spore in a public assault. At the same time, his family life changes dramatically.
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #30
Written by: Joe Kelly
Art: Pete Woods
Main Cover: Mark Bagley
Variant Covers: Eli Minaya, Lee Bermejo, Rod Reis, Sumit Kumar, Netho Diaz
Page Count: 25 pages
Release Date: June 3, 2026
This review contains spoilers
The Amazing Spider-Man #30 begins with the new villain Spore attacking Peter Parker publicly, wanting both answers and an apology. Formerly his childhood friend Brian Nehring, he believes Peter sabotaged him with his mycoteria experiment and cost him his position at Rand Enterprise. He’s unaware the sabotager was actually Ben Riley. In the middle of Spore’s assault, Kintsugi arrives and rescues Peter, who can’t use his powers in public.
Elsewhere, Aunt May is cleaning up the F.E.A.S.T. Center alongside Cormac Crane, who was revealed to be Spider-Man’s cousin in the Death Spiral series. The two engage in a heart-to-heart, as May says there are two choices after having a loved one taken from you; wishful thinking or moving on. They finish up as Cormac promises that May will see him again soon.
The battle continues as Peter’s neural pathways are disrupted, being transmitted memories of Ben Riley’s wrongdoings. Peter re-lives the sabotage as Kintsugi fights as long as he can, before eventually becoming overwhelmed.
Peter, to overcome the overbearing traumatic memories, remembers Daredevil’s training. He lets go, relying purely on his instincts and avoiding his thoughts. Pete’s Spider-Sense is dialed up as he lands knockout blows on Spore, ending the fight as Spore escapes and promises to return. Kintsugi has his mask broken during the final stretch and reveals his identity as Ken Osmani-Milton, and asks Parker to keep it secret.
When he returns home, Spider-Man enjoys dinner with Aunt May and Ric Bernal. However, it is interrupted with Cormac’s arrival, holding true to his earlier promise. Peter recognizes him as the revelatory cousin from Death Spiral. Bringing a DNA test report showing that May and Uncle Ben are his biological parents, Cormac reveals he is indeed a Parker. May remarks she felt an intuitive connection to him, and faints as she regards the uncanny resemblance of her presumed son and the late Benjamin Parker.
Analysis
I’m shaky on how the series will follow up on Cormac’s revelation, as the mainline Spider-Man books haven’t had a good reputation with side character management for the last few years. Constantly discarding interesting ones, it’s very possible Cormac will suffer the same fate in a few issues. However, I think there are a lot of engaging ways to write this new character, especially in relation to Peter Parker.
Here’s a son figure for May Parker that doesn’t constantly bail and make excuses on her for a secret superhero life. In addition to her relationship with Ric, she now has the makings of a normal family again after Ben’s passing and Peter’s secrets. How will Peter react and feel about this? Jealousy and bitterness? Or a sigh of relief that May has people to take care of her again? It’s certainly interesting to ponder. The hard work comes in how to properly rectify the introduction of an unknown son.
Onto the battle itself, I felt the ending was a bit anticlimactic. Even though it’s against a senses-enhanced version of Spider-Man, it ended in just a few hits after dragging out for nearly the whole issue. Although, it serves its purpose well in showing how powerful this new version of Spidey-Sense is. I question if it’s here to stay considering how badly it outclasses his usual enemies.
Kintsugi’s inclusion in this issue is good for balance. His lighthearted nature contrasts well with the angry/overwhelmed Peter, who has a breakdown during the emotional height of the issue. The panels are drawn in a very chaotic manner, letting the reader experience the jarring state of Pete’s mind.
Some panels that weren’t drawn well however were those of the fight’s climax. The transition between Peter realizing his enhanced senses to fighting Spore was done in a blink. It’s also difficult to see Kintsugi’s mask when it first breaks unless you really hone in.
Final Thoughts
Despite being an otherwise underwhelming issue, The Amazing Spider-Man #30 does set up a premise that can hold a strong emotional arc for Peter.
