In this review of The Amazing Spider-Man #32, Peter Parker internally struggles with the introduction of Cormac Crane while his relationship with Raelith gains depth.
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #32
Written by: Joe Kelly, Marieke Nijkamp
Artists: Patrick Gleason, Andrea Di Vito
Main Cover: Patrick Gleason
Variant Covers: Alex Ross, Philip Tan, Wes Craig, Leinil Francis Yu, Jamie Mckelvie, Lee Bermejo, Luciano Vecchio
Page Count: 30 pages
Release Date: July 1, 2026
This review contains spoilers
The Amazing Spider-Man #32 begins with Cormac Crane and Peter discussing the ramifications of Cormac being Ben and May Parker’s biological son. The cousins remark on how May is strong, but Peter says she’s not strong enough to handle his superhero identity. He has Cormac swear to keep his identity as Spider-Man secret. The two handshake and split, with Cormac giving Peter an ominous look while saying he’ll see him soon.
Parker’s internal thoughts are displayed. Adding onto recent events, Peter is dismayed at the fact May has a biological son, and at the fact he can’t feel happy about it. He runs into Raelith as she’s learning her way around NYC, and she senses his frustrations. She suggests letting off steam at Tombstone’s “Blood Auction”, which is how both ended up there in the last issue. In a flash forward, the battle between Spider-Man and Vulture continues.
Vulture outsmarts and lands strong hits on Spider-Man, while mocking the Wall-Crawler’s inability to evolve during a fight. He states Spidey continuously launches the same attacks. However, Spider-Man surprises him by sneaking an electric device onto Vulture’s back while using a familiar move. Raelith steps in as Tombstone’s forces begin to surround Spider-Man, taking pain on his behalf as she faces up against Plague RX.
Tombstone, sensing the duo’s power and Spider-Man’s uncharacteristic anger, decides to let them both go on one condition. Spider-Man must tell why he desires the gauntlets belonging to the recently deceased Shocker, Hernan Schultz. Spidey reveals he wants to bury the gauntlets to honor Hernan, whose death he blames himself for.
Tombstone respects the decision, and takes it upon himself to bury the gauntlets at sea. Elsewhere, Aunt May tearfully expresses shame, feeling guilt at not knowing she had a son out there. Back at Pete’s apartment, Glitch informs Peter that Raelith has suffered much pain already, and it’s his responsibility to prevent her from suffering more.
Analysis
Cormac’s sinister look implies there’s something beneath the surface with his introduction into the Parkers’ lives. I expected that, but I didn’t expect it to be something eerie. The juxtaposition of the look right after discussing Spider-Man’s secret identity clearly invokes dreadfulness, and I’m not the biggest fan of it because I was gearing up for a family arc instead of Cormac being utilized for an evil plot. Still waiting on more details before I can properly contextualize and rate this plot.
The comedy in The Amazing Spider-Man #32 was very enjoyable for me. It’s presented in-character, and it’s some of the more humorous Spidey I’ve seen in a while. Spider-Man making age-related jokes to the veteran supervillain Vulture worked, and Vulture’s angered reactions were well-done while also adding onto his superiority character trait. I also liked Tombstone participating by saying he’s “anti-ageism” while maintaining his eloquent presentation.
To top it off, this marks at least the second time this year that Marvel has dropped a Wu-Tang reference. Joining Pei from Deadly Hands of K’un-Lun, Spidey ended the Vulture with a “Protect ya neck” and “Wu-Tang Forever”. As a New Yorker and a Marvel geek, I always love seeing NYC culture represented inside these books.
Ending it off, Glitch adds yet another moral dilemma to Peter’s chaotic life. I believe Peter’s already reeling from fears of being replaced as May’s son, and now he’s reeling from causing Raelith harm. I hope Rae learning New York’s geography means she’s here to stay past the inevitable arc of Peter confronting the pain he caused her. Raelith and Peter’s relationship feels like a breath of fresh air, and the new emotional layer it gains can hopefully exist to give them depth, instead of being an excuse to end it.
Final Thoughts
The Amazing Spider-Man #32 features Peter dealing with existing emotional turmoil while Raelith returns to add another element to it. The issue is action-packed, funny, and emotionally solid.
