The Amazing Spider-Man #19 // Review
Felicia and Peter are taking some time away from Manhattan. They’re vacationing upstate in a cozy little resort covered in snow. As it turns out, his ex and her current guy are there as well. Social awkwardness is the least of their concerns as Felicia and Peter’s other lives are engaged in The Amazing Spider-Man #19. The usual creative team bows out of the series to get a jump on future issues as guest writer Joe Kelly and guest artist Terry Dodson take over for the first part of a fugue upstate trip involving a little get-together for supervillains.
There’s an earthquake. In upstate New York. Not exactly out of the ordinary. (There was a 3.8 magnitude earthquake near Niagara Falls on this side of the comics page at the beginning of the month.) Peter’s a bit tuned in to a special kind of danger, though. He figures that it might have something to do with a supervillain. Turns out: he’s right. There’s a mock battle happening between a number of villains that’s been instigated by White Rabbit. Now Spider-Man and Black Cat have to swing into action to try to contain things...which WOULD be fine were it not for the fact that one of them turns up dead.
Kelly’s take on Peter’s personality is remarkably cool. Recent events have found Parker more focused on physics and engineering. Kelly ratchets up the scientific end of the character in a script that’s playfully witty and whimsically subtle in places. Spider-Man is somewhat hit-or-miss outside his natural habitat, but a story taking place in an upscale, forested resort for the wealthy is particularly fun in and amidst all of the villains. Outside the battlefield of Manhattan, Spidey’s relations with the villains have a chance to gain a bit of depth that feels fresh and interesting.
Dodson’s distinctly stylish sense of action hits the page with grace and form. There may not be quite enough in the background to firmly ground the story in its setting. Dodson’s lack of focus on the backgrounds allows all of the villains in the foreground to make that much more of an impression. Dodson is a master of delivering emotion and personality to the page, which feels impressively well-rendered with tasteful exaggeration that is still firmly rooted in the realm of realism. Above all, Black Cat and Spider-Man maintain charm and charisma throughout the issue.
Honestly, the sudden turn towards a somewhat cliche murder-mystery with a large ensemble was kind of a surprise. The classic Agatha Christie sort of feel to the issue would be tedious were it not...y’know...Spider-Man and a whole bunch of classic Spidey villains as the ensemble in question. Dodson’s visual wit matches Kelly’s sense of humor almost perfectly beat-for-beat. The pair makes a really good team for a pleasant little excursion from the work that Zeb Wells and John Romita Jr. have been rolling through lately.
