Deron Generally
Deron Generally
The Amazing Spider-Man #801
Marvel Comics
Written by Dan Slott
Art by Marcos Martin
Colors by Munsta Vicente
Letters by Joe Caramagna
Three weeks after the tragic events that shaped the future of Spider-Man, a man receives a phone call and immediately has to leave. In the midst of trying to get a pack of smokes, he stumbles upon a robbery in progress and is about to become another victim when Spider-Man bursts onto the scene to stop it.
What’s interesting about this story already is that this is an unseasoned wall-crawler who smashes through the front window and has almost little to no regard for the damage he’s causing. It’s a raw, emotional scene in this issue and it’s a nice throwback to classic Spider-man stories both in tone and look. Martin does a great job crafting the look of this issue to feel almost like a classic issue from the past.
What also works is that this issue isn’t about Spider-Man. It’s about a citizen who has a run in with the wall-crawler amidst what he considers the worst night of his life and everything seems to be keeping him from where he needs to be. Having to give a statement to the police doesn’t help matters and he finally arrives where he needs to be just in time to experience a profound moment in his life. Something that does have some emotional weight, even though it isn’t specifically about a character that we know. It’s a snapshot of a man’s life as a chance encounter leads him to make a choice in the future when presented another encounter with Spider-Man.
It’s a pretty relevant moment that harkens back to the legacy of the character of Spider-Man. It almost brings full circle one of the events that put Peter on the path to being a hero and how his impact on others effects the rest of the world. It’s actually a pretty sweet moment that ends the issue with a rare hopeful moment.
