AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (2018-) #37 review

Amazing Spider-Man #37 is available now where all good comics are sold!

Synopsis

There are too many problems in New York City and Spidey can’t be in four places at once– unless he CAN?! Peter’s life is as complicated as ever but can science be the answer? It’s a new year and the buildup to “Last Remains” and much more starts here!

Review

The Amazing Spider-Man series is an interesting beast. It often presents Spidey in some of the biggest scale stories of his career. Huge action set pieces, big character arcs which often involve aspects of the wider so-called Spider-verse. So its rare that we find an issue which stops to take a breather and look inwards.

With his current school project, Parker has a device in his possession which analyses all possible outcomes of a situation from across the multiverse. With this tech he’s able to predict upcoming crimes as well as troubles at home and basically anything which the story requires.

But rather than have the device take him on some wild goose chase, writer Nick Spencer instead takes the opportunity to have the character look inwards.

Parker is notoriously tough on himself, as high achievers often are, but the Amazing Spider-Man series moves at such a pace that he’s rarely able to do so for more than a couple of panels.

With the device Parker amiably takes down a whole bunch of weird and wonderful criminals and also helps out members of the general public with issues he is able to predict. It’s quirky, funny and at times heartwarming to see how much Parker just wants to help.

But the book really comes in to its own as he debates using the device to help carve out some time in his private life. Through much of the story Parker laments those he has let down in recent weeks. Aunt May and M.J. being two of those.

It culminates in a small but touching moment where Parker and M.J. do some TV streaming over video chat whilst she is away working. It’s the first quality time the two have spent together in months and of course there’s a punchline to the joke. But to get there the series asks some interesting questions about what Spider-Man needs to do in order to have a life.

There’s plenty of action boiling away in the background as the series heads towards its “Last Remains” arc. But for now this much more inwards looking issue is a breath of fresh air.

Verdict

Amazing Spider-Man #37 finds Peter Parker looking inwards and assessing the priorities in his life. It’s a much needed breather following a series of large scale stories and poses some interesting questions about his future.

6/10

Amazing Spider-Man #37 is written by Nick Spencer with art by Ryan Ottley. Ottley also provides cover art for this issue.

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