The Chi-Town Breakdown: ASM #845

Here it is!  This is my first Amazing Spider-Man review as an OFFICIAL ASM reviewer for the Crawlspace.  Yes, I know I have subbed in for both Mark and Neil when they were slacking on their reviews, especially Mark, he started to make a habit out of it and I had to cut him off.  You’ve seen my reviews on Spect, FNSM and AMJ (still happening btw), but now I’m ready to dive into the core title!  Welcome to…..

Nick Spencer (Writer) 
Kim Jacinto w/ Bruno Oliveira (Artist)                         
Carlos Gomez  (Cover Artist)
Philip Tan (Chi-Town’s Variant Cover Pick)   
Kathleen Wisneski (Asst Editor)
Nick Lowe (Exec. Editor)
C.B. Cebulski (E.I.C

PREVIOUSLY ON ASM  
Not a “GOG” damn thing happened with Kindred in the last three issues of ASM.  Short story, Spencer filled in a subplot all the way back in ASM #802.  The Kingpin wants Boomerang, because he knows where pieces are for the Lifeline Tablet and now Peter has adopted Gog as a pet.  To refresh you on Kindred, I HIGHLY SUGGEST you check out my worthy opponent, Dark Mark, Cobweb’s Article before you read on.  No worries, this review will still be here when you get back.

THE STORY
Peter is having a nightmare where Kindred is narrating the whole thing.  We then cut to what appears to be a flashback of Overdrive driving crazier than a New York City taxi driver that’s having a bad day.  Why?  He’s escaping from Sin-Eater.  Further back, Overdrive just witnessed Sin-Eater take out a bunch of Mr. Negative’s goons by making their sins ooze out of their bodies like a symbiote and form a demon shape and devour them.  Now he’s escaping with a very silent Spider-Man in the back of his car.  Appears to be all dream when Peter wakes up and quickly gets on his cell and leaves a voice mail for Mary Jane explaining that he needs her more than ever.  Kindred appears and apparently kills Peter.  Alas, it was a dream within a dream scenario with Kindred pulling the strings and the last page implies that Julia Carpenter is seeing all of this as well, along with Spider-Woman, Miles Morales, Silk, Spider-Girl, and Ghost Spider.

BREAKDOWN POINTS

• Overdrive and Sin Eater
• Mary Jane Importance to Peter
• Kindred

GOING FOR A RIDE

Who is Overdrive talking too?  It’s illustrated as if he’s talking to Spidey, but Peter would be chatting up a storm and putting the classic defined cliche on “Back Seat Driver.”   Instead we get the silent type and that’s just not Spidey.  Overdrive never mentions Spidey by name so it is believed that Kindred is showing Spidey (via dream) what happened, thus..Spencer bringing the Sin-Eater arc to play.  Still begs the question.  It could be Spidey and he just wasn’t able to respond back.  Could also mean that Overdrive is dead and it’s a warning to Spidey of the things yet to come.

MAAAAAARY JAAAAAAANE!

Nick Spencer doubles down on the importance of Mary Jane, and not just to Spider-Man, but to Peter himself!  We all got a very welcomed surprise in ASM 830 when Peter was going to propose to MJ and this the second appearance of that engagement ring.  I like the way that Peter pours out his heart and concerns to MJ, even though it’s on voice mail.  He needs Mary Jane in order to be Spider-Man, to do it right and a reason to take the mask off and just be himself and OF COURSE that reason is Mary Jane.  Peter and Mary Jane go together like a*PBMJ sandwich.  The love and understanding of both these characters are written correctly and I have said this many times before, Spencer had set this up from his first issue on Amazing.  It’s my belief that Spencer is going to address the marriage or OMD and resolve it.  Not sure HOW, but the clues and panels all add up to that, without a doubt, he’s got something cooking in regards to the marriage.

WHAT DOES HE WANT?
**At “The Next Big Thing Panel at C2E2 back in March, Spencer thanked everyone for supporting the book, but noticed that every reader asks him who Kindred is; they never ask him what Kindred wants.

Yep, Spencer used a direct quote from the script of a book that wasn’t published yet.  Usually the WHO gives you direction on WHY, but it’s reverse in Kindred’s case, the WHY’s will lead clues to the WANT’s that will reveal the WHO.  So what actually does Kindred want?  He seriously wants Peter/Spider-Man to suffer, so that narrows it down. HA!  There are more clues for Dark Mark to nibble on, like how he died, apparently he didn’t feel cold before he passed and he left in a “unique way”.  Back in ASM #826 he did say what better way to introduce yourself than through friends.  Enter Julia Carpenter and gang.  Not sure what Kindred wants with the rest of the Spider-Verse since his only grudge is with Peter and Norman.  Something sinister is in the works and warns Julia, “Just do what I say.”

Has the hype for who Kindred is died down?  Yes and No.  Let’s be honest, we would have already known who Kindred is by now if it weren’t for the worldwide COVID-19 panoramic that’s been going on.  It has dragged out further than expected, but not by any fault from Spencer and or Marvel.  If we stay on track on taking precautions we’ll see the reveal soon enough.

VERDICT
I enjoyed the second half of this book more than the first half.  Interesting how the Sin-Eater arc will play out, especially with the new demonic powers he seems to possess.  As long as this has been going on, Spencer does still keep me intrigued and interested on the Kindred WHOs and WANTs.  I do like that Spencer stays focused on the sub plots he has started since ASM #802.  Boomerang/Kingpin story and the Peter/Mary Jane importance or even when a Marvel crossover is in effect.  For a Spider-Man book, this issue is a bit dark and like I said, I honestly didn’t care too much for the first part of the story, but I get why it’s there.  The reveal for Kindred will most likely be just before or during ASM #850, just hold on there a bit longer folks.  Give good props to the artwork as well, Jacinto and Oliveira do a good job illustrating and don’t give any kind of eye sore when it comes to artwork.  It’s smooth and as much as i like Tan’s homage to Amazing Spider-Man #316, I getting the Carlos Gomez cover.  He’s already won me over with his work in Amazing Mary Jane, but to have him on interiors for Amazing Spider-Man would be jaw dropping! Remember to wear your mask when you pick up this issue at your LCS

GRADE
      B+

NEXT ISSUE

* The PUN was good enough…Peter Benjamin Mary Jane sandwich..like a PBJ sandwich…right?  Oh forget it…
** I actually had to point that out to Dark Mark for his spread sheet and sited my source, he’s not as sharp as he claims to be.