Amazing Spider-Man (2018) #24 Review: The Bogenrieder Perspective

A one-and-done? Say it ain’t so! Well, Spencer did, and here we are! Let’s close off year one with a killer, shall we?

Amazing Spider-Man (2018) #24/Lgy 835

“One on One”

Writer: Nick Spencer

Artist: Ryan Ottley

Inks: Mark Morales Cliff Rathburn

Colors: Nathan Fairbairn

Editor: Nick Lowe and Kathleen Wisneski

EiC: C.B. Cebulski

Plot:

Peter and MJ have a lovely night out on top of the Vessel (Aka a pointless waste of Manhattan real estate) where they’re chased off by security after Peter blanks out to reflect on his recent romp in the woods with Kraven. Meanwhile, Mysterio (in costume, I love little things like that) is talking with his therapist (Or his second one, as it’s mentioned that the last one simply vanished) who tries to goad him into talking about his supposed hallucinations with Centidemon. Refusing to crack under the pressure, Mysterio is suddenly visited by Centidemon himself, who lulls Mysterio into a false sense of security and getting him to say his name. Centidemon then slaughters Mysterio.

Peter wakes up in a cold sweat, telling MJ that he’s seen Centidemon, and that he has a name he wants Peter to call him– Kindred.

Thoughts:

As I mentioned above, one-and-dones are very much a rarity in modern comics, given their especially decompressed nature. So to kick things off, I think it’s very refreshing to have an issue answer questions, answer more, and set up more plot points. (Though some of them are Absolute Carnage-related on the last page) in a single page in under 30 pages.)

Second off, I finally understand why Spencer more than likely specifically asked for Ottley to be brought on for his volume of ASM. Not only does it show in his gore-filled butchering of Mysterio, but in how Ottley uses the shadow of his settings and the tone of the story to create some remarkably creepy set pieces. I haven’t given a ton of props to the colorist for Ottley, Nathan Fairbain, and I think I should rectify that, because he is arguably the MVP of this issue in particular; he nails down the satanic glow of the entrance of Centidemon, the gases in Mysterio’s helmet contrasting against his face, and the dulcet backgrounds of the therapist’s office. It shows just how much a colorist can affect a book’s quality and how you percieve it. (See: the colors for Travel Foreman’s art in… anything he does.)

I think something else to consider is that, going into the 8-dollar milestone, I don’t think Spencer answered that many questions regarding Centidemon. (I guess I should call him Kindred now.) Even though nothing really happens, I found myself compelled to turn page after page; Spencer definitely knows how to nail down the tones of his story, and does an even better job of juggling the various tones; first flighty and flirty with Peter and MJ, then slowly transition into a psychological thriller with Mysterio (Also doing a good job of referencing continuity with Mysterio’s past antics) and slowly transitioning again, this time into a horror tone with Kindred. It shows that Spencer is a true master of manhandling a narrative and making it work for what he needs. He has a great way of synergizing with his artists, and I think that goes a long way in establishing the visual style and how it connects to the art. And even though not a lot happens, everything happens and ends all in one issue. So that’s very appreciated

While not a whole lot happens, this continues Spencer’s trend of topping his previous best issue. He made me sad for Gibbon, and now he makes me curious and genuinely excited for what’s to come. This was a bit of a light review, as I mentioned, given the brief nature of what happened but I’ve spent too much time trying to theorize who Kindred truly is, so I’ll end the review early and just say that for closing out year one, this was a definite high note to end on.

Final Grade: A+

I know I didn’t have a lot to say, but, well, it’s the middle of July and real life stuff is always there to shank you in the hip.