REVIEW: ‘Amazing Spider-Man,’ Issue 50

Amazing Spider-Man #50 is written by Nick Spencer, illustrated by Patrick Gleason, colored by Edgar Delgado, and lettered by VC’s Joe Caramagna. It is published by Marvel Comics. Picking up immediately after Amazing Spider-Man #850, the issue finally sees the malevolent Kindred make his move against Spider-Man. Wounded and outnumbered, Spidey seeks the help of Doctor Strange. Meanwhile, Norman Osborn comes face to face with the Sin-Eater.

This double-sized issue is the payoff to two years’ worth of work from Spencer and his artistic collaborators, and the wait was worth it. Spencer perfectly infuses a quiet dread throughout the issue that continues to rise with every page. Within the opening pages, we see Spidey falling from the air, barely hanging on to life. And soon, he learns that his fellow Spider-heroes are in danger due to Kindred’s machinations. This is troubling because they came together to protect him, and now that may backfire in the worst of ways.

The identity of Kindred is finally revealed and it not only is a surprise (I was expecting a totally different character), but it also makes perfect sense. The best plot twists work when you can look at all the previous hints and they perfectly add up, and that is the case with Kindred. His hatred for Peter Parker comes from a very personal place, and he has ties to the web-slinger that he will not hesitate to exploit. Spencer has created a villain that could stand with the likes of the Green Goblin and Doctor Octopus.

Gleason takes over artistic duties for the book, and his artwork is nothing short of amazing. Spidey’s costume is rendered in great detail, down to the massive white eyes and webbing that envelops the red in his costume. Kindred, on the other hand, looks utterly terrifying. His flesh is rotting, with insects crawling in and out of various crevices of his body. I feel that great villains should be the exact opposite of their heroic nemesis, and Kindred fits that description to a T. While Spidey is vibrant and full of life, Kindred is death and decay incarnate.

Gleason also knows how to draw eye-grabbing action images. When Spidey first appears in the issue, the page is split into a twelve-grid image. Spidey is shown web-slinging, then slowly falls from the air. Throughout each grid you see Spidey falling, crashing into the highway, and finally landing in a heap of trash. Gleason utilized a similar art style for Superman and Young Justice at DC Comics, and it perfectly fits a character like Spider-Man.

Rounding out the artistic team is Delgado in colors. He perfectly illustrates the differences between Spidey and Kindred via color. Spidey is shown in vivid color, including his trademark red-and-blue costume. Meanwhile, Kindred is shown almost entirely in shadow, and his long purple cloak has muted tones. Doctor Strange is also shown in a multicolored, trippy palette that puts the “Mystic” in “Master of the Mystic Arts”.

Amazing Spider-Man #50 brings two years’ worth of plotlines to a head while setting the stage for a confrontation between Spidey and Kindred. I can’t wait to see how the story continues and how the other Spider-heroes factor into it.

Amazing Spider-Man #50 is available wherever comics are sold.