REVIEW: ‘Amazing Spider-Man,’ Issue #56

Amazing Spider-Man #56 is written by Nick Spencer, penciled by Mark Bagley, inked by Andrew Hennessy and John Dell, colored by Rachelle Rosenberg and Edgar Delgado, and lettered by VC’s Joe Caramagna. It is published by Marvel Comics. “Post Mortem, Part 1” begins with the aftermath of “Last Remains,” as Kindred is captured by the joint forces of Norman Osborn and Wilson Fisk. Flashbacks reveal the extent of Osborn and Fisk’s alliance, as well as how Spider-Man and his friends escaped the aftermath. Meanwhile, Peter’s Aunt May gets a surprising visitor.

The majority of the issue is dedicated to Norman having a face to face with Kindred, who happens to be his son Harry. Spencer essentially writes their scenes as a one-act play, with years of regret and anger being laid between the two Osborns. It’s also rather unsettling to see a compassionate side of Norman. As the Green Goblin, he’s wreaked immense havoc on Peter Parker’s life-including killing Gwen Stacy and even kidnapping his Aunt May. After his encounter with the Sin-Eater, it does seem like Osborn is a changed man.

Harry also reveals the reason for his torment of Norman and Peter; he is trying to get them to remember something. Spider-Man fans may remember what that is, as it ties into the highly controversial One More Day storyline. From the very beginning of his run, Spencer has sought to reverse this story development. “Last Remains” was a major step forward and “Post Mortem” seems to be continuing that forward momentum. This also puts Harry in the same category of villains as Magneto, who often have a potentially noble goal but commit horrible acts in the service of that goal. It helps to separate him from the other villains in Spidey’s rogues gallery.

The conversation between the Osborns, as well as the reappearance of another Spidey villain, helps make up for the fact that the web-slinger doesn’t have that much time in the issue. Spidey only appears in flashbacks and toward the end to confront Osborn. However, this isn’t a deal-killer as the Osborns’ family drama is more than enough to keep the audience’s attention.

Bagley rejoins Spencer on artistic duties, with Hennessy and Dell providing a heavy use of shadows in several of the issues’ scenes—a nod to the darkness that has plagued the Osborn family. Bagley continues to draw dynamic renditions of Spider-Man characters, including the wall-crawler himself who remains lithe and athletic. In contrast, Fisk is a mass of muscle stuffed into a three-piece suit. Bagley also favors close-ups of characters’ faces and mouths, which helps sell the emotional beats of the issues. A particular example comes when Norman first comes face to face with Harry. Over the course of six panels, his faces shift from arrogant to remorseful.

Delgado returns for coloring duties, joined by Rosenberg. Once again, they use color for each character’s clothing, which fits their alter egos. In the case of Osborn, he tends to wear mostly black and purple which is a nod to his Green Goblin identity.

Amazing Spider-Man #56 continues the forward momentum from “Last Remains,” painting one of Spidey’s deadliest enemies in a new light. Hopefully, Bagley stays on for the entirety of this arc and we get to see how Osborn’s new lease on life affects his rivalry with Spider-Man.

Amazing Spider-Man #56 is available wherever comics are sold and through Comixology using our affiliate link.