REVIEW: ‘The Amazing Spider-Man Annual,’ Issue #2

The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #2 is published by Marvel Comics, written by Karla Pacheco and Jed MacKay, art by Eleonora Carlini and Juan Ferreyra, colors by Erick Arciniega, and letters by Joe Caramagna. It’s a lovely day in Queens, and something is in the air. Is it love? No, definitely not love. But something has people acting bizarrely. Not to mention it’s swiping ice cream cones from one friendly neighborhood, Spider-Man. Someone needs to stop manipulating reality right now.

Superhero stories are generally fun fantasies about do-gooders who save the world from maniacal villains. Presented in such clean and clear ways, it is easy to have moments where we might even wish we could have such powers and solve the world’s problem’s with a few fists and some snappy dialogue. And then we remember that even the best people are messy. We have issues and can get pushed beyond our limits to process. Happily, for most of us, this means we yell, throw a fit and maybe spend some money we can’t really afford to. No serious harm was done. But if we got pushed and could manipulate reality on a whim…

The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #2 sees opens with former Thunderbolts member Star in the middle of a therapy session where it seems like the often villainous character may be on the verge of a breakthrough concerning the trajectory of her life. Alas, when her therapist interrupts her mid-sentence because they are almost out of time and they need to discuss her co-pay method, Star quickly relapses into her wrongdoing ways. (This moment is brought to you by one of the best parody panels I’ve seen in years. Thank you, Pacheco/Carlini)

From here, The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #2 sees Star run amok through New York as Spider-Man tries to curb her abuse of reality. While Star does a couple of truly horrible things in this issue, writer Pacheco keeps the story light. As Star flitters from one scheme to the next, it feels like Pacheco tells the story of someone simply tired of being beaten down and has access to way more power than she knows what to do with. Lashing out with these powers presents an easy, if temporary, solution to Star’s struggles. And no hero has a better mindset to confront this sort of power-fueled escapism than the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. The verbal confrontations that unfold between these two literally feel like a manifestation of the superhero fantasy meeting the superpowered reality.

The art throughout this book captures Star’s wild emotional state perfectly. Artist Carlini’s lines bring that manic energy that allows the story to keep lighthearted energy to most of the panels while still allowing the meaningful exchanges between her and Spider-Man to hit. This energy is fully brought to life through Arciniega’s colors. The colors throughout this book enhance the story’s tone wonderfully.

Just as with each of the previous Infinite Destinies annuals, The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #2 delivers a secondary story centered around Nick Fury. Having been chased down by unknown assailants in the last story, Fury now finds himself at the whims of his captors. Writer Mackay delivers as much punch into this short story as possible, while artist Ferreyra delivers the moment’s intensity with skill.

Through both of these issue’s tales, letterer Caramagna brings the reader the story through clear, easy-to-follow dialogue placements. Caramagna also brings a bit of extra energy to the main feature and uses some extra flair to further establish Star’s over-the-top energy.

So to sum it all up, I really enjoyed what The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #2 brought. It delivers some fun, with a healthy dose of feeling to match.

The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #2 is available now wherever comics are sold.