REVIEW: ‘Amazing Spider-Man,’ Issue #80.BEY

Amazing Spider-Man #80 BEY is written by Cody Ziglar, illustrated by Ivan Fiorelli with Carlos Gomez and Paco Medina, colored by Rachelle Rosenberg, and lettered by VC’s Joe Caramagna. It is published by Marvel Comics. Following the end of Amazing Spider-Man #80, May Parker has turned to the one person who can help save her nephew Peter-Otto Octavious, aka Doctor Octopus. May and Ock track down the U-Foes, in order to devise a cure, but things soon get out of hand when they have to enter a “rehabilitation center,” which holds the U-Foes and other villains.

In the same vein as Amazing Spider-Man #78 BEY, this issue turns the spotlight on another pair of characters within the Spider-Man mythos. First, it was the Daughters of the Dragon; now it’s May and Ock. This pairing of characters is an interesting one, given that the two were almost married and Ock has been one of Spider-Man’s deadliest enemies, even swapping bodies with Peter Parker! Ziglar perfectly captures Ock’s character, as he often resorts to violence to solve his problems and looks down on everyone except May. However, it’s May who’s the star of the issue; her determination to save her nephew pushes her through the issue, and even though she doesn’t have superpowers, she manages to talk her way into or out of any situation. To put it plainly, I haven’t seen Aunt May written this well since J. Michael Straczynski’s run on the title.

This issue also sees the return of Fiorelli, who previously illustrated a pair of backup stories in Amazing Spider-Man #875 and #75. Fiorelli returns Ock to the white and black suit he wore back in the 90’s, and even designs a new jumpsuit for the diabolical doctor. May is often shown wearing purple courtesy of Rosenberg-and this also translates to Caramagna’s word captions, as she narrates the issue. Even the U-Foes Vapor and X-Ray have their own visual flair; green smoke trails off of Vapor’s body and you can literally see through X-Ray.

Both Medina and Gomez also deliver some great artwork; it’s a treat to see Gomez in interiors after his work on the Amazing Mary Jane miniseries. However, it does run into a personal problem of mine, namely how the shift in art feels somewhat jarring. I often feel that if you have two or more artists working on a single issue, each one should tackle a separate story or flashbacks. That being said, Gomez draws a hell of a fight between Doc Ock and X-Ray and Medina gets to draw the major revelation of the issue, along with a plot development that should surprise nobody.

Amazing Spider-Man #80 BEY places Peter Parker’s fate in the hands of his Aunt May and Doctor Octopus, resulting in a surprisingly engaging adventure. The ending not only resolves one of the Beyond Saga’s subplots, but it sets up another one by igniting a battle between Doctor Octopus and the Beyond Corporation. I love that these one-shots continue to flesh out the Beyond Saga, and I look forward to the next one.

Amazing Spider-Man #80.BEY is available wherever comics are sold.