Writer Nick Spencer takes a break from his usual Amazing Spider-Man collaborator and enlists longtime Spidey artist Humberto Ramos. The resulting issue delivers an all-time great comedic Spidey moment in a flat-out hilarious issue.
***SPOILERS LIE AHEAD***
Peter Parker’s supervillain roommate situation turns into a night out with Boomerang. They go to the Bar With No Name for “Spider-Man Trivia Night.” Nick Spencer has been calling back to his wonderful Superior Foes Of Spider-Man run throughout the first arc on ASM, this issue takes it to the next level.
Seeing Pete begrudgingly give into the contest exclusively against villains, hoping to gain intel on an upcoming heist, is such a strong Spider-Man moment. This might be the funniest issue of Spider-Man in a very long time. I sincerely hope Peter’s fake villain persona, The Liar, gets a Marvel Wiki entry.
There is no doubt that Spencer is one of the funniest writers at Marvel currently, but that’s not the only trick in his bag. The sense of humor Amazing Spider-Man now has allows us to just submit to stories without grave consequences. This isn’t an issue that Dan Slott would’ve been able to pull off.
Everything from the set-up to the cliffhanger is simply great comic book plotting. The comedy up front distracts from the drama slowly unfolding between Boomerang and Kingpin, ultimately leading to next issue’s likely explosive resolution.
Peter Parker is in a classically stick situation, all because he let himself get distracted by the hilarious opportunity to win money by being “Spidey’s biggest fan.” We usually only get great comedic moments in Spider-Man comics, but here Spencer gives us a full serving that will certainly be among my own favorite Spidey moments in his long history.
Spencer also touches on some of the Secret Empire fallout a bit more, explaining how Boomerang ended up with clean hands. If Fred Myers didn’t have a cult following before, he’ll certainly have one by the time Spencer is done with him.
Amazing Spider-Man #6 also shows us how good Spencer can be without Ottley. The two make up one of the strongest creative duos at Marvel, but there’s no doubt he can hold his own. Any book that double-ships is going to have to rotate artists, we know for sure now that Spencer doesn’t lean too heavily on the supremely talented Ryan Ottley.
Humberto Ramos is no slouch either, he’s got a long history with Amazing Spider-Man during Slott’s run. Ramos is in great shape here, handling the more comedic script flawlessly. The style shifts in both flashbacks and the Superior Foes poker game are wonderful. This is another great Spider-Man issue from a familiar face that it’s great to see again.
Colorist Edgar Delgado brings the Bar With No Name to life. His lighting creates the perfect bar trivia atmosphere. The panels crammed with d-list supervillains are beautifully colorful. Inker Victor Olazaba shines brightest during the flashback scenes with heavy ink. Joe Caramagna keeps the tone light and a dialogue-heavy issue from becoming polluted.
Amazing Spider-Man #6 is one of the funniest superhero comic book issues I’ve read in a while. Spencer has completely commandeered the tone and reshaped it to better redefine and realign the character. This is the Spider-Man of the new era and it feels like home in every way.
