The Amazing Spider-Man #54, out now from Marvel Comics, is what the series has been building up to for dozens of issues. Finally, we begin to see Kindred’s motives, and he and Spider-Man engage in more ferocious combat.
Warning: Major spoilers for the current run of Amazing Spider-Man ahead.
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Nick Spencer’s writing always keeps the reader on their toes. The Amazing Spider-Man #54 constantly has stuff happening in a way that doesn’t give you time to absorb it. First, it’s Peter’s reaction to the enormous reveal he has been faced with, followed by intense combat and hurtful dialogue, which eventually leads to Kindred beginning to reveal his motives to both Spider-Man and the reader. The issue is one pop in the face after another, making the story difficult to put down. It is clear from the dialogue that Spencer knows these characters like the back of his hand, which allows him to make statements that have a lot of history behind them. It makes the issue more intense for long-time fans and gives the sense of a fleshed-out world for new readers.
Mark Bagley and John Dell turn The Amazing Spider-Man #54 into an absolutely wild ride from start to finish. The action sequences are so in-the-moment, and Bagley and Dell use action lines to add energy to these scenes. Characters also frequently overlap the borders of panels, which is a fantastic way to immerse readers in the issue. Facial expressions are astonishing (as always) and never fail to show the many emotions a character may be going through. The brutality of the action and the clear facial expressions are integral parts of the issue that it would not be nearly the same without.
The Amazing Spider-Man #54 features the coloring talents of Edgar Delgado, which perfectly reflects the tone of the issue. The grim and dark conversation the issue centers around is portrayed with an equally dark color palette. If events get more violent, red tints and backgrounds add energy to the scenes and make any actions seem even more brutal. On top of it all, Delgado provides a distinct color palette for flashbacks, which makes them easy to distinguish and provides an older tone.
VC’s Joe Caramagna crushes the lettering in The Amazing Spider-Man #54. From the classic bold fonts and vibrant colors, to speech bubbles overlapping panel borders, to letters bursting out of their speech bubbles, Caramagna does whatever he can to give the lettering more weight. It adds to the tense moments of the story and vastly improves the issue.
This is what has been built up to for so long, and it comes to us in an intense, action-filled issue. For those who have been following the series, The Amazing Spider-Man #54 is worth purchasing just to see Spencer’s story creep nearer to its conclusion. For those who haven’t, the outstanding talents of Bagley, Dell, Delgado, and Caramagna are sure to have you turning the pages.
