Amazing Spider-Man #14 sees us return to the Earth side of the current direction for the series. That means a return to Norman Osborn and Ben Reilly as the co-leads of how things are going for Spider-Man without Peter Parker on Earth. The first few issues with Norman and Ben at the helm of this side of the story wasn’t great. Let’s see if Amazing Spider-Man #14 turns things around.
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Joe Kelly
Artists: Ed McGuinness and Todd Nauck
Inkers: Mark Farmer, Wade Von Grawbadger, Ed McGuinness, and Todd Nauck
Colorists: Marcio Menyz and Erick Arciniega
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #14 SOLICITATION
“ENTER: THE GOBLIN SLAYER! Something has been trying to kill Norman Osborn since the first issue of this volume, and they up the ante this issue! What can Spider-Man do to stop the Goblin Slayer? With all that Norman has done and could do, SHOULD Spidey stop it?” – Marvel Comics
HIGHLIGHTS OF AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #14
Spider-Man Family Back-Up Peter Parker
The opening page for Amazing Spider-Man #14 says all that readers need to know about this current direction. As Miles Morales’ Spider-Man, Silk, Spider-Boy, and Araña tell Norman Osborn, he is not needed while Peter Parker is MIA. There are more than enough Spider-Man family members that Norman and, by extension, Ben Reilly aren’t needed. They are just a distraction and a way to stretch out a story so Peter Parker’s absence seems longer. It is a stand up and clap moment for how Peter’s friends stood up for him that is a good look for the Spider-Man but not so much Norman and Ben.
Aunt May Steals the Show
Aunt May checking to see if Peter is okay is something that this direction needed. Aunt May’s scene with Janine emphasized that Ben is just using Peter’s name and look but isn’t really Peter. Ben doesn’t care about Peter or his world. Aunt May’s concern drives that point forward. And more importantly it shows that Peter has people who care about him and are concerned for his MIA status.
WHAT DIDN’T WORK IN AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #14
Wrong Choice Made to Make Norman Osborn a Protagonist
The opening page set the tone for the rest of this issue. That is the fact that Norman Osborn is just not the choice for a protagonist. The reclamation project that Spider-Man editorial continues to try to push with Norman just doesn’t work. We’ve spent way too long seeing Norman do the worst thing imaginable to Peter Parker and his loved ones. Norman breaking his promise and putting on the Spider-Man costume again is a reminder of this being a bad choice. It would be fraction better if he just went back to his Gold Goblin identity or something else. There’s just no buying him as Spider-Man, even temporarily.
Ben Reilly Exasperates Problem with Series Direction
The struggle with buying Norman as Spider-Man does not help Ben Reilly’s own story arc. Seeing how Ben interacts or doesn’t interact with Norman, Janine, Aunt May, and others is purposely unlikable. But this is also reliant on caring about Norman’s character arc. When you don’t then Ben’s character arc doesn’t work at all. It once again makes the turn Marvel decided with Ben’s arc to from Scarlet Spider to Jackal to Chasm highly questionable. It just has not worked as Spider-Man editorial likely wanted.
Failure with Ben & Norman Hurts Villain Threat
Having the two leads of the Earth-based story does not click makes it tough to have a concern about Hobgoblin. The story needs a protagonist you care about to get into the threat the antagonist poses. If the protagonist side doesn’t work, then the antagonist won’t work either. That is the case with Hobgoblin. It’s just a generic villain plot that is just filler content that ultimately is what the Earth side of Amazing Spider-Man has become.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Amazing Spider-Man #14 drives home how much the story with Norman Osborn and Ben Reilly as leads is just filler content. It is a story to pad out this direction for the series. It is unfortunate because there are elements with how the Spider-Man family and Aunt May react to Peter Parker’s MIA status that work. Unfortunately the leads Joe Kelly and Spider-Man’s editorial have chosen for this story aren’t working.
Story Rating: 3 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 7 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 5 Night Girls out of 10
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