The Amazing Spider-Man #1000 Is Great, But It Should Have Been Spectacular (Review)

Spider-Man is Marvel’s biggest, most iconic, most influential character, without question. When people think of the quintessential superhero, at least a good majority of them are going to think of good old Peter Parker. Alongside Superman and Batman, he’s recognized as the most influential superhero to ever exist. His face is indisputably on the superhero Mount Rushmore for a reason, after all. His stories tackling responsibility, everyday drama, and out-of-this-world superheroics have millions of hearts around the world, across generations. Spider-Man is a hero that everyone can look up to and see themself in, and he reminds us that we all have the strength to stand back up and keep on moving, no matter what life throws at us.

After over six decades of stories, Spider-Man has reached a milestone that very few other heroes have, celebrating his 1000th issue. Marvel is pulling out all the stops with this one. On top of Joe Kelly and Pepe Larraz continuing their amazing run, some of Spider-Man’s most spectacular writers and Marvel’s most amazing artists from across the ages have brought their A-game. This issue is one hundred pages of pure Spider-Man goodness, and there is so much to love here. However, if there were any problem with this issue, it would be with the main story. It’s fun, action-packed, and emotionally resonant in a way that all of Spidey’s best stories are. For any other issue, this would be an easy slam dunk, but for an anniversary this massive, it just doesn’t do enough.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Pros	Cons
Some of the best writers and artists to ever do it across a multitude of stories.	The main story should be in a normal issue, not the 1000th.
Love for Spider-Man shining in every page.
There’s a story for everyone that satisfied me and left me hungry for more.

An Amazing Cast of Incredible Writers

This special issue featured eight stories by nine different writers, including Joe Kelly, Noah Hawley, J. M. DeMatteis, Frank Miller, Triple H, Rob Fee, Brian Michael Bendis, Larry Lieber, and Dan Slott. This is a stacked roster of people, with Triple H and Noah Hawley actually making their comic book debut with this issue. Obviously, this is a lot of ground to cover, so we’ll only briefly touch on most of these stories and save the majority of the review for the main one. That being said, my favorites out of the lot are Hawley’s and Slott’s. Hawley’s was a wonderfully touching look into Peter’s future, which showed him happy, even as he faced challenges only Spider-Man could. Its new Spider-Man design was top-tier, too. Meanwhile, Slott took us back to Spider-Man’s genesis and gave us a truly unique perspective. The final page was an encapsulation of everything Spider-Man is.

The DeMatteis story was a wonderful thought experiment set just after Harry’s death, which is where DeMatteis shines the most. Miller’s tale is a typical Frank Miller tale of over-the-top ninja violence that hardly felt connected to Peter, but I wouldn’t mind seeing more of this creative team. Triple H, with help from Fee, told a touching, slightly rushed tale of a precious moment between Peter and Ben that truly stuck with the Web-Head. Bendis’s story was a bit stilted, but I think all his dialogue is, and besides, it praised Spider-Man in a truly Parker Luck style way. Lieber’s story brought us right back into the earliest days of Spider-Man comics, and it could easily slot right into that era without issue. And hey, I always love to see Spider-Horse.

Kelly’s story was the main attraction and, truth be told, I love it and hate it. It was a fantastic exploration of Peter and Aunt May’s relationship, and Ravage’s threat is a genuinely unique and scary one. Seeing May’s perspective on Peter and everything he does was heartwarming, and this issue truly felt like it understood what makes Peter tick and thus, what makes Spider-Man so amazing. However, the twist with Cormac was the most predictable thing in the world. I would genuinely be shocked if anyone didn’t see this coming, and yet it still feels like it comes far too soon for his character. His role is interesting, but him not being evil would have been more unique, frankly.

That’s the biggest problem with this story. It’s great, and I find it interesting, but it doesn’t do anything to push the boundary of what Spider-Man is, which is exactly what this celebratory issue should do. For all we know, Aunt May might never get her memories back, but this being part one of Spider-Man and Ravage’s fight instead of the conclusion just left this feeling incomplete in the worst way. We don’t know if this will impact Spidey long-term, and if it doesn’t, this being in issue #1000 feels like a waste. On top of that, there’s hardly any MJ in this book. I understand that she isn’t with Peter right now, but there definitely should have been more of her. Overall, I really, really liked this issue, but it just needed something to push it into that amazing level it should be on.

The Greatest Collection of Artists in Marvel

Just like the extreme team of writers, an A+ team of artists collaborated to make this anniversary issue a reality. The pencilers include Pepe Larraz, Patrick Gleason, Humberto Ramos, Peach Momoko, Ed McGuinness, Stuart Immonen, Giuseppe Camuncoli, and Marcos Martín. Genuinely, there’s not much bad to say about any one of these artists. Larraz is quickly leaving a generational mark on Spider-Man, and his art is truly incomparable. Seeing Ramos, McGuinness, Immonen, and Camuncoli return to the Web-Head is always a treat for all long-time fans. Gleason’s work with Spider-Man is more recent and not as breakout, but no less commendable or great.

Of course, the real start of this show is absolutely Peach Momoko. Seeing her unique, hyper-stylized pencils bring Spider-Man to life is nothing short of a dream come true. I would pay an unholy amount of money for her to handle a full Spider-Man title, even if only for a miniseries. Martín is either my second or third favorite of the bunch, fighting for that spot with Larraz. The close-ups on Spider-Man and out-of-panel shots of Peter were amazing, and the final page was genuinely breathtaking, saying so much with Peter and the cop’s body language alone.

Overall, this issue is a fantastic display of so much talent and love for Spider-Man. Still, there are just enough strange points, from two writers making their comic debut to the main story feeling like the middle chapter of an arc instead of something big on its own, to keep me from declaring it truly spectacular. No John Romita Jr. on art, either, is a massive tragedy. Even if his art has fallen out of favor, he’s still easily Spider-Man’s most important living artist. Still, it’s a love letter to the Web-Slinger that every fan should pick up from their local shop. It’s a treat that is definitely worth the price of admission, and I am very excited for future Spidey stories. Here’s to another thousand Spider-Man issues!

The Amazing Spider-Man #1000 is on sale now!

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