The latest chapter in Marvel’s flagship Spider-Man title begins in Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 1: Get Back Up. Peter Parker is, shockingly, without a job and looking for gainful employment — but his search is interrupted by a rampaging Rhino, who is but the tip of a Sinister iceberg! What major Spider-Villain is working behind the scenes weaponizing other Spider-Villains, including one readers haven’t seen in almost seven years?! Also, what is that Goblin-free Norman Osborn up to, anyway?
Whilst best known for his character defining work on Deadpool, Joe Kelly is a name that will be familiar with most Spider-Man fans. He has a long history with the character that goes back to 1999 where he wrote a three-part story for the Webspinners anthology series. Almost ten years later, he was brought on as part of the second wave of creators in the Brand New Day era of Amazing Spider-Man where he contributed memorable story arcs including American Son and Grim Hunt. He would subsequently revisit the character over the passing years in various series including Spider-Man/Deadpool and Non-Stop Spider-Man. Now – following a short handover arc with The Eight Deaths of Spider-Man – Kelly takes over as the main writer for Amazing Spider-Man’s latest volume.
For a writer who is largely renowned for his humour, Kelly is adept at weaving a compelling dramatic story. The setup for this opening story arc may not seem like the most original premise (a once again unemployed Peter Parker starting a new job amongst new characters), but Kelly uses the setting to delve into Peter’s early teen school days which – believe it or not – is not something that has been widely covered by previous creators. This is achieved by Peter’s new colleague being one of his childhood friends, who was not a good influence on him. Kelly uses this to delve into the relatability factor which is key to the Spider-Man character as Peter finds himself rebelling against his aunt and uncle along with experiencing the consequences of underage drinking.
Outside of the drama of Peter’s past, Kelly brings back several classic villains to great effect. Most notable of this is the original Hobgoblin who once again seeks to be a major criminal player via his corrupt business practices – in this case, distributing hallucinogenic drugs to East Harlem via returning Spider-Man/Deadpool villain Itsy-Bitsy whilst profiting from selling a cure via his pharmaceutical business. Roderick Kingsley has always worked best as a grand manipulator and Kelly plays to all the characters strengths.
On the art side – in addition to the always dependable comics legend John Romita Jr. – superstar X-Men artist Pepe Larraz makes his Amazing Spider-Man debut. As fans will haves seen in his work with writer Jonathan Hickman, he is one of the best artists working in comics today. He excels in all parts of Kelly’s narrative whether it be the human moments in Peter’s past or his dynamic looking Spider-Man sequences. His Hobgoblin is also rather terrifying that gives the character even more visual edge. This is a very promising start to Kelly’s Amazing Spider-Man run. With stories like this and A-list talent on art, the future is looking bright.
Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 1: Get Back Up is out now from Marvel (9781302960728, p/b, £17.99)
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