The Amazing Spider-Man, Vol 6: Dead Language, Part 2

The Amazing Spider-Man (2022) (Collected Editions)

by Zeb Wells, G. Willow Wilson, Mark Waid

The shocking story it's all been building to - and your heart is not ready! At last, witness exactly what brought Peter Parker together with his former arch-nemesis, Norman Osborn as past and present collide with the return of the Emissary - and his power is far beyond Spider-Man's abilities. Peter and his allies may figure out a way to win, but the cost of victory will be so immense that you just might hope they don't! Witness the full fury of Peter's new Spidey suit unleashed! Discover how this year's Hellfire Gala impacts Spider-Man! And welcome back Hallows' Eve as she makes a play to break Chasm out of jail!

Collecting AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (2022) #24-26, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL (2023) #1, FALLEN FRIEND #1 .

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Spider Man, Graphic Novels, Comic Book, Superheroes, Fantasy

176 pages, Paperback

First published October 17, 2023

About the author

Zeb Wells is an American comic book writer known for his work at Marvel Comics, as well as his work on the animated TV series Robot Chicken.

Reviews

[Baba · Rating 2 out of 5]

So this is the high-point of the 'what the Hell happened to Peter and MJ' and it ain't much. The whole rationale behind MJ's new life makes sense, but it's just not that interesting, and then the main story of this season is the return of a big-time villain that leads to, a very surprising unforeseeable fate for a key Marvel character, which I found not only pointless but lacking any real context or resonance for me. A Two Star, 5 out of 12 read.

2025 read

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

"It's a funny story, really . . . So I was minding my own business, just swinging through the concrete jungle I call home - " -- Peter Parker, a.k.a. our Amazing Spider-Man

"Expedite this story, will you?!" -- Madelynne Pryor, a.k.a. the exasperated Goblin Queen

Faithful followers of my GR reviews (is there really such a thing?!) have probably noticed that this current series to feature Marvel's flagship character has often been an uneven one, and that tone is kept consistent in the latest edition Vol. 6: Dead Language, Part 2. This time there are five distinct or non-connected storylines involved, but rather frustratingly they go together about as well as peanut butter smeared on egg rolls. What did work the best - and saved this all from spiraling down to the depths of those maligned volumes 3 and 4 - was the sensitive handling of the death of and mourning for Ms. Marvel (which takes up most of the page time here), and the two of the three buoyant short stories that conclude the volume. However, Spidey's writers and editors don't all seem to be on the same page - no pun intended . . . or maybe it was? - which leads to the occasional dissatisfaction.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

So we finally get all the answers to the mystery that was set in motion at the beginning of this run. We find out why MJ was with that other guy, where the kids came from, why people were mad at Peter, and why Pete was being an ass to everyone. I mean, if I had that happen to me, I’d be in asshole mode too. Book kinda made me not like MJ tho 😂. Story ended up being decent I guess. The Fallen Friend issue was a solid dedication to the hero who died. Had some nice heartfelt moments. Then there was the annual to finish the book. Some of it tied into Krakoa and some tied into the end of Dark Web. It wasn’t anything to get too excited about.

[Belfry · Rating 1 out of 5]

"Okay guys, we've got a big budget movie coming out starring our Muslim teen superhero people love, should we give her an ongoing?"

"No, let's kill her in Zeb's shitty ASM run."

"Fantastic idea, you get a raise."

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have an issue with how this particular story wrapped up. It felt kind of anticlimactic. We started this mystery with such promise but the answers. It felt like a season of Heroes more than a promising comic book.

I love how Spider-Man alienated the Avengers and the F4 and they still forgave him anyway. That was beautiful.

Overall it was pretty good. The death was a little clunky and out of left field. It didn’t work for me. They kinda set it up in the last issue but I kinda feel like it was done just to do it.

I think the death that was set up should’ve been the one that happened

[j_ay · Rating 2 out of 5]

The ol' New Costume gimmick, the lame Give Powers to People Close to the Hero, the ever-so-tired Alternate Universe-thing, and, of course, the Death of a Character...all devices of the laziest writers....and here we have all three in one short volume! Romita JR makes it look nice, but these stories are really, really weak and the constant use of "god" is nauseating.

[Adam Fisher · Rating 3 out of 5]

UGH.... this is the resolution to the build up of all this time?
Bullet points:
- While Spidey works with Norman Osborn to create a suit that will allow him to get back to MJ, we see that she and Paul (with their adopted kids, not natural born) were together in the other world for 4 years, while it had been less than a week for Peter.
- Rabin is still obsessed with becoming the host for Wayep, and now sets his sights on MJ.
- When Rabin/Wayep comes to our world, Spidey is joined by the Fantastic Four, Captain America, and Ms Marvel.
- (Marvel, you did a fantastic job flooding the market with "The New Mutant" advertisements so the major death of Ms Marvel wasn't as impactful for me as it could have been.)
- But... the "Fallen Friend" issue was really sweet and nice to see Kamala's Muslim heritage and faith being so celebrated.

Lots of sets up for the future, but overall an ok Volume. Just didn't like that they stretched this story out so long to find out why Mj and Paul were together. As a long time comic fan, I know it's only a matter of time till MJ and Peter are back together anyways...
Recommend.

[Kris Shaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

The core series is excellent. The Fallen one shot and the Annual were garbage which lowered the rating.

[Anna Quilter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did kind of like/appreciate this as a wrap up to a sometime frustrating story and the fall of a hero tribute

[Xavi (NarraTea) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let’s be real. What saved this was the emotive Fallen Friend issue. It was the first time I could actually acknowledge Kamala’s death.

[Sam Quixote · Rating 2 out of 5]

Spidey and co. face down the wannabe god of death the Emissary in a final battle. Also revealed at last is what happened with MJ - how did she suddenly get a family separate from her relationship with Peter? All this and more in the second and final part of Dead Language.

Zeb Wells and John Romita Jr’s surprisingly decent run on Amazing Spider-Man hits another bump with Volume 6: Dead Language Part 2, and I wouldn’t put the blame squarely on them - Marvel has a horrible habit of throwing Spidey into one crossover and event after another, and that’s happened again with this book.

The actual book I wanted to read - Spider-Man comics written and drawn by Wells and JRJR - wasn’t bad. Peter desperately works with Norman Osborn, while putting his friendship with the Fantastic Four on the line, to do the necessary and make it back to MJ in that other world, and it’s not boring.

The backstory of how MJ got a family was similarly engaging with surprise art by Kaare Andrews. Andrews can’t help himself and draws MJ and Paul like ‘90s pin-ups, but otherwise it’s enjoyable visually.

The final confrontation with the Emissary plays out predictably though the ending is confusing - Kamala seems to have developed new powers since I last read her (back when G. Willow Wilson was writing the title).

That issue does go on for a bit and, not having kept up with my comics news, it was surprising why - though if I’d taken in the back cover and contents page more I’d have been able to guess pretty easily. The back cover has Spidey in the by-now cliched image of a famous superhero grimly holding up the unconscious body of another superhero, with the contents page listing an issue called Fallen Friend.

So yes, this book also includes the bumper memorial issue commemorating the death of Kamala Khan aka Ms Marvel. It’s split into three chapters with three creative teams who wrote the character since 2014 taking turns writing a chapter. The G. Willow Wilson/Takeshi Miyazawa chapter was easily the best, producing poignancy very effectively. Unfortunately from there, the chapters quickly become trite, dreary and repetitive in the hands of Mark Waid/Humberto Ramos and Saladin Ahmed/Andrea de Vito. It’s especially impressive how quickly Ahmed manages to make his chapter corny in the small space he’s given - that’s how weak a writer that guy is.

I can’t get too mushy over Kamala’s “death” given the history of superheroes and death - as the saying goes, nobody but Uncle Ben stays dead, so I fully expect Kamala to miraculously return to life in some event story a year or two from now (plus I’m fairly sure she’s “died” once before in one of the tie-in issues to Hickman’s Secret Wars and then promptly returned back to life). It’s weird that Marvel decided to kill her off now though, given the timing of her big screen debut in the recent The Marvels movie. So if any new comics readers watching that movie felt inspired afterwards to pick up a Ms Marvel comic, they wouldn’t be able to get anything current - hmm. Not great synergy, Marvel.

The book closes out with more non-Wells/JRJR fare (boo) in the Annual featuring pointless, unmemorable stories. MJ’s aunt goes coo-coo because of the X-Men (I stopped reading X-Men shortly after HoX/PoX so I have no idea why); there’s more Dark Web garbage involving Hallows’ Eve and Chasm and one breaking the other out of fantasy jail - nobody caaaares; and finally Spidey and Black Cat go to a wedding party in Omaha where Spidey discovers that, har har, Omaha isn’t like New York! Wow. It’s crap like this that makes me appreciate Zeb Wells’ writing all the more - Marvel are lucky to have him and it’s no wonder why he got put onto their flagship character.

The Amazing Spider-Man, Volume 6: Dead Language Part 2 is bloated with too much detritus to make it as good as the other books in the series - it’s down there with the Dark Web crossover volume unfortunately. Reading the second half of Dead Language is worthwhile if you liked the first part though it plays out unsurprisingly and the Fallen Friend and Annual chunks are easily skippable dead weight. It’d be nice to live in a world where you picked up Wells/JRJR’s Spidey and only got their issues instead of being lumbered with all this useless side product at the same time, eh? I guess that’s what omnibuses are for, but, in the meantime, we’re stuck with crummy collections like this stuffed with filler.

[Rory Wilding · Rating 2 out of 5]

In the previous volume of Amazing Spider-Man, we finally got some answers to the mystery that was established at the beginning of Zeb Wells’ run, as we got an extended flashback one year earlier, where Peter and Mary Jane are trapped in another dimension, being confronted by Benjamin Rabin AKA the Emissary. As M.J. sacrificed herself to stay in this other dimension so that Peter can return home, he goes in a desperate rush to rescue her and thus seeks the help of his former arch-nemesis, Norman Osborn.

At the start of this volume, we remain in the flashback as we see Peter continuously being a dick towards his Super-Friends without giving an explanation about why he is desperate. While he successfully manages to get M.J. Back safely, it turns out time moves slowly in that other dimension as she lived there for four years, developing a relationship with Paul as both became parents to two orphaned children. Along with the nice art by Kaare Andrews, who fares better than John Romita Jr. and presents a fun illustration of Mary Jane looking Sarah Connor, it does give some context about why Mary Jane has moved on from Peter, who is left broken as Captain America understands his dickish attitude.

Cutting back to the present day, the return of the Emissary sparks the fear within Peter and M.J., as well as more revelations about who Paul and the children really is, which are frankly silly. Although the Emissary continues to be an obscure villain from Spidey’s history and one that you don’t engage that much with, it is the climax that Wells has been building up to, which has been much publicised and reminds you that some comics are still relying on appalling storytelling clichés.

SPOILERS from this point forward.

Described by Wells himself as the most shocking Spider-Man issue since “The Night Gwen Stacy Died” from fifty years ago, he chooses to kill one of the most beloved characters in recent Marvel history. Having had her own solo series since 2014, Kamala Khan AKA Ms. Marvel was never a supporting character in any of Spider-Man's comics, though her stories were very similar to Spidey’s in how she balances her domestic and superhero lives. Though Kamala has popped up a few times during Wells’ run, her presence didn’t seem that big a deal and so her demise in issue #26 felt forced and falls into that cliché of a female character being killed off so that the male hero can grieve.

The next issue is “Fallen Friend: The Death of Ms. Marvel”, in which many characters, superhero or not, essentially grieving over the late Kamala. Written by G. Willow Wilson, Mark Waid and Saladin Ahmed, each of which have put their own stamp on Kamala, the issue may have a good representation of Muslim culture, but so much of the storytelling is characters grieving, and not much else. It is no surprise that Kamala wasn’t going to stay dead for that long with her resurrection tying in with the X-Men, which feels like a cynical tie-in to her MCU incarnation, but this whole treatment towards this wonderful character has been ill-conceived.

Concluding with Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1, which features three separate narratives that are not that interesting, this volume ends Wells’ initial arc on a down-note, despite the initial interest in its mystery. Whilst the writer begins the next stage of his run and hopefully redeems himself along the way.

[RubiGiráldez RubiGiráldez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alcanzando el clímax de esta historia particular del reciente desamor entre Peter y MJ que tanto ha mosqueado a gran parte de los lectores... En verdad el leer cómo Zeb Wells plantea esta circunstancia particular en torno a esta separación multiversal que mantuvo a Mary Jane en un mundo post apocalíptico donde además de lo esperable de las amenazas por su supervivencia se le añade la certeza por la parte de Peter, que el tiempo discurre más lentamente en ese aparente futuro donde El Emisario está a punto de alcanzar su estado divino que pueda significar el fin para todo momento de la existencia. Tanto por la parte de Peter como la de MJ creo que se dejan bien expuestas sus tragedias personales y situaciones que derivan en su estatus personal actual. No es como que MJ no haya mantenido la esperanza o deje de querer a Peter. Y este tiene esa espinosa revelación de que en su apremio por rescatar a MJ "por su cuenta y riesgo", se enemista con grandes aliados que bien podrían haber acelerado las cosas o por lo menos no dejar que la personalidad de Peter se "agrie" a ese punto en el que es impensable que MJ ponga en riesgo su nuevo núcleo familiar. Además, hay que dejar las cosas claras. Es genial que estos personajes puedan tratar estos temas dialogando de forma "adulta" (es cierto que algún golpe de más que Peter propina a Paul no me dejan quitar las comillas).

En el conflicto total con Rabin, MJ se revela como parte esencial de todo tanto en que su sacrificio es lo último que necesita Rabin para trascender y que por su tiempo en el futuro condenado, ha adquirido conocimientos mediante esos sigilos mágicos entremezclados con tecnología que han dado a luz a un gadget con el que MJ por fin puede tomar partido más directo en estos dimes y diretes pijameros. Aún con todo, se seguirá queriendo volver a marcarla como "damisela en apuros". Y esto supondrá un destino fatal... no precisamente para Peter Parker... Y es que como llevamos viendo en la historia, Ms. Marvel se había infiltrado en la nueva empresa de Oscorp. Ya conociendo el dato que la razón estaba ante la suposición de algún plan malvado por un accidente en el que Norman estaba implicado en un almacén de Jersey. Kamala, la autoproclamada heroína de Jersey ve vital el tener que tomar parte en este asunto hasta llegar a entremezclarse en esta batalla sobrenatural que... como ya sabemos ha derivado en uno de los momentos más vergonzosos del Marvel Comics de los últimos años con un sacrificio carente de épica o impacto (ya icónica por su potencial paródico la viñeta de reactions de los 4F, MJ y Norman Osborn ante el cuerpo de la adolescente superheroína). Más también cuando todo atiende a una de estas prácticas sinérgicas terribles con el UCM para que Ms. Marvel también tenga aquí una nueva herencia mutante.

.Sí que me quedo con la cercanía que esto motiva en Peter y Norman. Pero desde luego esta etapa tiene más baches que otra cosa entre tanto evento y cruce editorial que descuadra en lo inicialmente planteado en el primer arco argumental.

[Subham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a weird volume, but we see Dr Rabin vs Spider-man and MJ in the present day and we get the full story of what happened to MJ while she was stuck in that zone and how she met Paul and her kids and why she can't be with Peter, and yeah I don't think many people liked it but then again thats the story, we also see what happens to the big sacrifice and there is an issue of her funeral and all that, its not a bad twist, just surprising as the character's bond with Peter didn't really get developed in the series, but there's a nice funeral issue for her but she was brought back immediately so idk how much impact it really had.

I feel like the explanation was somewhat weird but Peter could have just asked for help from Cap and FF considering their history and he was acting a bit irrational and maybe it could be due to the situation he was in or maybe its just bad writing lol, but then again thats the story but towards the end I like how Spider-man and FF got together and the story with the Emissary got over on a weird angle, I wonder if he will be back again or if Marvel has retired him for good.

And yeah the Kamala twist like I said, it didn't matter much but there was some good moments in that funeral issue, showing her history and the people she has impacted and towards the end there's an annual which is meh but sets up a future story vs Chasm and yeah it will be interesting to see if he comes back and what he does with Peter.

So, yeah, its a volume with a story which is the big reveal but falls flat on the surface and the twist which had a tragic ending for someone is immediately undone so it really doesn't matter and the saying "No one stays dead in the comics minus Uncle ben and the Waynes" is true lol, but like I said there are some good moments in the volume, but its far and in between and so you have to judge for yourself how you like this volume and if you wanna continue reading the series. As for the art, its not the best, its Romita Jr, he is a legend and has been drawing Spidey for a long time but idk doesn't hit right now, maybe some people will like it, so upto you to judge.

[Vaughn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Garbage.

I mentioned a lot of problems with this run in the comments for the last volume. Carrying on from there, this volume has Peter trying to get back to MJ while stealing from and fighting the Fantastic Four (who could and would obviously help him). He doesn't have time to explain...but he has time to fight them instead.
When he gets to MJ, years have passed and shes now with Paul and the kids (a horrible storyline that seems universally despised).
Issue 26 was especially terrible with the extremely contrived death of Ms Marvel, which everyone knew would last maybe a month. It's a forced and shallow way to sync the comics with the MCU by revealing that she's actually a mutant (since they can currently be resurrected. See the Krakoa stories).

The annual was also garbage as it revolved around Well's other character assassination in Ben Reilly. Its still annoying that they didn't help Ben the same way they helped Madelyn Pryor. Why is he being punished when they could have fixed him the same way they did her? Just unbelievably bad storytelling.

I would give this a negative star rating if I could. This run is more destructive to the character of Spider-Man then beneficial.

[Ivan Trujillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know I shouldn’t give this book 5 stars but I would admit it this run has grown on to me, and I find it someone entertaining. This whole Thing started because some super villain that happens to be a mathematician wanted to get superpowers from Mayan God. At first, I thought this was just the big bad that happened to be introduced for this run. However, I come to find out that this character was in a previous run by the same writer. As for the Miss marvel fate in the in the amazing Spider-Man issue# 25 (2023) I do feel that it was a wasted character death, and that it was only there for shock value. And that it was to promote her resurrection for her being a mutant for her series. However, the one shot was heartfelt if it was going to be a permanent death. Honestly, was just it was just a cash crab and again for shock value. onto the positives it’s just a very entertaining comic book run that’s all I gotta say and I just give it a four out of five. I can’t wait wait for the next trade paper, but seriously marvel stop trashing Spider-Man in the comics. he deserves better I mean much better.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Taken in a vaccuum, the conclusion to Dead Language is pretty solid. There's a heroic sacrifice, some explanations about the truth behind what MJ and Paul went through in the alternate dimension, and some heartfelt goodbyes and resolutions. If I was reading this without any context, I could probably nudge this up another star, as it's definitely one of the stronger arcs of Wells' Spider-Man so far.

But taken as part of the Marvel Universe as a whole, it feels...hollow. The heroic death feels forced, especially given that it isn't even a long-time Spidey character, and then just gets cheapened by the funeral issue that essentially says goodbye to the character before implying that they're going to be back pretty damn soon anyway. It's disappointing all around, really.

The best part of this collection is the annual, which focuses on Chasm and Hallows' Eve - it's kind of telling that this isn't anything to do with Dead Language as a whole, but surpasses it without really trying.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 2 out of 5]

Trash.

I mean the big problems seems to be Zeb Wells writing this run of Spider-Man entirely bowing to editorial dictates.

Break-up Peter and MJ. CHECK.

Kill [censored] so they can be revealed as a mutant. CHECK.

The story logic sort of works now that we're all the way through it, but it feels entirely artificial. Like we're just going through the motions. And thus there's no emotional impact.

Which is a pity. Because the villain turns out to be kind of interesting with his iconography. (Though the whole storyline feels like Morlun Returned.) And there's beautiful art by JR jr supporting it.

But the artificiality kills it.

There's also an annual with a bunch of pointless shorts.

And a funeral for a friend story about [censored] which is really quite good.

But overall this volume just feels like it's ignoring the readers so that pieces can be moved around as editorial requires.

[Craig · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not good. We finally find out what led to Peter being ostracized, and it's all basically because he couldn't slow down and explain why he needed a mini-reactor from the Fantastic Four to save MJ, so he just went ahead and stole it. All so he could pair up with his oldest foe to create a suit that would allow him to jump into that other dimension and save Mary Jane and her new beau and their family? Just terrible storytelling. I figured he'd killed someone the way everyone was going on in the earlier episodes. And then to top it all off, there's the totally needless death of a fairly major character that really doesn't feel like it was set up well (it really comes out of nowhere) or followed-through on. The issue devoted to the funeral is just a waste. As is the Spider-Man annual that is included here as well. This is about as bad as Spider Man gets, even worse than Nick Spencer's take...

[Frédéric · Rating 1 out of 5]

Now that I've digested the disappointment of the last volume, I have to admit that this one is slightly better - although worse would have been difficult - but not enough to rate it higher than 1.5* rounded down.

Having said that, I wouldn't go so far as to say it's good - let's not push it!
At least we know what happened to MJ, Paul and the kids, which helps to rationalize the situation in the previous episodes. Illustrated by Kaare Andrews, this episode is by far the best in the collection - and it's far from extraordinary.

Then comes the final battle and the failed marketing stunt of the unlikely death of an out-of-place character, followed by the traditional tribute episode of little interest. MJ suffers a terrible tragedy too, but this series is so badly written that I just don’t care.

The volume concludes with an annual which, like 99% of annuals, is forgotten as you read it.

Le sigh.

[Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stories that involve time jumps AND alternate dimensions are problematic..

This whole storyline has been about giving us pieces of information in a, seemingly, random order. Its felt clunky at times. We don't get key details under the very end. Largely, this storyline feels forced. (Is it prep for the 'Marvels' movie? A corporate decision to mess with Peter's relationship with MJ...again?)

It defeinitely felt like there was a LOT that we had to take on faith. There was even a heavy media push about this series. I can't help but feel used. I don't know if I like that feeling when I'm reading a book for my personal enjoyment.
-------
Bonus: 'Fallen Friend' pretty much saves this collection. The intimate stories provide readers with time to grieve

Bonus Bonus: How many swerves can you add to the end of a storyline arc? Slow down, chief.

[brand · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really, really stupid, even for this run, and even for the run right before it. Giving MJ 'jackpot' powers feels so contrived and ham-fisted, and its more-or-less the only thing she says now. The Paul backstory being compared to Peter's also feels kinda ludicrous; Paul helped (even if it was unknowingly) his father kill an entire universe whereas Peter failed to save his uncle. MJ of all people comparing the two is kinda fucked up, and not equivalent in the slightest.

But the most egregious thing in the run is the death of Ms. Marvel in issue #26. Forced MCU synergy aside, killing off an extremely popular character in a run THEY HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH is insane. It's done purely for shock value and the aforementioned synergy, and just reeks of editorial meddling.

Extremely disappointed with how this run is shaping out.

30/100

[Sindy Vel · Rating 2 out of 5]

honestly i have...so many issues with the plot
*Spoilers*
like...c'mon, killing off kamala? she's not a frequent presence in peter's spider-man comics at all, even if she showed up a few times at the beginning of this run. if anything, it would've made more sense for her in relation to miles's run. that being said, this isn't my biggest issue with the book, seeing as there's probably some other internal policies that want comics to have mcu synergy etc.

peter's written to be an absolute prick for no reason. he's always been brash, but not to the extent he's being portrayed in this run, especially not to people like the fantastic four whom he considers close allies.

i also take issue with the art -- several of the panels have characters making the worst possible facial expressions I have ever seen in comics.

the only thing I enjoyed about this arc was the fallen friend issue.

[Myles Gerber · Rating 2 out of 5]

Seeing MJ and Paul’s life during the apocalypse was kinda fun, I’ll give it that. I enjoyed reading about this and MJ gaining powers was also pretty cool!! I don’t know if she’s had that in the past but I liked seeing it here. Also, the art in these issues is a step up from the last volume, albeit with a few shots looking kinda wonky. I still think MJ being mad at Pete is dumb, but oh well. The action sequences are cool, Kamala’s sacrifice is not. Not happy with that. They didn’t do her Justice with the one shot either, and frankly I’m just mad they killed her. VERY happy she gets revived by the five later. The annual was also uneventful and boring… felt like Wells ran out of ideas and was just like, ok let’s remind the audience that Ben is in prison in limbo and also Krakoa drugs yay! I really don’t care. Happy to know the series gets a bit better from here on out, though.

[Mr. Stick · Rating 3 out of 5]

"IT'S GOING TO BE OKAY. NOT SOON. NOT ENOUGH. BUT BIT BY BIT, IF WE TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER... THERE WILL COME A DAY WHEN THINGS ARE OKAY AGAIN."
- Capt. Marvel (Carol Danvers) to a group of friends grieving the loss of a close friend.

Peter, MJ, and Paul's backstory's concluded from the last volume, while they cooperatively fight an enemy from Spidey's past (Zeb Wells' 2008 run in ASM 555-557). How they finally defeated this baddie and the rest of the book is all in SPOILER country, so I ain't sayin' $#1+!
The Annual was a collection of short stories about Aunt Anna wacked out on Krakoan pills, Hallows Eve and Chasm breaking out of jail, and Peter and Felicia going to a wedding in Omaha.
The above quote stood out to me as I lost a very close friend three weeks ago, and I'm still dealing with physical pain of it as I write this. Great wisdom, love, and kindness.
Three stars.

[Chad · Rating 2 out of 5]

We finally see why Pete's lost all his friends and been an ass since this series began. It's all because he couldn't spend 5 minutes to tell his superhero buddies why he was taking their stuff. So he spent even more time fighting them for it. It's all just stupid. Then a character dies for like half a second only to be resurrected before they even throw dirt over their grave so they can be part of the next Marvel event. It takes any kind of emotion out of what should be a cathartic Fallen Friend one shot that barely even has any Spider-Man characters in it. The nonstop editorial mandates on this book are killing Spider-Man. I feel bad for Wells and JRJR because if they were just left alone to make Spider-Man comics I think it'd be pretty great.

[C.T. Phipps · Rating 2 out of 5]

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: DEAD LANGUAGE PART 2 is a disaster. I know, that seems harsh but it really is something that managed to find a way to offend just about every single Spider-Man fan. Mary Jane and Paul are now married with kids. However, the kids are not real and get wiped out magically (because that worked so well with the Scarlet Witch). Ms. Marvel is killed with the obvious Krakoan resurrection in the works but treating it with a dark seriousness that just feels cringy. Especially since Kamala Khan was in the book peripherally but gets primarily mourned by NORMAN OSBORN of all people. I did not enjoy this book and not just for Paul, who Mary Jane repeatedly chooses over the love of her life.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Collecting AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (2022) #24-26, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL (2023) #1, FALLEN FRIEND #1

This is probably the least I've been into "Amazing Spider-Man" in recent runs. I don't want everyone to hate Spider-Man over a misunderstanding that could be easily resolved. This collection gives us the answers to the mysteries that this run has been building off of, and I was mildly satisfied. Issues #24, #25, and #26 were worth reading, but all of the extra stuff after that was a waste, even though Ben Reilly briefly appears.

Final rating = 3.5 stars

[Brent · Rating 4 out of 5]

No spoilers, but the Wells run hits a soap operatic road block here, well prepared, but, still... Wells and Romita continue to pack a wollop, and I will leave it there.
There are many successful short stories in this conclusion of cliffhanger in man storyline. My favorites are scripted by G. Willow Wilson and Mark Waid.
In a separate annual issue reprinted here are three stories by three new writing and art teams that all work pretty well as auditions for more.
Thanks to Fulton County Public Library for the loan.

[Néstor Vargas · Rating 2 out of 5]

So they basically did this to make Kamala a mutant? It’s not a bad story, but it just does not make sense to do this with Kamala when we have no attachment to her through this book. There is not even an actual friendship. It would’ve worked more with Miles. Also, what happens to MJ is awful, but I get why they did it.