Spider-Man has to face a new foe: a hungry, sentient mailbox! But is there more behind this? Obviously yes. Find out what’s in store for the webslinger in the Amazing Spider-Man Free Comic Book Dat special written by Zeb Wells, pencilled by John Romita Jr., inked by Scott Hanna, colored byMarcio Menyz and lettered by VC’s Joe Caramagna.
I’m still a little surprised by Marvel’s Amazing Spider-Man FCBD special. To new and younger readers, many would think this is just a silly little teaser story with a weird energy. Longtime fans will see this issue for what it is.
It’s pretty simple. Peter Parker stops a mailbox from eating a guy. Yes, a mailbox comes alive and tries to eat an eldery African American New Yorker. Lucky for him that Peter was in the right place at the right time. Or maybe it wasn’t luck? On the story side, Zeb Wells is telling readers that his “Inferno” sequel, which started with Hellions #1, isn’t over yet. The antagonist in this story here is Ben Reilly, Peter Parker’s Beyond Corporation corrupted clone (hey, comics!), but he has a new ally. Yes, it’s who you might think it is: “Inferno” mastermind Madelyne Pryor.
It’s a delightful and bonkers twist for such a short story. Ben’s heel turn is still so new to readers that we don’t know what kind of villain Ben will be like. Seeing him antagonize Peter with Maddy’s help is a lot of fun and it’s great to see the Marvel shared universe pop up like this.
In the art side, it’s the return of Romita’s “Inferno” monsters. Outside of the main Inferno crossover, the most well remembered “Inferno” story is the Romita-illustrated fight between Daredevil and a vacuum cleaner. The possessed mailbox recalls that moment perfectly, and even better is equal parts silly and scary. It’s good to see Romita turning in his best pencils since World War Hulk (with Hanna’s inks and Menyz’s colors). Maybe it’s a sign that Romita needs a strong team alongside him.
It’s frustrating that this incredibly fun short gives me more reason to hang on for the Wells/Romita Amazing run than the first issue of that series did, but it does. I want to see more of this. If this story is the whole reason Romita is back at Marvel, I’m thrilled for it. Let’s see what other inanimate objects can take over New York and try to eat Spidey.
Tony Thornley is a geek dad, blogger, Spider-Man and Superman aficionado, X-Men guru, autism daddy, amateur novelist, and all around awesome guy. He’s also very humble.
