Comic Review: Amazing Spider-Man #22 (2018-)

Amazing Spider-Man #22

Marvel Comics

Writer: Nick Spencer

Artist: Humberto Ramos

After 11 issues, Hunted finally comes to a close. While I’ve enjoyed this event for the most part, I’ve always hoped that, in the end, it would justify it’s length. I feel that that this story asks you to invest a lot of time into it. That’s certainly not a problem as long as it feels worth it in the end. With that said, I don’t feel that this ending is entirely satisfying.

I’ll start with the good. Humberto Ramos kills it on Spider-Man 100% of the time. His cartoony and energetic style is a perfect fit for the character. His facial acting is on point, which is necessary on a title that is so often steeped in emotional conflict. While his exaggerated expressions and proportions tend to lend themselves to more lighthearted stories, it also works on a book like this. This story is more somber and dark than Spider-Man tends to be, and Ramos proves to be effective at conveying that too. Often, he does so through atmospheric shadows and body language.

With that said, I feel he’s somewhat limited by this story. The dome around Central Park requires that the book stay isolated to one area. After 11 issues in one location, the scenery feels tired. As impressive as his work is in the foreground, the background feels lacking. Perhaps that’s the point, to invoke claustrophobia like the characters are feeling, but I want more eye candy than what I’m being given.

The story of the issue itself seems a tad anticlimactic. A finale to a big story like this should feel emotionally satisfying, but it almost feels disconnected from the rest of the issues. This is partially due to how little time we’ve spent with Kraven throughout this event. He’s mostly been looming in the background, like the final boss of a video game. This means that when the finale hits, there’s a lot of internal monologuing to catch you up to speed with Kraven. Had he been more present and active before this issue, perhaps this information could have been conveyed at a more steady pace. As it is, it’s slightly tiresome.

This also prevents the rest of the characters from having significant payoffs to their plot lines. Black Cat, Billy, and the Lizard all appear in this issue, but they really hold no significance. Until now, they had been pretty important to the plot, but there’s very little of them in the finale. Perhaps it’s the format, and Spencer could only do so much in these 20 pages. Or, maybe those characters will get a payoff in the next issue. Whatever the reason is, it makes for a less satisfying ending.

I didn’t dislike reading this issue at all. It’s still a strong character piece for Kraven and Spider-Man with great art, it just lacks much more beyond that. As an issue, it’s good. As a culmination of 11 issues, it’s somewhat lackluster.