Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1 Recap

Spider-Man may be the busiest he’s perhaps ever been with the Spider-Verse storyline event unfolding but that doesn’t mean that Marvel can’t squeeze an Amazing Spider-Man annual into an already bursting amount of Spider-Man titles. But for those of you looking for something with decidedly less Spider-Man murder in it than the Spider-Verse here’s a recap of Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1 which brings us three light-hearted Spidey tales.

The first story is entitled “I Can’t Help Myself” and it starts with Sajani giving Peter Parker a stern telling off and begging him to read a report, he sarcastically says that it’s the first thing he’ll do when he gets home. However on his way home he notices a couple of police cars flashing past.

Peter Parker quickly changes into Spider-Man and rushes to the scene discovering that he’s already too late to be of any use. However before leaving he spots a cellphone on the floor and asks people nearby if they know who the phone belongs to, much to their annoyance. After finding out the phone is locked and hassling the police officer dealing with the traffic accident Spidey webs off.

He tries to figure out how to get into the phone to figure out who it belongs to. Suddenly it starts ringing and Spider-Man stops on a sign to try and speak to the person calling. However before he gets anywhere his Spidey sense goes off and there’s a loud explosion causing Spidey to drop the phone, he dives to get the phone and manages to catch it before it hits the floor.

Spider-Man spots the Avenger Hawkeye and learns the explosion was caused by a gang of arsonists that have been making their way through Chinatown. Spider-Man and Hawkeye then proceed to take down the arsonists whilst Spider-Man goes to great lengths to make sure the phone doesn’t get broken.

Hawkeye and Spidey go for dinner and Spidey asks Hawkeye for help with the phone. Clint Barton suggests that Iron Man or Doctor Strange could help but Spider-Man says he’s already used Doctor Strange too much. Clint looks at the phone and discovers that the owners are German and that they’ll likely be in the typical tourist spots of New York.

Then there’s a two page spread of Spider-Man going to various locations across New York such as the Empire States Building and Time Square. He even stops on the red steps in Time Square that were in ‘Amazing Spider-Man 2’ before being mistaken as one of the Spider-Man Times Square performers when a family asks him to take a picture. However the phone rings and Spidey has to shoot off again.

Spidey discovers the phone’s owners are going to the airport and races to meet them there. Suddenly the Menagerie (Amazing Spider-Man #1 super-villain team) appear and Spidey stops them in record time before once again racing to get to the airport. He makes it on time much to the couple’s happiness, although they ask him if he had something more important to do, to which he replied nope.

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The next day Sajani is lambasting Peter about not reading the report. Peter tells her that he lost his phone which is why he didn’t read the report and she tells him he has an hour before the meeting to skim-read it. However another group of police cars race past his window and its clear that he’s going to be Spider-Man again.

The next story is ‘The A-May-Zing Spider-Aunt‘ by Cale Atkinson and it’s essentially a two-page spread cartoon featuring the exploits of Aunt May interacting with Spider-Man and his rogues gallery in a cute humorous cartoon style. She makes Spider-Man wear a coat, gives Kraven, Green Goblin and Mysterio cookies, turns Peter’s Spidey suit into curtains and a tablecloth, gets the Rhino impounded by animal control and tells Peter, Lizard, Doctor Octopus, Venom and Vulture off for being out too late.

Finally we move on to ‘The Quiet Room‘ which is the last story in the annual. It starts with a group of Z-List villains – Dr. Bong, Chondu the Mystic, Gorilla-Man, Shrunken Bones, Angar the Screamer and Ruby Thursday marching down a corridor. Their plan is to break into an Anechoic Chamber and unleash the power of the ‘Cosmic Bong’ to open the multiverse.

Dr. Bong and Chondu go inside as the remaining villains stand watch discussing what it would take for them to worry about the world, with Ruby Thursday saying “As long as Spider-Man cracks jokes the world is all right”. At that moment the alarms go off and Spider-Man appears. The villains try to get him to make a quip but he doesn’t, instead getting straight to work taking them down.

After easily beating the villainous gang S.H.I.E.L.D arrive and pack them into the back of a van as they all talk about going straight after Spider-Man dealt with them without cracking jokes. The S.H.I.E.L.D agent thanks Spider-Man to which the webhead meekly replies “You’re welcome” when further quizzed he humorously reveals that he has laryngitis.

Check out Whatever a Spider Can’s other Amazing Spider-Man comic book recaps and reviews
Amazing Spider-Man #12 Recap and Review
Amazing Spider-Man #11 Recap and Review
Amazing Spider-Man #10 Recap and Review
Amazing Spider-Man #9 Recap and Review

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