Amazing Spider-Man #17 Review

Amazing Spider-Man #17 drives the Parker Industries Prison plot forward, bringing Peter face to apparition when the Ghost infiltrates the company and begins to sabotage them from within.

The issue was fairly short but manages to tie up some elements that surely needed to be taken care of at some point, such as Anna and Peter announcing their breakup to Aunt May -which I see as the finalization of the act. I do like Anna Maria’s psychoanalysis on Peter, stating that he over-complicates everything. On one hand, she’s right, because he does make a neurotic, think-too-much deal about certain things, but on the other hand, sometimes Peter’s life is damn complicated. It nice to see Anna grounding Peter, and her assuming a big role as someone who knows his secret.

The action scenes were short but dynamic. The Ghost has hijacked the prison tech Parker Industries has been developing, and turned it against Peter and his staff. A plot like this is simple, but it creates sufficient conflict and gets the job done; it’s nothing too riveting though. Humberto Ramos’s penciling had the same unique look/lines as usual, so I won’t harp on that. What I will highlight though, is Edgar Delgado’s phenomenal coloring. The subdued color tones of the scenes featuring Ghost skulking around play on the villain’s shifty nature, and the strong, primary/vibrant colors of the beta test in the labs was very pleasing to the eye.

Sajani once again take on the role of the heel in this story, so ready to sellout Peter to the Ghost in order to preserve her own stakes in the company. I get it, she’s had to deal with a lot, Peter’s not exactly the best boss; her personality is simply scummy though, shown with her eagerness to betray Pete. I guess in a way the author writes her well, because she’s meant to be someone that might rub us the wrong way, and she certainly does. As the Ghost vs. Peter plot ties up, it’ll be interesting to see the final fate of the company and Sajani herself.

I would say the weak point of the issue is the Black Cat’s story. We get it, you’re bad now, you feel like you’ve been doing it all wrong, and now that you’re bad, you’re stronger and ready to take back what’s yours. I am excited to see the end of the story though, as the involvement of Aunt May will either raise the stakes (she has the final item Black Cat needs to complete her collection), or perhaps let readers see another change of heart in Felicia. Time will tell.

Overall, this is a solid, but not amazing, issue. Amazing Spider-Man #18 is poised to be a game changer, and hopefully the series will end with a bang before the Secret Wars arrive.

Check out Whatever a Spider Can’s other Spider-Verse comic book recaps and reviews

Amazing Spider-Man #16 Recap and Review
Amazing Spider-Man #15 Recap and Review
Amazing Spider-Man #14 Recap and Review

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