Review: The Amazing Spider-Man Annual (2018) #1

The first annual to coincide with the latest run of The Amazing Spider-Man is out, and it happens to be a story not set in present day, but in the past during Spidey’s first go with the symbiote! Keep reading for our spoiler-filled review.

The Amazing Spider-Man series started fresh with a new writer this several months ago, and that meant that a new annual couldn’t be far behind. This time though, the story is focused on Peter Parker in the past, YEARS ago, when he first found the symbiote/black suit during the first Secret Wars which released in the 80s. But there’s an even bigger twist: most of the comic is told in the perspective of the symbiote!

We are…

The symbiote narrates how Spidey found it, and how it sees him as its “best friend.” While Peter Parker sleeps, the symbiote takes control of his body and does what Spider-Man would normally do; it stops crime. However, it hurts people, badly, almost to the point of death. This is something that the real (awake) Spider-Man would never do. It continues to do this every night, and each da, Peter oversleeps but ends up being more tired than ever before, which he tells Felicia Hardy, aka the Black Cat and Mary Jane Watson.

One night, while the symbiote is on its routine control-Spider-Man’s-body-to-brutally-hurt-criminals-spree, it comes across a teenage boy. He tells the possessed Spider-Man that he should not go around killing people if he wants to be a hero. Instead, he should try to just save lives. Unluckily, the villainous gangster Hammerhead overhears his multiple conversations with the symbiote and capture the teen to get to Spidey.

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Wanting to save its only other friend than Peter in the world, the symbiote goes into action, almost killing Hammerhead. But, it stops, only thanks to the teenager’s pleas for them to just leave. The two “friends”say their farewells, and the boy thanks the symbiote Spidey. It then reveals that Peter “betrayed” it by having Reed Richards blow it off of him using sonic rays. But, it claims to not be done with our wall crawler yet, as fans who have read Spider-Man comics from this time know.

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Symbiotic relationship

This issue turned out to be a really interesting and exciting story. I love classic issues of The Amazing Spider-Man, so tying this in seemed like a great change from the normal expectations of an annual. I also really enjoyed the form of art. It seemed a little darker than usual, but it should be as Spider-Man evil symbiote is the one narrating.

The sequence of events featured in this story really line up with the the original symbiote story arc, so you get the semi-feel like it actually was written during that time. But, I would like to see an annual that coincides with the current happenings in The Amazing Spider-Man. I’m sure that I can count on one of the annuals within the next few years for that.