Stillanerd Reviews: Amazing Spider-Man (2018) No. 11 review
By Mike McNulty
Having already explored Spider-Man’s other relationships, Nick Spencer takes a look at the wall-crawler’s new best friend…J. Jonah Jameson?!
Amazing Spider-Man No. 11 (LGY No. 812)
“Lifetime Achievement, Part 1”
Writer: Nick Spencer
Penciler: Ryan Ottley
Inker: Cliff Rathburn
Colorist: Laura Martin
Covers: Ryan Ottley and Laura Martin; Giuseppe Camuncoli and David Curiel (Conan Versus Marvel Heroes variant); Gabriele Dell’Otto (Fantastic Four variant)
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AUTHOR’S NOTE: Amazing Spider-Man No. 11 was published December 12, 2018.
For decades, J. Jonah Jameson has been one of Spider-Man’s greatest villains…or, if we’re being charitable, one of the wall-crawler’s biggest headaches. After all, the former publisher of the Daily Bugle is every boss from hell you ever had. He’s a quick-tempered, sharp-tongued, narrow-minded, stingy, self-righteous, hypocritical braggadocio–perfect qualities for any antagonist, but also for any comic relief. After all, Peter Parker taking photos of his own Spider-Man exploits, selling them to an unsuspecting Jonah for profit, only for Jonah to then smear Spidey in the press has been the comic’s longest running gag.
Then Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man No. 6 happened, in which Peter, feeling sorry for Jonah, reveals his secret identity to him. Granted, you might question the wisdom of Peter telling his biggest secret to the person most responsible for sullying his reputation instead of Aunt May. Questionable logic aside, I thought it was one of the best Spider-Man comics of last year.
Credit: Ryan Ottley, Cliff Rathburn, and Laura Martin (Marvel Comics); from Amazing Spider-Man No. 11
[Nick] Spencer’s depiction of Jonah’s overconfidence, along how quickly he flip-flops, is not only humorous, it never turns him into a caricature…although it does come dangerously close at times.
Obviously, Jonah knowing Spider-Man identity fundamentally changes their entire dynamic, which also creates a bit of a dilemma. If much of the laughs came from Jonah believing Spider-Man’s a menace without realizing it’s his own photographer, how could Jonah still offer any comic relief if he was now in on the joke? How does this character, one whose entire persona is based on being a belligerent loudmouth, behave around Spider-Man now that he knows the truth about him?
Well for Nick Spencer, it’s once a quick-tempered, sharp-tongued, narrow-minded, stingy, self-righteous, hypocritical braggadocio, always a quick-tempered, sharp-tongued, narrow-minded, stingy, self-righteous, hypocritical braggadocio. After all, just because Jonah’s now Spider-Man’s biggest cheerleader doesn’t mean he isn’t a constant headache for Peter, especially since Jonah now has his own talk show.
Credit: Ryan Ottley, Cliff Rathburn, and Laura Martin (Marvel Comics); from Amazing Spider-Man No. 11
Yes, in a nod to the recent PS4 Spider-Man video game, Jonah has now taken to the airwaves with his own morning radio show. Unlike the game, however, Jonah constantly sings Spidey’s praises, even though the callers are quick to point out his sudden turnabout. Things become even more problematic when Mayor Wilson Fisk invites Jonah to a special dinner in his honor. He also requests Jonah bring along his new friend, Spider-Man, as a guest. Naturally, because Fisk chumming up to Spider-Man makes him look bad in the eyes of the superhero community, a scene with Spidey shaking hands with Jonah while Fisk wraps his arms around both would be a PR disaster.
That’s what makes Spencer’s approach to Jonah knowing Peter’s secret a nice twist on their old dynamic: even when Jonah thinks he’s helping, he still soils Spider-Man’s rep. Even more ironic, his prior anti-Spider-Man rants have also prevented future investment in the Daily Bugle, much to Joe “Robbie” Robertson’s dismay. There are even a few hints that Jonah’s talk show isn’t as popular as he may believe. And all the while, Spencer’s depiction of Jonah’s overconfidence, along with how quickly he flip-flops, is not only humorous, it never turns him into a caricature…although it does come dangerously close at times.
Therein lies the downside of this issue. As funny as it is seeing Jonah believing his own hype and always thinking he’s in the right, it does strain credulity seeing him always behave this oblivious and obtuse. Also, Jonah’s behavior under Spencer’s pen can seem old after a while. Yes, it’s great seeing Jonah act like a football coach on the sidelines while Spider-Man’s fighting the likes of the Enforcers. Seeing Jonah constantly act indignant when defending his past actions and contradicting himself in the process? Yes, Spencer, we get it already.
Credit: Ryan Ottley, Cliff Rathburn, and Laura Martin (Marvel Comics); from Amazing Spider-Man No. 11
Combined with some prominent but never overdone speed lines, Ottley’s figures seem to have genuine weight and gravity, resulting in some of the most naturalistic work he’s done on the title to date.
Regardless, Spencer’s dialogue is often enormously effective. What really sells the various character’s personalities, including Jonah’s, are Ryan Ottley’s wonderful illustrations. Once again, Ottley demonstrates just how gifted he is at drawing facial expressions and body language, finding that sweet spot between realism and exaggeration. On top of this, Ottley’s depiction of movement in this particular issue appears a lot more fluid than in previous issues. Combined with some prominent but never overdone speed lines, Ottley’s figures seem to have genuine weight and gravity, resulting in some of the most naturalistic work he’s done on the title to date.
I wouldn’t say Amazing Spider-Man No. 11 is the best comic of the new volume. Readers will not come away with any new insights about Jonah and his relationship with his former nemesis necessarily. In terms of encapsulating what kind of person Jonah is however, and how his knowledge of Peter’s identity affects them both, I still highly recommend it. Still, when you look at how Spencer presented in-depth studies on the likes of Boomerang and Mary Jane, it wouldn’t hurt if Jonah received something more than just skimming the surface.
Stillanerd’s Score: 4 out of 5
Next. Stillanerd Reviews: Amazing Spider-Man (2018) No. 10 review. dark
Stillanerd’s Nerdy Nitpicks (possible spoilers)
Credit: Ryan Ottley, Cliff Rathburn, and Laura Martin (Marvel Comics); from Amazing Spider-Man No. 11
- Well this weird: a comic that takes place during Christmas yet has absolutely nothing to do with Christmas. Then again, the same can be said about such Christmas classics like Gremlins and Die Hard.
- Okay, first it was villains stealing rare books to sell on Amazon, and now it’s villains stealing limited edition toys for people to sell on eBay. Just what does this comic have against eCommerce anyway?
- “Galactus Hungers…for friendship!” I defy you to think up a cuter line of dialogue in any comic.
- Equally cute is how Peter originally crosses off his own name and replaced it with “Santa” on the box of Christmas chocolates he gave to Robbie. Although, did he only do this because the box was crumbled?
- Hmm…interesting how the story drops the fact that Randy is dating an unknown girlfriend all of a sudden. How much you want to bet she’ll turn out to have some connection with Spider-Man?
- Pop quiz: what do Spider-Man and Arcade have in common? They were both cloned.
- “…that’s Photoshop.” Funny how Spider-Man makes that criticism about the billboard showing him next to Kingpin. After all, Jonah fired Peter when he used Photoshop to make it look like Jonah was attacking the Red Vulture.
- “[The Enforcers] were some of the first bad guys I ever faced…” Well, technically, Spider-Man these are really two-thirds of the Enforcers, as Montana is now a clone of the original. Then again, I guess we’re still operating on Dead No More‘s logic that cloning is the same as resurrection.
- Okay, so Jonah had a hand in the origins of the Scorpion, the Spider-Slayers, and the Human Fly (or one of them, at least). But the Big Man? Hmm…looks like a clue about who might be behind this, if you ask me.
Top 50 super villains in comic book history. dark. Next
Since I wrote this review around the same time as the one I did for Amazing Spider-Man No. 12, I’ll spare you the questions about what you may think will happen in the next issue. I will ask, however, if you thought this issue did do a decent job in setting up what ends up happening in the next issue? Also, did you think Nick Spencer and Ryan Ottley did a good job with their characterization of Jonah?