Too Numb to Care: A Review of The Amazing Spider-Man #26

 written by Zeb Wells

penciled by John Romita, Jr.

inked by Scott Hanna

colored by Marcio Menyz

So, the comic book which Marvel had been hyping as the most shocking issue of The Amazing Spider-Man in 50 years (their words, not mine) finally hit shops last week, and they could not have set their fans up for more disappointment if they had tried. 

I will avoid spoilers for anyone still living under a rock, but in broad strokes, suffice it to say that with this story, writer Zeb Wells finally wraps up the major story arc with which he had started this new iteration of this book, with the fanatical Rabin, loyal, murderous disciple of the equally murderous Mayan god Wayep, having his big showdown with Peter Parker aka Spider-Man, his ex-girlfriend Mary Jane Watson, and their allies.  Rabin seeks to kill Mary Jane as a ritual sacrifice and attain godhood. He can be stopped...but at what cost?

As the payoff of the last year's worth of issues, this issue is, quite sadly, flaccid. It's supposed to hit hard with its "shocking" revelations and a payoff that nobody was supposed to be expecting until Marvel's marketing department took things into their own hands. In the end, though, none of the big twists, reveals or developments in this issue has any real resonance because it's all played for some kind of shock value. None of the supposed shock that Wells is going for feels earned, and so I put down the issue feeling sadly indifferent. Last issue filled me with hate, which I think has, by and large, been editorial's goal for the last year or so, but with this issue I really couldn't bring myself to care about anything anymore. 

If there's any consolation to be had here, it's that John Romita Jr. turns in genuinely strong work here.  Maybe now that Wells has wrapped up his big mystery box story, he can move onto something a little more imaginative than his fantasy of cuckolding Peter Parker. 

I'd love to call it quits for the remainder of Wells' run, honestly, but darn it, Ed McGuinness is back next issue and will stick around for the next four, so it looks like I'm not going anywhere for the time being. 

5/10