The Sensational Spider-Man #33

Writer: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Artist: Sean Chen
Inker: Scott Hanna
Letterer: Cory Petit

One of the worst things about these big comic book events (House of M, Civil War, Infinite Crisis) is that it puts a lot of the peripheral books in a state of limbo. A book like Sensational Spiderman is one of those books. With Spiderman caught up in Civil War, the writer’s of Sensational Spiderman are stuck with the near impossible task of making a meaningful, worthwhile Spiderman story that can’t in any way effect the status quo of Civil War. Their hands are tied with an exhausting list of things Spiderman can’t do, villains they can’t use, characters that can’t show up, story elements that can’t be mentioned, and even places that Spiderman can’t go. Most times writers simply can’t deliver good stories in these situations, which is exactly what I was expecting when I picked up this issue.

This one-shot issue focuses mostly on Aunt May. It is full of flashbacks showing how she’s dealt with Peter being hurt over the years. The issue begins with Aunt May and Uncle Ben as they make the decision to take in baby Peter Parker after his parents die. This scene was a great look at Aunt May and gave us a really neat reminder about just how much she’s given up over the years to raise Peter. We jump to the present and see that Peter has been beaten badly by Rhino and is being tended to by Aunt May and Mary Jane. It also gives us a look at what Spiderman and his family have been up against now that (CIVIL WAR RELATED SPOILER WARNING!) Peter has turned against Iron Man and gone on the run.

There’s really nothing more to say other than the fact that this was a great comic book. I know, I know, I was surprised too. This was just really good. It was one of the most well written and heart warming issues of Spiderman I’ve read in years. One of the reasons Spiderman comic books can be great is because they’re not only about a guy swinging around town on a web, but they’re about a guy we can relate to. This issue shows a very human Spiderman and more than that, the very human women who he shares his life with. It’s a great reminder of why we love Spiderman as a character.

I’ve never read much that Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa has written, but after reading this great issue he’s definitely a writer that now has my attention. I’m not the biggest fan of Civil War and the direction they have taken Spiderman because of it. However, Marvel has assured fans that the big changes for Spiderman will help them tell compelling and impactful Spiderman stories for years to come. If this one shot issue by the Roberto is any indication, I’m really looking forward to the future of Spiderman. Especially if they keep talented writers like these writing the Spider family of books.


Special thanks go out to Jeremy Shorr, owner of Titan Comics for allowing us to use his advance preview books for review purposes.

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