The Amazing Spider-Man, Vol. 5: Behind the Scenes

The Amazing Spider-Man (2018) (Collected Editions)

by Nick Spencer, Ryan Ottley (Illustrator)

After the events of HUNTED, Peter Parker's life hasn't been the same. When two major Spider-Villains start working together, it's bound to get worse. And who is the mystery villain who has been working behind the scenes since the fi rst issue of Nick Spencer's AMAZING SPIDER-MAN?!

COLLECTING: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (2018) 24-28

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Spider Man, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Comic Book, Adventure

152 pages, Paperback

First published November 5, 2019

About the author

Librarian Note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

Nick Spencer is a comic book writer known for his creator-owned titles at Image Comics (Existence 2.0/3.0, Forgetless, Shuddertown, Morning Glories), his work at DC Comics (Action Comics, T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents), and for his current work at Marvel Comics (Iron Man 2.0, Ultimate Comics: X-Men).

Reviews

[Baba · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nick Spencer's run has been OK so far, but this was a real shocker, for weakness of script and very linear plotting. The first part tries to be different and dark with Mysterio facing the villain in the shadows that has been watching Spider-Man. The second story, is far worse with its apparent attempt at a tongue-in-cheek homage to equality with a female super villain team, however we have both Spidey, and pal Fred Myers (AKA Boomerang) making dubious gender specific references; and the team itself is ram packed with gender stereotyping, so surprise that this comes from the pen of Nick Spencer! 4.5 out of 12. Horrible art by both Ryan Ottley and Kev Walker, in my opinion.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm getting very frustrated with Spencer's super decompressed storylines. He just draws things OOOUUUTTT forever without furthering the plot or giving any answers. (See Morning Glories where he's been doing this same thing for years.) We get another couple of issues with this mystery villain with all the bandages and bugs where nothing happens except we get a name, Kindred. Spider-Man hasn't even fought this villain yet and I'm already tired of him.

Then a female version of the Superior Foes goes after Boomerang for a payday from the Kingpin. Here's another story that gets drawn out for 25 issues where the Kingpin has a beef with Boomerang and we still don't know why. It gets alluded to a few gazillion times though just to annoy you. Both stories are fine but like the rest of Spencer's run, it's all just been kind of flat.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve been really enjoying Nick Spencer’s run on ASM so far but, with this volume, I’m starting to feel like they might as well change the name of the book to ‘Boomerang’... perhaps with ‘... and his buddy Spidey’ written in really small letters underneath.

The one part I’m really enjoying, though, is the slow build of the new villain, who gets a name in this volume. It reminds me of the palpable excitement and mystery of the Hobgoblin storyline from Roger Stern’s seminal run on the book in the ‘80s.

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like most of Spencer's run, this is pretty solid, but I keep hoping for more.

This volume has a pretty great opening, where we finally get the name of the creature/person chasing Peter in the background. He is called Kindred, and he is now going to pick apart Peter's life piece by piece. This volume mostly covers that but also focuses alot on the syndicate, which is basically a bunch of badass, but evil, super villain woman who go after Boomarang.

The humor is still pretty solid. I actually thought Boomarang for once had a few good lines. The Syndicate, as cheesy as they are, was pretty funny. I also thought Peter and MJ part, and Kindred, were all good stuff. The mysterio stuff feels tacked on for the movie (far from home) and also the storyline of Kindred seems to be dragging out now 25 issues.

Overall, it's good, but I can see people who would get fed up by now with Kindred. I'm still enjoying it though. A 3 out of 5.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book isn't quite up to the standards of Nick Spencer's excellent Superior Foes of Spider-Man, but it's trending in that direction ... largely because he's focusing so much on Spider-Man's foes.

So, we get a fun return of Mysterio, with some hints to the next big storyline along the way. And we get a great three-parter about the new Beetle forming a Syndicate of her own, that's great in large part because of her excellent characterization.

But, the height of this volume probably isn't even the foes, but the 25th "anniversary" issue where MJ gets to stand and fight on her own.

Overall, a great book mainly because of the great supporting cast.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the aftermath of Hunted, Spidey's trying to get back to normal, but his mysterious bandaged stalker isn't about to let him off easily. Plus, Mysterio returns and targets Mary Jane, while Spidey gets entangled with Boomerang and the brand new, all-female Sinister Syndicate!

We start with Issue 24, which is a bit of a trip down memory lane as we get a little look into the backstory of our new enemy, who I can't quite twig, and finally gives us a name to put to the bandaged up face.

Then there's the super-sized issue 25, which is both a springboard for the Amazing Mary Jane mini-series and a nice refocus after all the Hunted stuff. There are the usual back-up stories as well since this is like 60 pages, but they're the usual forgetable fare since I can't even remember what they are right now.

Then #26-28 are a three part story featuring Boomerang and the Sinister Syndicate. Spencer is attempting to recapture the magic of Superior Foes for the new Syndicate, and it isn't quite working the way he wants just yet, but it's not bad. This story is probably an issue too long as well, but it does move things along a little, and the continued banter between Spidey and Boomerang's worth the price of admission alone.

On art we have Ryan Ottley on #24, as well as the main story in #25, while Kev Walker tackles #26-28 with his blockier style. No complaints from me about any of these artists at all.

Chugging along nicely, Amazing Spider-Man continues to be fun, and has a bit more brevity after the doom and gloom of Hunted, which is welcome.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this comic was really making some forward strides, but after the fairly impressive Kraven arc, Spencer falls back on his patented Boomerang/Superior Foes shtick, which is really starting to get old. Not a big fan of the revolving panel of artists, either.

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like most of Spencer's run, this is pretty solid, but I keep hoping for more.

This volume has a pretty great opening, where we finally get the name of the creature/person chasing Peter in the background. He is called Kindred, and he is now going to pick apart Peter's life piece by piece. This volume mostly covers that but also focuses alot on the syndicate, which is basically a bunch of badass, but evil, super villain woman who go after Boomarang.

The humor is still pretty solid. I actually thought Boomarang for once had a few good lines. The Syndicate, as cheesy as they are, was pretty funny. I also thought Peter and MJ part, and Kindred, were all good stuff. The mysterio stuff feels tacked on for the movie (far from home) and also the storyline of Kindred seems to be dragging out now 25 issues.

Overall, it's good, but I can see people who would get fed up by now with Kindred. I'm still enjoying it though. A 3 out of 5

[Oneirosophos · Rating 1 out of 5]

Now, time for Venom, after this stupid mess...

[Rylan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A much needed lighthearted volume especially after how dark things got in Hunted (not a bad thing I loved hunted). The humor is on point in this volume Spencer does a great job at writing villains and making them likable. Boomerang is quickly becoming a new favorite of mine.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m kinda impressed to be saying this, but Nick Spencer actually writes entertaining female villains. He actually has a handle on late-teens feminist politics, writes it without sounding preachy AND gets some decent laughs out of it too.

Not so hard when you’ve got Boomerang as your straight man, soft balling the mansplaining and blithering idiot to work off of. But still!

I’ve been a little bored with Spencer’s writing but this is plenty fun *and* reasonably modern enough for me.

[Corey Allen]

I remember reading this a couple years ago. It was one of the first comic books I've ever read. I don't remember a ton, just that the art was great and Electro (or is it Electra I don't know) was pretty cool. I actually tried to go back to this series a couple months ago and I couldn't even get through the first issue. Seemed like it was aimed at a younger audience.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved Spider-Man comics growing up. I still do, but I'm not quite devoted enough to keep up with the comics on a regular basis. Hence, I love the opportunity to check in on my favorite superhero when my library gets the latest collect editions of The Amazing Spider-Man.

Recently, I picked up three new collections featuring Nick Spencer as the head Spidey writer and featuring cover blurbs about how great his work was on Marvel's flagship title. And after reading "Hunted," I could see what the positive buzz was about.

Then there came the next two collections.

It's not that they're necessarily bad. I did enjoy Volume 5's look at Mysterio a bit and seeing him in counseling was a nice touch. But, I can't help but feel like Spencer is making this all up as he goes and has no definitive end-game in sight. There's a lot of treading water across these two collections -- whether it's waiting for the Chamelion's nefarious plan to unfold or revealing who is behind the new villain who seems to spend a lot of time with Spidey's enemies pontificating about some agenda he has in mind. At one point, I wanted to scream at the page, "Set your plan in motion already!"

Of course, it doesn't help that collection six is just a tie-in to a longer arc of stories -- without any indication of this on the cover, mind you -- so nothing much happens in the storyline. Which all leads to my overall dissatisfaction with the flagship title for the Marvel Universe. Stan Lee always said that writers should treat comic books like every issue is someone's first issue. And if you go back and read much of Lee's best stuff, he does just that, making sure that readers are welcome to play in the sandbox of the character(s) you've picked up. Sure, they'd joke with readers about missing an issue at times, but it never felt like they were trying to exclude you because you didn't read every issue or you couldn't recall every nuance and detail from an issue three years ago.

Not the case here with Spencer who seems to be actively excluding readership by having labyrinth-like stories that are pulling on obscure references from past issues or not bothering to catch you up on what's currently going on enough to fully enjoy it if you haven't read all the previous installments plus the latest tie-in storyline. (Again, a quick note on the cover indicating this would REALLY help!). It's no wonder comic books are in trouble these days -- they're just not welcoming in new fans. And given how huge those Marvel movies are, you'd think Marvel would be ready to welcome readers with open arms not turn them away.

Sadly, I will say I'm invested enough to want to find out who this new villain really is and to see what, if anything, the Chamelion has in mind for our hero. So, I will keep going and pick up a new collection the next time my library has one on the shelf. And I'll hope that eventually it will all be worth it....

[Will Robinson Jr. · Rating 1 out of 5]

What happen to all that great storytelling? Mr. Spencer has done a great job so far with his run on Spider-man. The Hunted story arc was pretty good. And I was hoping Spencer could keep the momentum. Truthfully Volume 5 in the Amazing Spider-man feels like a filler tale to give the reader some breathing room as we head into the next big story arc. But I have to say I found this story cliche and quite frankly the plot elements to this tale stupid. No, It doesn't bother that there is a female version of a sinister six team but the fact that they easily defeated Spider-man is dumb and insulting. Spider-man has history and writers just forget all that history. Spider-man has defeated teams of foes in the past and even recently held his own trapped in a prison with numerous members of his rogues gallery in The Amazing Spider-Man, Volume 4: Hunted. So it just really made me roll my eyes when these in the past sidekick villains were able to somehow defeat Spidey. I mean Spider-man has defeated opponents as tough as Juggernaut. Anther angle I found silly was Pete's roommate Rob carried a relationship with the female Beetle. He continued the relationship in spite the fact Beetle tried to kill his friends and employer. The artwork was handle ok but Spidey just didn't come across heroic in the book. I know Spencer can write Peter better than this and just shows that storytelling is a dying artform.

[Frédéric · Rating 3 out of 5]

I kinda snored during the 2 first issues, those droning nowhere in particular, just putting another layer of mystery on the bandaged zombie haunting the title for a bit too long now. But the last 3 ones with the all-girls Sinister Six Squad intent on getting Boomerang was actually really fun.

I'm not totally convinced by Spener's tenure on Spider-Man, and I guess that'd be called an understatement, but he really makes Boomerang, a C-list character if ever- shine. Myers is the perfect adorable loser, the smiling con-man you just can't hate. And here he even teams up with Spidey! Stange times indeed, eh?

The Sinister girls are pretty cool and the dialogues are actually fun just like some improbable situations. Not the greatest ASM book ever but de-stressing in these somewhat troubled and confined times

[Maciej Matusz · Rating 2 out of 5]

The fifth volume of "The Amazing Spider-Man" by Spencer is mediocre. The dialogue is okay, but the story progresses slowly and doesn't offer anything new. The new character, Kindred, is bland, and the pacing in revealing his identity and motives is so slow that it drags down the entire volume. By the end of the fifth volume, we know as much about him as we did at the beginning, especially regarding Mysterio. Previous stories focused on Peter Parker, Spider-Man, Kraven, and others, but this volume feels like a pit stop that adds nothing new. The plots are carried over from previous volumes, but there's nothing fresh or engaging, just a villain of the week. Ottley's artwork is sometimes quite creepy, especially in depictions of Mary Jane. When I read the four volumes of "Invincible," I didn't encounter any issues with the portrayal of female characters.

[Blindzider · Rating 2 out of 5]

Getting closer to the main villain behind the scenes, but this volume is primarily about the relationship between Boomerang and Spidey. There's also the new team of all-female villains. I can't tell if Spencer is making fun of them or genuinely trying to give them a "voice". The whole volume feels goofy and it's hard to take seriously.

[Adam Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coming off of the "Hunted" storyline (which was phenomenal), Amazing Spider-Man goes back to its more comedic tone, which is a welcome change. LOTS of stuff happens here, so I'll hit the highlights:
- The creepy wormy villain we've been seeing since the beginning of this run is fleshed out a bit more, though maybe not as we only get to see it through the eyes of a mentally degrading Mysterio. He does FINALLY reveal his name though: Kindred.
- While Spidey is off doing his hero thing, we are given a MJ centric story which has her saving an old friend by body switching and monologuing to stall for time against the new female Electro. It looks like it might revitalize her acting career.
- We see the creation of a new all-female Sinister Syndicate: Beetle (who is dating Robbie), Electro, Lady Octopus, Scorpia, and White Rabbit. They aren't primarily after Spidey though... Boomerang is their target. This leads to a hilarious team-up with Spidey.
- On the Robbie side of things, other than dating Beetle (which ends before the end of the Volume), he begins helping May reopen FEAST (taking the Miles role from the current Spider-Man game)
- One last encounter at the end sets the tone for the upcoming Volume...JJJ leads Peter to investigate a noise, and they stumble upon a creature who calls himself the Die-Chromator, a very weird alien creature who uses a gun to the change the colors of things. Peter seeks out the help of Doctor Strange, which will be a team-up next time.

Add in the finding of Spidey 2099's body, with the ominous tagline "The Future is Dying", AND a hilarious comic created by a computer who read all of the Spider-Man comics to date, and you have another successful Volume from Nick Spencer.
Strong recommend. Spider-Man is a great MU character.

[George · Rating 3 out of 5]

A transitional volume of issues between the previous story and the forthcoming Absolute Carnage/2099 stuff. Not a lot happens in these issues but there is some character development, especially in the Peter/MJ relationship, as well as with Spider-Man and Boomerang. None of it is bad, so I guess you could say that even the baseline filler is well-written, but volumes like this are proof why this series shouldn't be releasing new issues every two weeks.

[jayjay · Rating 5 out of 5]

this comic was so fun to read, the whole unity of women against boomerang and suddenly beetle switches up so fast because she knows that spidey knows who's she is dating... which by the way... no way ITS GODDAMN PETE'S BEST FRIEND.

the way spidey made kingpin shut up a bit like amen, used his own words against him... oops..

beetle ended up saving boomerang and i'm looking forward to learning more about it all.

[Kris Ritchie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up.

A bit better than Hunted but mostly because we get more Peter/MJ development including a fantastic speech by MJ that leads into her own solo series.

[Emmett Spain · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great, sinister first issue gives way to a fairly silly plot line involving a bunch of weak villains called The Syndicate. Much ado about nothing, but it was fun enough as a mild distraction.

[Ronald Esporlas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two questions left unanswered after reading this book: who is Kindred and why does Kingpin wants Boomerang. The writing is ok but the art is not for me.

[Lillian Francis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Come on, I want to know what Boomerang has that Fisk wants so badly.
Great art. I loved Ottley's art and Walker's isn't bad either.
Love the Pete/Boomerang friendship.

[Peter Cino · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fluff entry in the series of TPB ASM 2018, quick read though and has funny plot cameos With the new NPCs

[Jiro Dreams of Suchy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this whole trade, the MJ subplot was fun, the female supervillain crew was funny and engaging and Boomerang is growing on me (a total pest but I like his moxie).

A solid Spider-Man story that is humorous and lighthearted enough to deal with more serious subject matter while still feeling fun. I am liking this run more and more

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Syndicate finds out that they have some problems. Peter is scared of losing anyone.

[fatin · Rating 1 out of 5]

think we need to erase feminism

[Rory Wilding · Rating 3 out of 5]

Over the course of the initial twenty-three issues of his Amazing Spider-Man run, writer Nick Spencer has put Peter Parker through the ringer, not least in the previous volume, in which Kraven the Hunter trapped him and a bunch of animal-themed villains in an epic hunt at Central Park. After this event, Peter once again saves the day and although he is reunited with this true love, MJ, he is left with a nightmare of her killed.

The first issue of this volume is very much an epilogue for Hunted with Peter coping with an aftermath in need of a much-needed break with a touch of romance. Meanwhile, Quentin Beck AKA Mysterio speaks to a psychiatrist, whilst feeling haunted by the new villain who may or may not have a personal connection with our hero, who is given a name here: Kindred. Honestly, the reveal is still unknowable with not much about Kindred as Spencer continues to play the waiting game.

Afterwards, we come to the standout issue of this volume with #25, which is sixty pages that tie up loose ends, whilst setting up the future for a number of principal characters. With Kindred’s schemes been looming in the background, Spidey battles a bunch of robots in order to save Dr Curt Connors, who still distances himself due to his reptilian alter-ego. As for Mary Jane, she spends a night at the theatre with Carlie Cooper to watch a performance featuring MJ’s acting rival, which gets worse with the arrival of the new Electro, Francine Frye.

With multiple artists such as Ryan Ottley, Humberto Ramos, Patrick Gleason and Kev Walker, each assigned to drawing one character side story, this issue showcases what’s great about Spencer’s writing in this comic, which is the strong characterisation throughout everyone, not just your friendly-neighbourhood wall-crawler. As quippy as Spidey can be, there has always been this serious undercurrent about the character, which is the flaws that define him. Peter recognises his own flaws and lives by them so that can be a better person to those around him, and this is the lesson he teaches towards the Lizard himself, leading to a touching family reunion.

MJ may not always be the main focus in this run, but when Spencer puts her in the spotlight, she truly shines. By literally placing her in centre stage, MJ saves the day in her own way, with her skills as an actress, leading to an amazing two-page monologue that shows how much she has grown, informing her own agency that has nothing to do with her superhero boyfriend. Setting up her own limited series The Amazing Mary Jane, I’m curious to see what Leah Williams and Carlos Gomez have in store for the awesome redhead.

As for the arc that primarily takes up this volume, it is your typical hijinks involving super criminals and troubling roommates. As Peter helps out her aunt May over the refurbishment of the F.E.A.S.T. building with his roomies Randy Robertson and Fred Myers volunteering, the latter AKA Boomerang becomes the target of an all-new female version of the Sinister Syndicate.

With more emphasis on humour, it’s more about the first team-up between Spidey and Boomerang, both of which are still on rocky grounds, leading to some great banter. As for the Sinister Syndicate, it sends out an odd message for female villains to rise up and not be sidelined by the male baddies, most notably the Kingpin as the main antagonist here. It tries to achieve some revelations, which don’t seem as impactful as it's just another case of set-up, whilst the on-off conflict between Spidey and Boomerang doesn’t have that emotional beat as a few volumes before.

With the frequent changing of artists in which quality can differ, all of which are able to suit with Spencer’s writing that confidently blends action and comedy, all in support of the strong characterisation. This volume feels more like a placeholder as it does tie up loose ends, whilst setting up new stories.

[Mark Plaid · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Love This Volume of the Amazing Spider-Man!

The art is top-notch and the writing is fantastic! The relentless chaos of Peter Parker's life is highly entertaining and belly-laugh funny!