Spider-Man has had some pretty intense battles over his career, between showdowns with the likes of Green Goblin and Doctor Octopus. Spider-Man always prevails, though sometimes he’s left a little worse for wear. No matter how many times you knock Spider-Man down, he always gets back up. But what happens when you pit the web-slinger against a foe who isn’t at the top of his rogues gallery? And what if you span the fight across multiple issues and let the art tell the story, with as minimal dialogue as possible? Amazing Spider-Man fans are finding out the answer to that question in the conclusion of Zeb Wells’ run on the series.
*WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Amazing Spider-Man #59. Continue reading at your own risk!
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Amazing Spider-Man #59 comes from the creative team of Zeb Wells, John Romita Jr., Scott Hanna, Marcio Menyz, and VC’s Joe Caramagna. It picks right up with the action that spilled over from the last issue, with Spider-Man in a brutal battle with the mobster Tombstone. Spider-Man is trying to stop Tombstone from murdering his daughter Janice Lincoln, aka Beetle. She was the prosecution’s star witness against Tombstone, and when he was released on bail, Tombstone sought his daughter out to get his revenge. Luckily for Janice, Spider-Man showed up just in time to interfere, but that hasn’t stopped Tombstone’s rampage.
The cover of Amazing Spider-Man #59 directly leads into the fight already in progress, with Tombstone taking Spider-Man with him out of a high-rise window. They both slam into a parked car beneath them, bloody and beaten. Janice is running for her life, and Tombstone’s hatred for her is the only thing driving him at this point. It’s easy to see the bruises and blood on Tombstone’s face and body, but Spider-Man is covered head-to-toe in his red-and-blue costume. We can only imagine what his body looks like underneath all that spandex, but the art does show pools of blood around Spidey’s eyemask, which is also busted and cracked.
The fight between Spider-Man and Tombstone is hard to watch at times. There’s very little dialogue, as Zeb Wells has allowed the art to do the majority of the storytelling. Spider-Man may have the agility of a spider, but right now he’s using his spider strength to trade blows with Tombstone. Whether it’s slinging a metal rod or breaking Tombstone’s fingers, Spider-Man is leaving it all on the table as he fights for not only his life, but also Janice’s. Their fight eventually takes them to an underground subway station, where they leave it all on the line.
Spider-Man is in the fight of his life against Tombstone
Tombstone typically wouldn’t be at the top of the list of adversaries to push Spider-Man to his limit. However, it continues the trend that Zeb Wells established during his run on Amazing Spider-Man. One of the major story beats was the Gang War street-level event where Spider-Man and his allies had to stop a turf war from crippling New York City. Tombstone has been a central player and antagonist throughout Zeb Wells and John Romita Jr.’s’ time on Amazing Spider-Man, so it’s only fitting that the duo finish their run with a one-on-one showdown.
The second chapter in Spider-Man vs. Tombstone ends with Spidey falling unconscious after saving Tombstone from being hit by a subway car. Spider-Man took the brunt of the hit, leaving Tombstone to tower over him with a large piece of concrete in his hand. Before Spider-Man falls unconscious, he tells Tombstone that he wasn’t just saving Janice, but also saving Tombstone from the guilt he’d feel over killing his own daughter.
The words may have gotten to Tombstone, who drops the piece of debris and collapses next to Spider-Man. Both men appear spent, and with only one issue remaining, who knows what condition they will be in as Zeb Wells and John Romita Jr. say goodbye to the Amazing Spider-Man.
