Warning! Spoilers for the New Spider-Man #5 are ahead!
Last episode Marvel Comics’ amazing Spider-Man pushes the wall-crawler to its absolute physical limits in a way that reminds readers not only how dangerous his enemies are, but also how real a dedicated hero is.
The initial storyline of “The New Spider-Man” by Zeb Wells and John Romita Jr. focuses on Spider-Man trying to overthrow Tombstone as the new kingpin. For his efforts, Spidey recently brutally beat a crime boss. Ever since he went from that to being chained up and then trashed by an entire warehouse of thugs, Peter hasn’t had much time to recover. In two issues, he continued his night under a torn, blood-soaked mask, but in issue #5, Wells and Romita Jr. reveal the extent of his wounds.
When the Black Cat meets Peter on the roof, she sees that his face has turned into an unsightly mass of bruises; his cheeks and eyebrows are swollen, and blood has flowed in his eyes and down the center of his face. Felicia does not comment on his appearance and does not condemn him for this, since the Black Cat is used to seeing Peter in bad shape. But no matter how difficult the hero’s mission is, the publishers seem to care that he is fully updated for the next mission. When Spidey Helps Stop a Prison Break Raft The New Avengers Brian M. Bendis and David Finch, the description of his injuries is limited only to the attack. His arm is broken by a saw, but by the next time he puts on a uniform, he will no longer be in a cast. However, in the current issue of The New Spider-Man, even after Peter fixed his suit, his face was still swollen enough to lift the fabric of his mask. He’s not a Wolverine, and there’s no instant recovery here: Peter feels every bit of it.
To give such a setup to Spider-Man, who is, in fact, the Marvel mascot, is bold, disturbing and exciting. This means that Wells and Romita have a free hand here; the kind that we hope will allow them to challenge this character in a new way and develop his best sides. It’s reminiscent of iconic Spider-Man stories like “Kraven’s Last Hunt,” and even Daredevil arcs like “Born Again.” There is catharsis in seeing Spider-Man constantly recover from the worst that his enemies throw at him, and there is respect that is won when readers see how he combines his years of crime-fighting experience with his significantly untapped strength and puts both to the test.
Since the question of what led Peter to this new fall remains unanswered, this unpleasant physical blow serves as an external reflection of his inner torment. Nobody beats Spider the way Spidey can, but as Felicia reminds him, he’s at his best when he’s having fun; not succumbing to the endless maelstrom of self-doubt. With a new strength and an improved strategy for handling the Tombstone, rest assured, Spider-Man will come back to normal, despite the bruises and all that.
