GANG WAR: FIRST STRIKE!
Rek-Rap returns! Spider-Man's fun-house reflection might just be the thing to help the wall-crawler out of the darkness he can't seem to shake. Well, Rek-Rap MIGHT help if he weren't targeted by the scariest new Spidey-Villain in decades! GANG WAR IS COMING!
Rated T
As Gang War approaches, the crime bosses, the Repossessor, and even Peter Parker embrace cruelty to achieve their objectives in Amazing Spider-Man #37. Read Full Review
McGuiness delivers some fantastic art throughout the issue. The visuals are fun and tap into the fun, lighter tone of the story. Read Full Review
Rek-Rap continues to deliver big laughs and a satisfying mystery amidst Peter Parker's (and Norman Osborn's) exasperation at the absurd entities of Limbo intruding in their lives. The humor evident in Amazing Spider-Man #36 remains, but Wells and McGuinness find new twists to keep this story fresh. Read Full Review
It's hard to deny the silliness working so well with Spidey and Rek-Rap, but this issue spins its wheels a bit as we wait for the other shoe to drop. Amazing Spider-Man #37 is filled with over-the-top silliness, but suffers as it spends more time leaning into Rek-Rap's lunacy. Read Full Review
Amazing Spider-Man #37 sets up a mildly intriguing mystery but weighs the issue down in impressively corny humor, little action, and a prelude to the Gang War crossover that fails to generate an ounce of momentum or anticipation. Read Full Review
It got better and I enjoyed REK-RAP for what he is and it was fun to make him a 60s/70s Lee/Romita ASM style narrator for his dumb outbursts that fit well with the fun story line. ASM and Wells do much better when they stay away from MJ/Felicia and what comes with 60 years of continuity so why is this an ASM book? I don't know? I'm just here for the amazing art from McGuiness. It's fantastic and fits the tone so well. Ed McGuiness is a professional and you can see it from the details to the inks. Menyz colors it all wonderfully!
I liked this one a lot more than the previous issue. Rek-Rap is actually the highlight of this issue. Zeb's writing with him is genuinely pretty funny and I always found myself entertained whenever he was directly involved with whatever was happening, which was the bulk of this issue. Plus, I enjoyed the Repossessor here and I'm intrigued to see what happens next with him basically swallowing Peter at the end.
Rek-Rap fans stay winning. I know people are mad about Rek-Rap but I can't personally muster it. I think this issue solidified the concept behind Rek-Rap, with the shift to a more classic comics tone of art. Maybe it's just because I've read some classic Lee/Romita Sr. ASM lately but Rek-Rap works for me because Wells somehow manages to make him say nonsense that accurately reflects the tone and timing of Lee-era Spider-Man. It's actually kinda uncanny, and I'm not even fully convinced it's on purpose. But it works, and it's fun. The villain is also really neat. This issue is loads of fun, which may be annoying to people who wanted more fallout from the Spidey Who Gobs (we get the tiniest of tastes of that when Norman appears, ruder than usmore
Art: 4/5
Story: 3/5
Total: 7/10
Just meh. Not much to say really, some funny Rek-Rap lines.
Wells continues to ever-so-finely thread the needle with Rek-Rap’s over-the-top personality evident in this issue by the story-within-a-story approach to filling in missing details from Rek-Rap’s perspective. At times I found myself agreeing with Peter’s in-story desire to forego the silliness and cut to the chase, but Wells used just enough restraint to make it so the entire issue didn’t become a complete tongue-in-cheek entry. This continues to be a very hard pivot away from the prior story arc and the interlude (this time VERY clearly labeled an interlude compared to the previous issue) are not so subtly only being used to prep readers for the upcoming “Gang War” crossover event.
The art is well done. That's the extent of my enjoyment with this book. I was absolutely dreading reading it and I will dread next issue too. REK-RAP SUCKS.
I'm even less happy now than I was with the previous issue because I didn't think there would be another ridiculous issue after this one. I'm done with this run. I will continue to read it but if Rek-Rap or Dark Web are referenced anymore it's an automatic low score. There is nothing here to grab onto. It's obnoxious, unfunny and destroys the pacing of the overall narrative of the run. Read the pages that actually pertain to Gang War (there are only 2 pages, pgs.13-14 you're welcome) so you don't waste more of your time. If there is anything to credit in this issue, it's Norman calling out how stupid this all is and even he doesn't want to deal with it.
This nonsense excuse for a comic book actually did something very unusual to me: it made me angry. I'm usually the optimistic fool who focuses on the positives and doesn't waste time getting upset by a comic book. I'm the idiot that kept giving Zeb Wells a chance. Not anymore. I've had it with this run. I'm out until the creative team changes and that doesn't look like it's going to happen anytime soon.
This issue is a complete mess apart from Ed McGuinness's art which is mostly very good. You have the cover advertising "Gang War" as coming soon. Why? It has nothing to do with this issue apart from the random Maggia scene that's dropped in halfway through. This is a Limbo Rek-Rap story. The tone is all over the place. One minute more