Amazing Spider-Man #543 Review

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #543
Written by J. Michael Straczynski
Art by Ron Garney

Do not believe the cover for this book. Aunt May, and no one else for that matter, dies in this issue. For the finale of Back in Black, this issue adds very little to the storyline. It actually leaves me wondering why Back in Black did not end last issue with the showdown with Kingpin and Peter throwing his costume off to show it was just him and Fisk, not the black costumed Spider-Man, fighting it out now.

As for this issue itself, it is rather lackluster. The majority deals with Peter shunting May out of her current hospital and into another one once the police start investigating the gunshot victim who has her hospital fees paid for in cash and did not file a police report. From here we get a list of the various crimes Peter must commit to keep his aunt from being found out and getting proper care, er, I mean, having something...happen to her.

Honestly, I have no idea what he is doing all this for as they do not refuse old ladies with gun shot wounds just because their nephew did not register as a superhero. The fact they try to show the effect these crimes he is committing are having on Peter is another form of contention I have with this issue. Peter has done many questionable things in his time, including striking police officers, and it never became this big of a deal. The only major thing I can think of is the stealing of the ambulance, as that has a direct impact on the well-being of others and impedes their getting proper care. Yet he chalks that up to being grand theft auto and at the end of the issue "dumps" the vehicle on the other side of town instead of bringing it back to the hospital so it can be used to help people.

Some might be able to let all these poor choices slide as the result of Peter being grief stricken with his ailing aunt dying in the hospital, but she has been dying for 30 years now and has, in fact, died once before in Amazing Spider-Man #400, in a much better issue with much better pacing and emotional impact than this one.

This is an average to slightly below average issue and pretty much nothing happens in the entire issue. All the emotional impact comes off as forced and contrived or having a 'been done before' feeling.

Verdict - Avoid It

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