Amazing Spider-Man #12

Overall, this was a solid chapter in the story arc, though I would have liked to see a bit more of what the real Peter Parker is getting up to in space. I particularly enjoyed the satirical comedy at the start, with the conspiracy theorists discussing Hellgate and parallel universes on J. Jonah Jameson's podcast. It would be great to see more of this humor woven into the story as the arc progresses. Read Full Review

Pain forged Norman Osborn into an unstoppable empire builder. But when a victim from his past returns to judge his progress in turning his life around, Norman realizes he has a long way to go in justifying Peter Parkers faith in him in Amazing Spider-Man #12. Read Full Review

The Spider-Norman era experiences some growing pains as past scars resurface. Kelly conducts a look inside a struggling character trying to be good. McGuiness and the team keep things moving with a balance of action and insight. Its a new day for Spider-Man and fans had better settle in for the ride! Read Full Review

Amazing Spider-Man #12 strikes a strong balance between action and character depth, showcasing Norman's struggle to live up to the Spider-Man mantle while hinting at the cracks beneath the surface. With Joe Kelly's writing and Ed McGuinness' art firing on all cylinders, it's a story that feels both big and personal. By the last page, one thing is clear: Norman Osborn as Spider-Man is a powder keg waiting to blow. Read Full Review

The Amazing Spider-Man #12 may showcase a continued struggle with pacing, but is overall still a pure popcorn book full of interesting ideas and simply brilliant superhero art. Norman Osborn is proving quite the interesting replacement for Spider-Man on Earth with some pathos for Ben Reilly sprinkled in. Read Full Review

Story moves along nicely without really doing any heavy lifting. Read Full Review

Amazing Spider-Man #12 is certainly an improvement over the introduction of this new direction for the series. Joe Kelly shows a strong handle of how to write the Spider-Man Family and Ed McGuinness on artwork is a cheat code. Unfortunately, this issue just drove home why splitting up the narrative into three distinct parts is an Achilles heel. On top of that Norman Osborn and Ben Reilly are simply not intriguing long-term co-series leads. There's too much baggage to tell a balanced story every other issue. Hopefully the real Peter Parker's side of this series will do better with its presentation. Read Full Review

Amazing Spider-Man #12 is a disappointment. It fails to live up to the setup of the previous installment, instead opting for a series of meandering conversations and an introduction of a new, seemingly random villain. The plot is thin, the characters are sidelined, and the central conflict is almost completely ignored. Ultimately, it feels like a waste of time, a filler issue that squanders its potential and leaves the reader wondering when the real story will start again. Read Full Review

Toonstrack

Sep 18, 2025

Between ed mcguinness always beigna. Pleasure and Joe Kelly's voice for Norman, this might be my favorite issue of the run so far. I can always get behind other people seeing how hard Peter works, but the play here with it being norman and how that effects not only his actions as Spidey but his mental state, is pretty entertaining to read and provides the necessary depth to be a backdrop for the action sequence here. This culminated in Norman using his experience fighting Spidey to his advantage against the other web warriors which was really fun. And again, mcguiness just brings it every time. That splash page is brilliant and kinetic in the best way. I had a good time with this one

BirdmanG07

Oct 02, 2025

I surprisingly really enjoyed this.

Afre

Sep 17, 2025

I would say as an overall package, this is a really good and enjoyable comic. Ed's art shines here, I wish he stays on this title for longer. Writing is also really good, I enjoyed all the interactions and especially the voice Kelly has for Norman is really good. The only part I am disappointed in, is how Ben is handled. There are still so many questions relating to him (how and why being the biggest ones) and I hope that plot will start moving soon. To any direction.

DDJamesB

Oct 05, 2025

I liked it for the most part just because I like good Norman.

Kenjamin

Dec 22, 2025

Art: 3.5/5 Story: 2.5/5 Total: 6/10 Where the fuck was Ghost-Spider before she was in Normans grab? xD

Chris Y

Sep 17, 2025

The concept of five hundred different Spider-People (or Wolverines, or Captain Americas…) in the same universe has never worked for me. All the stupid Spider-Kids, in combination with McGuinness‘s cartoony oversized art, make this feel less like a regular issue and more like something you’d find on the back of a cereal box.

+ Like • Comments (6)

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Toonstrack - Sep 18, 2025

Most of these characters have been around for a decade if not longer. Araña is like a 25 year old character at this point.

fthissite - Sep 18, 2025

??? And? Your comment has nothing to do with what he said.

Chris Y - Sep 19, 2025 (edited)

If you like these characters, Toonstack, please don't let my review take away your enjoyment.

Toonstrack - Sep 19, 2025

It just seems like you're not actually reviewing the book but the concept of spider characters. Thats what's kinda throwing me But to each their own I guess

Chris Y - Sep 21, 2025

Can you really separate the concept from the story? The cover is explicitly playing with the concept, and the fact that those are alternative "Spider-Men" matters to the story. You can't just take them out and have the same story. I also mentioned the art, that I don't like.

Chris Y - Sep 21, 2025

I guess the only aspect I left out because I wanted to keep it short and focused on my main issues, is Osborn as Spider-Man. I don't think it's a particularly great idea, but it gives us the opportunity for the cosmic Spider-Man stories drawn by Pepe Larraz, which are much more interesting to me. It's a shame that the series cannot focus on one storyline and one artist.