Six Sinister Sixes! No waiting… for Spider-Man’s DOOM. Your Major Spoilers review of Amazing Spider-Man #72 from Marvel Comics awaits!

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AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #72

Writer: Nick Spencer
Artist: Federico Sabbatino/Ze Carlos/Marcelo Ferreira/Carlos Gomez
Colorist: Alex Sinclair
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Editor: Nick Lowe
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: August 25, 2021

Previously in Amazing Spider-Man: Norman Osborn has had his sins and madness removed by the powers of the Sin-Eater, but his new start has been tainted by the madness of his son, Harry. Now the evil Kindred, Harry has assembled six Sinister Sixes to destroy Spider-Man and has kidnapped Mary Jane, but if Harry’s a villain, what’s with the body he left behind? And what exactly is the story with the OTHER Harry Osborn?

THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY

While Spider-Man battles for his life against Sinister Sixes, this issue focuses on the former Green Goblin, Norman Osborn, but starts with a puzzling first-person narration that I think is meant to be Kindred. It’s not really clear, but we see a series of flashbacks that reveal the truth about Harry Osborn’s misfortunes, and it’s meant to be a big one: Norman Osborn made a deal with Mephisto, at the cost of his son. That doesn’t quite explain the multiple Harrys in this issue, one dead, one with Carlie Cooper, and one with Mary Jane, but then again, that last “Harry” mentions that he’s NOT who Mary Jane thinks he is. There’s a sequence featuring the Chameleon that I think is meant to tell us something, but as the issue ends, Norman remembers the day that Harry died… and also the presence of Mysterio.

A BIG CLIFFHANGER ENDING

The last page of Amazing Spider-Man #72 shows the horror on Mary Jane’s face as Kindred finally unmasks in front of her, but the buildup to it is very muted, thanks to this issue’s multiple focus points. The big reveal about Harry and Mephisto feels like it should have been a HUGE bombshell, but with so much going on, it’s hard to focus on that point. The story throws everything it can find at the wall, with three separate everything you know is wrong twists and multiple arts teams working on different portions of the story, and while they’re all pretty okay, they’re also incompatible. The opening sequence of Spider-Man in battle features some really bizarre anatomy and deep blacks, followed by chapters switching back and forth from one artist to another, making for a visually chaotic comic.

BOTTOM LINE: CONVOLUTED STORY AND ART

Like nearly every Sinister War issue I’ve read to date, Amazing Spider-Man #72 feels frenetic and over-full, which sadly bumps the big reveal out of focus and features a wildly changing roster of artists, retcons and villains you didn’t know were involved, earning a disappointing 2 out of 5 stars overall. I’m not sure what’s going on with Harry Osborn, but I firmly believe that this issue is an example of how less is more when it comes to certain comic book tales.

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