ASM #76 (877) review and spoilers

[HypnoHustler]

Surprised there isn’t more discussion about this and specifically how much Zeb Wells knocked it out of the park when it comes to Ben’s characterization. He even added another layer about Ben not used to people helping him so not wanting to ask for it for fear of rejection, which totally jives with the Ben from the 90s. Peter’s speech to him in the hospital giving him his blessing as Spider-Man gave me chills (although I would’ve loved it even more if he said “be sensational” instead of “be amazing”). I know it’s early days, but I think it’s fair to say Wells “gets” Ben and his dynamic with Peter, and I’d be happy to see him do an ongoing for Ben one day. I’m glad Ben is already getting a bit suspicious of Beyond and it was good to see him get some quick revenge on the U-Foes. There was one sour note and it had nothing to do with Wells…. one panel clearly has MJ wearing an engagement ring, which bolsters the theory there was some last minute editorial butchering of #74 (875) and that art slipped through the cracks. Besides that, I loved it. THIS is the real Ben we’ve been asking to return since 1996.