Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 2) #56 (497) Review

Amazing Spider-Man #56
The Revolution Within
Writers: Fiona Avery & J. Michael Straczynski
Penciler: John Romita Jr.
Inker: Scott Hanna
PLOT: A weary and tired Peter Parker continues to keep tabs on his student, Melissa. He shadows her, while she searches for information about her brother, Joshua, who has not shown up since his release from prison. Joshua was in prison because Spider-Man had caught him carjacking, and left him webbed up for the police. Peter finally is able to get some inside information about where Joshua may possibly be. According to an informant, a group of recent released and escaped prison mates have been getting together in a certain area of the city. When Spider-Man goes to check it out, he finds that Joshua is indeed with the group, but is surprised to find out that this group of former delinquents is run by Ezekiel. Ezekiel tells Spider-Man that he has much to learn about being a mythic guardian. He tells Spider-Man that he doesn’t think about what damages he is doing when he puts a criminal away, and he doesnt do enough to help people not become criminals. They talk, but do not come to an agreement, and finally Spider-Man decides to leave because there is no evidence of illegal activities going on. Before he goes, he tells Joshua that his sister has been looking for him, and that it is important for him to go home. He eventually does meet up with his sister, and we have one happy, warm, fuzzy ending.
LIKES: What I enjoyed most about this issue was that Avery was able to bring home the point that there are consequences for every action. I always saw Spidey, as well as the police, as stopping the bad guys from doing illegal stuff and throwing them in jail. But after a criminal is locked up, they are most often forgotten about. The truth is that one day that person will be released and out in public again. If nothing is done to assist this individual in bettering themselves; they will most likely re-offend once again, and this cycle continues. I also think that it is always good for Peter Parker to get involved with a supporting character whenever he can. This makes the man behind the mask even more present
DISLIKES: What the heck is Ezekiel doing with all these kids??? We never got a real answer of what was going on with them. Also, Ezekiel seems like he is no longer a father figure to Peter, and is acting more like a competitor. He challenges Peter’s way of thinking, but not in a way you would describe as constructive criticism. Also, the writer mentioned that Mel’s brother’s name was Jack in the first issue of the story, but in the second issue, his name is Joshua.
RATING: 3 webheads out of 5. This issue was not as strong as the last, even though it was still a pretty solid read. Will some of the unanswered Ezekiel questions be answered in the next story-arc, which will be leading to issue #500??? Hopefully, but for some reason, I doubt it.
Reviewed by AC-WEB (Ariel Chaidez)