The Amazing Spider-Man #16 swings in with a grounded, street-level intensity, with months of universe-shattering drama in the background, and the issue wastes no time showing how everyone else is trying to fill Peter Parker’s shoes while he’s missing.
Joe Kelly and John Romita Jr. give us an installment full of tension, character conflict, and identity struggles — all under the long shadow of the man who isn’t there. This is an issue about what Spider-Man means to the people around him, and what happens when his absence forces others to step into (or fight over) that responsibility.
PROS
• Norman Osborn asking himself: “What would Peter do?”
This is honestly one of the coolest dynamics in the issue. Norman — the man whose life has been defined by ego, trauma, and destruction — is now forced to live by Peter Parker’s moral compass. Seeing him stop, center himself, and consciously think, WWPD? is such a fascinating character turn. It’s weird, it’s uncomfortable, but it’s also powerful. He doesn’t just borrow Peter’s costume — he wrestles with Peter’s ideals.
• Ben Reilly thriving… but cracking
Ben crushing it at work, excelling through science, and genuinely doing good? Loved it. This is Ben Reilly at his best — brilliant, capable, proactive.
But Kelly slips in that darkness humming beneath the surface. Ben is still agitated that Norman — of all people — was “chosen” to take Peter’s place and not him. He’s succeeding, but he’s not at peace. And that tension is building toward something big.
• Jonah Jameson vs. Aunt May — the heated Parker debate
A wonderful character moment. Two people who love Peter in very different ways, clashing over what should be done about him. Jonah frantic, May firm but scared — it’s raw, it’s human, and it lands emotionally without melodrama.
• Tombstone fighting Norman-as-Spidey
This was very cool. Watching Tombstone throw down with “Spider-Man” and immediately sense something’s off adds a great street-level authenticity. Villains who know Spider-Man that well are always fun, because it highlights how much history and familiarity Peter’s rogues have with him.
• The NEW VILLAIN — unique, creepy, painful
The new antagonist’s poisoning/pain-inducing gimmick is fresh and brutal, and their ability to push Norman to the edge is a great introduction.
But Norman’s response — that pain barely registers because his world is pain and trauma — is darkly poetic and very Osborn.
• Romita Jr. is slaying and delivering nostalgia + grit
Romita’s presence is the warmest kind of comic-fan comfort.
His bold lines, gritty New York, and expressive faces?
Perfect.
His Norman Osborn?
PERFECT.
This felt like the golden era returning for a visit.
• Two men trying to shine under Peter’s shadow
Norman wants to honor Peter’s legacy.
Ben wants to reclaim the legacy he feels he deserves.
Both are trying to fill the void Peter left — but for wildly different reasons.
It’s an excellent dual-track character study.
• Tombstone becoming legitimately scary
Every issue he grows more threatening, more intense. He’s evolving into a top-tier villain again, and it’s great to see.
• Norman’s personal moment about losing a child
This was a surprisingly vulnerable scene. Norman giving advice about the pain of losing a child adds depth to the character in a way that feels earned. He’s a man defined by trauma, but here he speaks with empathy — and it hits. He also had to come to terms with the fact that being Spider-Man means going off to save the world no matter what, even if it means leaving a friend in need behind, every now and then. The sacrifice that comes with the great power and great responsibility hits hard, sometimes.
CONS
• How does nobody notice the real Peter is missing??
With everything going wrong — new threats, Norman acting weird, Ben spiraling — it feels strange that no other superhero, friend, ally, anyone has 100% doubted or actively questioned Peter’s absence or done anything drastic about it. Sure, there are rumblings. But realistically, I would have expected the poop to hit the fan much sooner. The world feels a little too calm about Peter Parker being MIA.
FINAL GRADE: A (I’m falling more and more in love with this arc, already.)
Conclusion
The Amazing Spider-Man #16 is a strong, character-driven return to street-level storytelling that thrives on tension, identity, and legacy. Norman wrestling with Peter’s ideals, Ben Reilly rising and simmering, Jonah and May clashing over what’s best for Peter, and Tombstone carving out his place as a top-tier threat all make this issue rich and layered. Add Romita Jr.’s triumphant art at its peak, and you get an installment that hits both emotionally and visually. A great chapter that sets the board for even bigger consequences once the real Peter Parker finally returns.
Upon Peter’s return, Miles needs to say at some point, “Wait a minute…You mean, while we were here defending your name and protecting your legacy you were making out with an alien?”
@Dark Mark:
This would make sense if Miles only knew Spider-Man and didn’t know he was Peter. Kelly *has* to know that Peter and Miles are friends out of the suits, right?
Also, I am so over the Spider-Gang telling Norman “you can’t be Spider-Man”. At this point I want Norman to say “who the hell are you to be telling me that? I’ve literally been working with Spider-Man for months now, helping him with his equipment and adventures. Where have YOU been?”
@Hornacek – That’s what is frustrating to me as a literature teacher – so many things are being well done, but this is a major blunder for the characters. He just wants Norman to have some conflict regarding his identity of Spider-Man and question can he truly be Spider-Man, as in can he be this ideal version of what he thinks is the ideal moral person. That’s an admirable plot point, but you can’t just throw other things away to have it.
An editor should be there to address things like this.
@Dark Mark:
Yeah, Miles (and the rest of the Spider-gang – do they *all* know Spidey is Peter?) not going directly to Peter is big red flag. He knows that someone is impersonating Spider-Man, and now he knows it’s Norman – why doesn’t he go to “Peter”? Kelly has not explained this at all and it’s a huge plot hole. Maybe he’ll eventually explain it?
I find myself liking the stories despite myself. Why can’t we get this sort of story WITH PETER? The pacing and interweaving of the different stories should have been off putting, but worked. Tombstone figuring it out was great. Norman’s arc is great. Ben’s arc is going well too. No more “I must get Peter to eat this funky apple to steal his life” arcs. Ben struggling with who he is – that’s the story we’ve been waiting for.
However, Miles still sitting around threatening Norman instead of going to Peter to ask what is going on is a major misstep in the writing. I understand it doesn’t push the plot and arc that Kelly wants to push, but it is too obvious to just overlook. Rather than Miles being a confidant of Peter, he’s playing you’re-not-one-of-us with Norman.
Despite how well written (for the most part) these stories are, I don’t care about Ben Reilly and I don’t care for Peter in space (Pigs in Space – that’s a different story (and probably one only Hornacek and Old Man Evan get)). If Kelly gets Peter back and has stories like this about PETER with the supporting cast, we could really have something great. I’d give this a B+.
Once again the arc without Peter is more interesting and better written than the arc with him. If I didn’t know better I’d swear these issues were written by another writer than the one writing the outer space issues.
“How does nobody notice the real Peter is missing??” As far as everyone is convinced, Peter isn’t missing. He’s still around, going to work, living his life. And for those that know he’s Spider-Man, they see Spider-Man still active. So they would have no reason to think Peter was not around.