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The Amazing Spider-Man # 5 (2018)

By Mark Rodriguez

Due to an accident with the Isotope Genome Accelerator Peter Parker and Spider-Man are now two different people. While Peter lives a normal life without super powers, Spider-Man is using his power recklessly and doing this for the fame. However, Dr. Connors discovered that the mice he tested the device on, eventually die since the two halves do need each other. Parker needs to get Spider-Man before they both die as well.


Back to Basics part 5 begins with Parker finally telling Mary Jane the situation. She says a life with just Peter and no Spider-Man would be good, but it wouldn't be him. The fact he's a hero that leaps into danger because it's the right thing to do is what pushes her away but also keeps bringing her back. Currently, Peter Parker is lying on the ground, bloodied up as he remembers how he got to this point.

Peter thinks one problem he has, is no access to the Accelerator due it being under lock and key, but also because he has no way to explain the situation to Connors without revealing he's Spider-Man. Peter considers calling up Black Cat to steal the device for him, but she could complicate matters. He then remembers he has another thief in tow.

Later on, at their apartment, Peter purposely and loudly talks about how valuable and unguarded the Accelerator is, and how Taskmaster and Black Ant tried to steal it earlier. Fred overhears this and decides to steal the device for himself as Boomerang.

Boomerang steals the device, but once he load it in his truck, it drives off without him. Peter took the machine but he realized he has no way to work it, so he has to find Spider-Man. Peter finds the wall crawler and tries to use the device, but Spidey points out the Tri-Sentinel army flying above them.



Mendel Stromm is happy to be leading his robot army after Spider-Man. His partner reminds him of the deal they made and he doesn't know what he's talking about. The mystery man says all the tech he gave him was not for free and his giant insects tear him to pieces.

Both Parkers are running from the robots and Pete asks Spidey why he's running away instead of helping. Spidey says he could kill himself to save some people today or he could live and rescue more people in years to come. Peter pushes Spider-Man out of the way and gets caught in a blast.

Peter lays bloody and broken as Spider-Man comes back for him. Pete asks how his spider-sense didn't warn him and Spidey says he turned his off involving a sharp blinding pain in his brain. Pete is dying but says he hopes Uncle Ben would be proud. Spidey still doesn't understand and Peter says they're both going to die anyway due to the experiment and they would need to work together to stop the robot army. Pete mentions with great power comes great responsibility and it still doesn't work. Peter uses his web-shooter to bring the Isotope Genome Accelerator upon them both.


The device explodes and blasts them both. As they're merging together, Spidey tells Pete that he understands he's serious due to something horrible that happened in their past, and he forgot because maybe Pete sometimes wants to forget. He also asks Pete to lighten up once in a while and not live a life of doom and gloom all the time. As they fuse, Spidey says Pete has to admit that the giant robot was awesome.

Now back to normal, Spider-Man wonders how to stop the robot army, when he remembers he now has one of his own. He summons his Tri-Sentinel and uses the same hack he used to control it to control the others. Now he make the robot army go back to where they came from.


An hour later the robots bring Spider-Man to the old hideout of the Life Foundation. He finds Stromm in pieces and the last thing he says before he dies is 'guess my name'. All of the Sentinels fly into the building also chanting 'guess my name' until they blow everything up, including the building and themselves. Spider-Man is left wondering what happened.

Peter relaxes with MJ, while still trying to think about the mess with the Life Foundation and whoever kills Stromm. Peter thinks his troubles are just beginning.

Taskmaster and Black Ant are being interviewed by a Man in Black about their attempted robbery of the Accelerator. They don't take him seriously since he isn't a S.H.I.E.L.D agent. An aircraft blows up the wall behind him and the bad guys get away. Taskmaster tells the agent that they weren't after the Accelerator, the guy who hires them plays a different kind of game.

Meanwhile the hunter from before is now begging for his life. The man before him understands the struggle to survive against predators of all kinds, for he is a hunter as well. Kraven the Hunter has returned.


My opinions-

My thoughts on this particular issue was, it felt pretty rushed. Despite Connors' warnings, we didn't have much time to see the consequences take full affect, other than Spidey forgetting who Uncle Ben is and Peter forgetting some scientific things. Certain things like maybe Peter forgetting more things or the overly confident Spider-Man having his powers start to screw up where he'd end up losing to low level villains would have been interesting to see. Peter needs Spider-Man, but nothing ever happened to Spider-Man to make him realize he also needed Peter. They fused rather quickly and took care of the Tri-Sentinel army so quickly, it was basically a non-issue.

I like how Pete tricked Boomerang into stealing the device for him, though it was weird having him blurt that stuff out to Randy so the villain could overhear. Randy would have no idea what the hell Peter was talking about, and why hearing all that would make Fred anxious to leave in a hurry. I assume Pete would have to had left shortly afterwards. Poor Randy must be thinking both roommates are nuts.

Back to Basics was pretty good, but aside from the events of the first issue, the split Spider-Man stuff felt like something that would have fit in one episode of a cartoon show but was stretched to somehow fit in 4 issues. Other than the scenes of Spidey on talk shows and whatever that would imply several days went by, it felt like the whole thing happened too fast to let it sink in. Even playing bowling, Peter was still worried about his other self the whole time. Just let him kick back and relax for at least ONE full day before he found out about the consequences.

It's good to see Pete with MJ again, and there's also the deal with the mystery villain as well as the return of Kraven, and whoever hired Taskmaster and Black Ant. Those two guys work together pretty well and bounce off each other rather well with the jokes.

I am still not clear as to why the other heroes hate Spider-Man, unless it was the aftermath of some other large Marvel event that I missed out on. I'm not sure what hero does and doesn't know that Parker is Spider-Man, so it shouldn't have been the doctorate issue. I do hope that with all of this behind him, Pete does take the course because it would be fun to see more of Peter and Connors hanging out.

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