The Amazing Spider-Man has fallen from the top of the sales charts, but has actually gotten a lot better since writer Joe Kelly took over. Many of the complaints that Spider-Man comics got for years is gone, and people are talking about TASM positively for the first time in a while. The Amazing Spider-Man 2026 Annual #1 only has a back-up story by Kelly, but it’s still worth picking up. The main story comes from current Wolverine writer Saladin Ahmed and rising star artist Federico Vicentini, co-starring new hero Rapid for a pretty standard Spider-Man comic that hits all the right marks and give readers an entertaining little yarn that won’t knock your socks off.
Ahmed hasn’t exactly shone on Wolverine, so some readers could be reticent to pick this book up. He’s a writer who had one amazing comic almost a decade ago, and has since given readers some pretty basic superhero stories. This annual is one of those. Annuals in the 21st century are usually comics that tell a cool little snapshot story that doesn’t really dig too deep into the character or the main story arc of the book (although, obviously, that does happen sometimes). That said, I think Ahmed was the right writer for this issue. This book plays the right notes you want from a Spider-Man book in an entertaining manner and doesn’t really bend his skills to a breaking point.
Rating: 3 out of 5
ProsConsRapid is a cool, down to Earth characterThere’s nothing really special about the plotThe art is fluid and detailedThe art can get a little busy at times, and there’s some sketchy imagesFun one and done storyThe back-up story is fine, but if you aren’t up on TASM, you won’t care about it very much
The Amazing Spider-Man 2026 Annual #1 is An ’80s Call-Back
The relationship between Spider-Man and Rapid is cool, the fight against Screwball is entertaining, and the whole thing is well-paced. I especially like that Ahmed adds in a plot point that seems like it’s going one way and then takes a little turn, telling readers something that we all need to hear sometimes. This honestly feels like the kind of comic that you would have gotten in a random issue of Spider-Man from the ’80s; a one and done story that ties up all of its plot points and gives readers the kind of entertainment that they’d want.
Of course, it is 2026, so some fans want more from comics than what this issue gives you (and there’s an argument that can be made that it’s not worth five dollars), but if you’re a Spider-Man fan, this is a good book. You don’t need to be into The Amazing Spider-Man to get this book (although you do for the back-up story, which is just a hype piece for the main book, and it’s fine). You can hand this to any Spider-Man fan, and they’ll like it.
Federico Vicentini’s Art Is Mostly Great, with a Few Little Drawbacks
Image Courtesy of Marvel COmics
Federico Vicentini has had a great career trajectory since he did X Deaths of Wolverine in 2022, flexing his muscles on books like Miles Morales: Spider-Man and Imperial. His manga-inspired art fit well in Miles Morales: Spider-Man, so his getting to draw Peter Parker as Spider-Man is great. His art style is very fluid and kinetic, and that’s perfect for this story. There are a lot of really cool action scenes in this book, and Vicentini’s artwork makes them pop. The character acting is great, really helping sell the emotional stakes of this story.
It’s mostly stellar artwork, but there are some problems with it. One of the big problems with Vicentini’s art is that his laudable desire to stuff the panels with detail can lead to overly busy panels. There’s so much going on in some panels, that the focus of them can be missed. This can seem like a nitpick, but there were some where I had to stop and find the focus, because of how much was happening all around, especially the larger ones. There are also some sketchy images throughout the book. There’s a not a lot of them, but they do stick out when you notice them. The art in the back-up, by Roi Mercado, isn’t up to the same level as Vicentini’s. It’s fine, but it has some detail problems that are very noticeable after Vicentini’s more detailed artwork.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2026 Annual #1 is an old school type of one and done story, from a writer who does these kinds of stories pretty well (the best issue of Ahmed’s Wolverine so far is issue #13, a one and done). This is what you expect from a Spider-Man story, and it helps build Rapid as a cool character. Vicentini’s art is mostly detailed and fluid, with a few little problems that don’t break the deal. The back-up by Kelly and Mercado is fine, meant to be a teaser for future arcs of the main title. I don’t think it will hook anyone who picks up this issue just for a cool Spider-Man story and make them pick up The Amazing Spider-Man, but it’s fine. This is a standard Spider-Man comic, and if you like the character, you’ll like it.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2026 Annual #1 is on sale now.
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