The vows have been renewed.
From the beginning, Marvel has teased that elements of their various Secret Wars tie-ins would trickle into the new Marvel Universe this fall. But with no series has the question of what will carry over and how been more pressing than Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows. Will we see a married Peter Parker permanently again? Will Peter at least remember his lost marriage? Will his daughter make the jump into the Marvel Universe? These are the burning questions, and it’s unfortunate that this over-hyped issue does absolutely nothing to address them. Readers will have to settle for a decent but predictable finish to Renew Your Vows.
The main appeal with this finale is seeing the entire Parker family suit up and rescue Peter from the clutches of the Regent. That means not only is Annie May given more chance to test his powers, but Mary Jane gets in on the fun as well. It’s great seeing the whole Spider-family fighting alongside each other and the celebration of a bond that doesn’t really exist anymore. It’s also appreciate how Slott counters the fun with further acknowledgement of the fact that Peter faces hard choices as a superhero and family man. When it comes to the dilemma over whether a hero should kill to protect their loved ones, there’s no easy answer.
The family dynamic is great, but the plot itself is fairly dull in this finale. Renew Your Vows’ greatest flaw is the one-dimensional portrayal of Regent, and that doesn’t change here. Given that if any character is likely to make the jump from Secret Wars to the regular Marvel Universe, it’s Regent, the poor characterization is doubly disappointing. This issue also struggles to create a real sense of tension at times. The resolution to the conflict is bizarrely neat and tidy, with little tangible impact on life in this corner of Battleworld. The lack of a real epilogue seems like a wasted opportunity.
As with issue #4, artist Adam Kubert is joined by Scott Hanna, and the results are a little underwhelming compared to the first three issues. The series benefits from the sort of big, dynamic action one would expect from a Spider-Man epic, but there’s a certain softness to the figures and environments that isn’t apparent when Kubert is working solo.
Renew Your Vows doesn’t quite live up to the promise it showed in earlier issues. It’s fun seeing the entire Parker family united in battling evil, but said evil is still a bland, unremarkable villain. This finale issue doesn’t pack enough of a punch, and it offers no indication of what elements might cross over into the relaunched Amazing Spider-Man.
