Spider-Man has gone toe-to-toe against the Hulk, stopped the Juggernaut, traded blows with the cosmic Firelord, and battled Morlun to the death — but the wall-crawler will face the “most brutal fight” of his life in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man #59, according to Marvel. The penultimate issue of Zeb Wells‘ run, which will conclude with an oversized 60th issue in October, pits Spider-Man against the new Kingpin of Crime: Lonnie Lincoln, the marble-skinned gangster known as Tombstone.
Wells’ 58-issue run on the flagship began with 2022’s Amazing Spider-Man #1, where Tombstone and New York’s rival crime lords — Hammerhead, Madame Masque, Mister Negative, Crime Master, Black Mariah, Diamondback, the Owl, and Wilson Fisk’s son, The Rose — carved out their territories after Daredevil ended Fisk’s reign as the Kingpin. After the turf war between Tombstone and The Rose, Wells’ first arc culminated with Spider-Man making New York’s gang lords believe he was working with Tombstone to undermine his criminal operations.
The villain returned in Amazing Spider-Man #31 (legacy #925) when Peter Parker’s friend and former roommate, Randy Robertson, was to marry Tombstone’s daughter, Janice Lincoln (a.k.a. the Beetle). But the wedding was called off after an assassination attempt on Tombstone’s life left the Harlem crime lord temporarily comatose and plunged New York into a city-wide gang war.
It was eventually revealed that Madame Masque made the move against Tombstone to destabilize the underworld and seize control of the Maggia from Silvermane and her father, Count Nefaria. Meanwhile, Janice assumed control of her father’s territory in Harlem, enforced by her Syndicate, leading to an all-out war that spilled out into the pages of Miles Morales: Spider-Man, Daredevil, Deadly Hands of Kung-Fu, Luke Cage, Spider-Woman, and Jackpot. Amazing Spider-Man #44 in February ended with Spider-Man and his superhero allies — Luke Cage, She-Hulk, Spider-Woman, Miles Morales, Shang-Chi, Danny Rand, and Daredevil (Elektra) — forging a temporary alliance with Tombstone to end the gang war that nearly cost Randy his life.
After learning that the would-be assassin Shotgun was working with a government agency aiming to eliminate Beetle and the other gang lords of New York, Tombstone neutralized Janice as Spider-Man defeated Madame Masque to end the gang war. Tombstone’s Syndicate took over in the ensuing power vacuum, with Tombstone vowing to beat Spider-Man to death in broad daylight to make the other families forget he aligned himself with Spider-Man to stop the war.
Most recently, in Amazing Spider-Man #56 (legacy #950), Spider-Man continued to ruin Tombstone’s reputation with the other gangs to make it seem like his alliance with the new Kingpin is still ongoing. After Spider-Man thwarted a weapons trade in Harlem for his “boss,” Tombstone tried to murder Peter Parker to send a message to his friend Spider-Man. Peter escaped the beatdown by having Randy call his other superhero friends: his lawyer, She-Hulk, and Mayor Luke Cage. Peter’s alter-ego then delivered the finishing blow and Spider-Man had Tombstone arrested.
Tombstone pleaded not guilty in court — only to discover that Janice turned state’s evidence to testify as a witness against her father. The story continues in this month’s Amazing Spider-Man #57 and #58, followed by the “most brutal fight in Spider-Man history” in Amazing Spider-Man #59 in October. Wells will wrap up his run with a special oversized Amazing Spider-Man #60 before handing over the reins to Joe Kelly (Deadpool & Wolverine: WWIII) for the beginning of the “8 Deaths of Spider-Man” saga featuring new Sorcerer Supreme Doom and Spider-Man’s magic-powered suit of armor designed by Ed McGuinness.
Below, see the covers and solicitations for Wells’ final issues of Amazing Spider-Man:
