These issues have the helpful “Back in Black” bar on the cover to indicate that, chronologically, they take place during Amazing Spider-Man #539–543. I’ve noted in that post that it’s unrealistic to think that Spider-Man had time to do anything else during the course of those issues, where he was hunting down Aunt May’s attacker with a focus and intensity we haven’t seen before. But there are multiple monthly series to sell so…Here we are.
On top of that, these are Peter David’s last issues, and he tries to wrap up a bunch of storylines that have been dangling since “The Other” and build on the Spider-totem themes. All of this gets written out of history, soon, in One More Day.
So, I’m not going to spend any time on it. I will note that in issue #20, Flash Thompson dates Kelly Kulick, who in real life was on Team USA’s bowling team.
Peter David does a fine job here with what was probably an editorial mandate to wrap everything up, but the result is that the story itself (a) doesn’t matter and (b) the hasty and perfunctory wrap-up would be frustrating to anyone who has been invested in this title.
The next issue will be part of the “One More Day” story, and then this series ends.