written by Jed MacKay, Patrick Gleason, Kelly Thompson, Zeb Wells
drawn by Carlos Gomez, Mark Bagley, Sara Pichelli, Michael Dowling
With "Beyond" just having concluded and a brand new era for Spider-Man just around the corner, I thought I'd give a quick look back at the story that Marvel's brain trust came up with to lead us to this moment; a five-month story featuring Spider-Clone Ben Reilly and culminating with his chilling fate. I've already reviewed the first twelve issues, and now I'll focus on the next half-dozen. The finale in issue #93 will get its own review.
Basically, after having found out that Beyond has been playing him for a fool, Ben Reilly's world starts to unravel, and when he turns to Dr. Ashley Kafka (or the clone of the late Ashley Kafka) for help, Beyond takes action against them both. Dr. Kafka is in for a frightening transformation, while Ben is in for a hell of a fight against more of the horrors squirreled away in Beyond's headquarters. Meanwhile, Peter manages to to slowly but surely get back in shape with the help not only of his actual nurse but some very special "therapists," the Black Cat and Captain America.
For the entirety of this arc I've found myself impressed at how tight the storytelling has felt. Even though this arc goes through four different writers in the course of six issues, I can't help but be impressed at how focused they remain, and how each writer's voice feels consistent with the last. It's ironic considering how scatterbrained Nick Spencer's storytelling felt during his sprawling "Sins Past" saga.
What's genuinely compelling about this relatively compact saga is how it really brings into focus the problem Ben Reilly faces, not just in the world he lives in but, in a more "meta" sense, as a character who, since his resurrection, Marvel really don't know how to handle. When Dan Slott brought him back as a bad guy over five years ago, fans of the second clone saga cheered, but when a new series featuring him living in Las Vegas (and written by no less than Peter David) failed to take off, Marvel were left with the problem of what exactly to do with him. Killing him off again wasn't really an option, but neither was making him Spider-Man 2.0, especially since there are already two Spider-Men running around, each one different enough from the other to justify his separate existence. Ben Reilly, however despite being "grunged up" and given a bad guy's baggage, was always still just a Peter clone.
"Beyond" is leading up to something distinct, literally erasing Ben's cloned memories as Peter Parker and leading him someplace he's never been before, and it's interesting to read.
On the art front, Sara Pichelli and Michael Dowling are joined by Spider-Man legend Mark Bagley and Carlos Gomez, so it's decent, but without Patrick Gleason around the visual flair from the first six issues feels distinctly absent. I've said this before and I'll saying it again; I am grateful that the next rotating art team on this book are set to consist (so far) of legendary artists John Romita Jr. and Ed McGuinness, because that's a team that I know can deliver the goods.
7.5/10
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