Well, this complicates things.
Creative Staff:
Story: Dan Slott
Art: Ryan Stegman, Livesay
What They Say:
He’s back…because you (loudly) demanded it! The return of Spidey 2099! And an Osborn you have not seen in a while…
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
As is often the case in the Marvel Universe, events elsewhere have impact on other books and we have that again here as things going on with the Avengers is now impacting the Superior Spider-Man. Coming into this book while reading other series in the present, it’s actually quite the treat for me as I’ve been a big fan of the 2099 universe from back in the 90’s and the current Spider-Man 2099 book is what got me to try this series. Having this being the launch point for bringing that title into existence and bringing the character back to the Marvel Universe makes me quite the glad old fan to have Miguel O’Hara running around again. I imagine it’s a bit of a weird issue for those unfamiliar with him though as this installment pretty much just drops us right into the middle of things.
The book has had its foundations laid down for awhile and that is a lot of what’s going on here. With Tiberius Stone in the present day storyline getting more involved in things, connecting with what will happen in the future, there’s some real fun here in building these kinds of events into the series in a bigger way. Through the events of this issue, we see the beginnings of Alchemax, which is the overpowering corporation of the decades ahead, and there’s some real fun in seeing the way it’s starting to come together in the present as Tiberius has orchestrated the downfall and acquisition of Horizon in order to get his revenge. Not that things were going well at Horizon, but it’s always been off to the side since Octavius hasn’t been using it as much and has largely ignored the actual goings on there. Which isn’t good for him since he’s now finding his projects, unpatented as they are, being sucked up into Horizon’s assets.
What we see with this issue is some good stuff in 2099 as Miguel as the Spider-Man of the time dealing with time displacements happening and trying to help while believing Alchemax is involved in it. That it’s actually things going on from the Heroic Age is no surprise to the reader, but it ends up putting him and Tyler Stone into the position of having to work together as Tyler’s existence is disappearing. And with Miguel being related to him, he has to get involved in a big way by going back to 2013 and trying to stop things. Time travel stuff is always fast and loose and it’s that way here, but it has a good sense of fun as it gets Miguel to go back. He gets a lot of time in this issue, though Octavius gets his as well, but beyond Miguel it really feels like it’s less about characters and more about motions. Max’s getting arrested, the movements of Liz allan and Tiberius Stone, the inclusion of little “Normie” Osborn and seeing how it’s going to come together for Alchemax. And just the way Octavius is frustrated by some of Peter’s abilities in how they aren’t quite so clearly defined.
In Summary:
While being into the current Spider-Man 2099 book, it’s definitely really good to go back a couple of years and see how Miguel was re-introduced to this time period and what his arrival set into motion, as well as why it’s such a necessity for him to help ensure it since it ensures his own survival. Miguel gets the bulk of the time here and it works well, though it’s a tough adjustment at first after other recent events. The team here does touch upon a lot of other events here and there that are going on, sometimes with just a couple of panels, sometimes a page or two, but the main focus is working off of what the Avengers are doing and how it can enhance this series and move it in surprising directions. For this fan of Miguel O’Hara, it’s all win for me.
Grade: A-
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Marvel Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: September 4th, 2013
MSRP: $2.99
