Greetings folks.
It pains me to write this review, as the series that I’ve enjoyed every single issue of has come to an end. In my hands I hold the final issue, chapter really of Spider-Man’s Clone Saga as it was originally intended… well, sort of.
You see, the original outline was really bare bones, but it gave Tom and Howard a direction to go. To quickly recap: The mastermind kidnapped Baby May, sent a Norman Osborn after Ben (With our really big splash page last issue) Pretty much that’s all you need to know coming into this issue.
SPIDER-MAN: CLONE SAGA #6 [OF 6]
WRITERS: Tom DeFalco and Howard Mackie
ART: Todd Nauck
INKS: Victor Tartaglia (With colors by: Javier Tartaglia)
EDITOR: Ralph Macchio
STORY: Ben and Mastermind (AKA Harry like I called in Clone Saga Chronciles when I reviewed Issue 3) duke it out, abiet one-sidely. MJ and May talk while Norman and Kaine (both clones) look at May.[the little one] Harry gets Peter to finally come to Oscorp. A short battle ensues while Norman and Kaine talk about Family. Norman interrupts the show, and starts fighting Harry. Kaine delivers the package to May and MJ, While Peter and Ben help Norman.* That damn button that Norman pushed in Peter Parker Spider-Man #75 comes into play and stabs Stormin’ Norman. He distengerates, with Harry vowing to Win. Ben rides off into the sunset, while Kaine informs MJ that ‘Kaine will never trouble them again.’
THOUGHTS: All and all, a very nice way to wrap up the story. Let’s start with the good, because while I enjoyed reading the book, there was a thing that bugged me, which I’ll explain in a bit. First off though, MEGA KUDOS to Tom, Howard, and Todd. You guys could do little wrong in my book. The coloring was also very well done and everything lept off the pages. I loved the fact that while the major splash page from last issue seemed to me to indicate that Ben was going to die, he didn’t. I loved the Harry reveal, and it fit in perfectly with the madness that occured during the Spectacular Spider-Man 189-200 era. (Ending with his ‘death’, where his madness subsided. Some might call when this series did a cop-out to a fantastic finish to that story, Harry’s moment of sanity was the only time that Harry had a rational thought the entire time. His madness is what drove him to want to destory Peter, but to make him pay for what he did to his father. Liz, his wife when he died wouldn’t have been able to contain the sanity, hense why Harry was in the shadows all this time, away from everyone. Without anyone to reach out to, the Best Friend Harry faded into the Green Goblin Harry during what would’ve been a whole year in isolation. Another thing: It made more sense for Harry to return via healing factor due to his adjustments that he made to the formula, which made everyone think he was dead. (Someone explained this alot better, I’m looking at you, Kevin.)Despite that, they don’t go into long explainations due to the fact there simply weren’t enough pages to warrant it,just accept the fact that Harry is alive. In this issue we get into Kaine and Ben are at odds. But unlike the explaination that is given in the original series, it here that we start to see Kaine’s Humanity start to shine through, and that’s why I’m confortable with Kaine returning May, because that’s the story that Tom wanted to tell and it showed.
Now, onto a point that I think will make people hate this final part. Norman is the one who saves Peter, but moreover, tries to convince Harry to stop the violence. While it did bug me, I had to ponder why would Tom DeFlaco who is the one person outside of JR Fettinger that knows more about Spider-Man than anyone else, write Norman that way?
It’s quite simple: we never see Norman exposed to the chemicals. While he has all the memories of Norman, he didn’t have the madness caused the his exposure. Plus as a parent, everyone wants what they think is Best. And frankly, its a side of Norman we never see. He’s a proud man, and he mans and takes responability for his son. And as if to not make this story any more like the original climax, “Norman” is impaled by the spikes like Ben did.
One of the best parts about this series is the Banter, and the Lines: “I…I can see how someone can grow to hate this CLONE THING. It never seems to end.” And “Didn’t see THAT coming.” when Norman attacked Harry warranted a chuckle.
But My only complaint is that I felt that Tom was getting a little ‘preachy’ at me with Norman, and that’s kinda rubbed me wrong. I’ve gotten used to it, but sometimes it’s a little over the top, and this got a bit close.
Remember when Tom and Howard said that this could lanuch an ongoing? It could. The ending was wayy open for someone to pick up the reigns and take the saddle with the further adventures of Ben Reilly.
Issue Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
Series Rating: 4.75 out of 5
BE SURE TO PICK THIS UP IN TRADE OR HARDCOVER!!
Excelsior guys, I’m off til Spectacular Spider-Girl comes back!
Special Thanks to Brad Douglas for letting me review this series. Also thanks to Howard for commenting on the first issue. (And everyone else for that matter!)
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Furthermore…I dont see how this could ever be an offical retcon , it changes way to much continuity. Think about it, according to this Norman actually
did die ( during the death of Gwen Stacy arc ) Because if Norman didnt die, then Harry would know it and wouldnt have cloned him. ( am I right ? )
So if Norman was dead and is still dead…all of the story arcs after revelations involving him ( the gathering of 5, the final chapter revenge of the green goblin, death of the family, etc etc.. ) can just go out the window. I dont see that happening, so this is basically a “what if” scenario and not an offical retcon, which means Ben is still dead, and so is Mayday. ( at least in the 616 continuity )
So this being a what if, makes it alot less significant.
Im happy that Ben survived, but the ending was ruined, due to Norman Osborn acting so out of character. Dont anybody else try to explain it existentially. If the writers wanted us to believe it they should have explained it themselves, but they failed to do that. Theres no logical explanation why Norman would not want to kill Peter or why he would agree to returning the baby..no way, no how, unless there was a story about him being brainwashed, but there wasn’t, so Norman should be evil, insane Norman, clone, or not.
Which brings me to Harry. How are we supposed to believe that he’s alive? They didnt even try to establish that. The reviewer just wants us to blindly accept it? are you kidding me? He died just recently, His body was taken to the morgue, Pete and MJ were at the funeral. If your going to bring him back at least try to explain it.
Also, why did Kaine turn on Harry? Why was the Jackal creating clones of Peter? What did Harry want with the Baby? it’s just too confusing.
Publish ‘untold tales’ or ‘Spider-man Forever’ of a married Peter Parker and an alive Ben Reilly
@persian-spider: Don’t try and change a reviewer’s opinion. TCS was a bear-bones version of what was intended to be a sattelite book project…and if they get the reily title, it will essentially continue the story
I enjoyed up to this issue but, sorry, I like my evil genius to be evil.
And while I would buy a Ben Reily solo title, I’d prefer it if he was in New York for said title.
oh come on Zack, this series in general and this issue in particular weren’t that great. the ending was exceptionally weak.
@Spider-Mont: Norman has shown to go after anyone and everyone that’s close to Peter. He even hired Alison Mongraine (sp?) to cause MJ’s early labor (which either killed the baby or he then had Mongraine steal the baby and never come back with it, depending on what you think happened). So, I can’t see Norman having a problem with Harry taking the baby, using it as leverage, and eventually killing her.
I gotta agree with FrakTheRules on what changed Norman in this issue. That was the first thing that came to my mind. I loved the end. To me, it wouldn’t make sense for Ben to stay. Both Ben and Peter want to live their own lives. Ben can’t truly do this and still be living close to Peter. The thing that made me happiest though, was to see that Ben is the Scarlet Spider once more. Biggest mistake they did with Ben was to have him become Spider-Man. To live his own life, Ben should remain as the Scarlet Spider.
I have to disagree with the Care Bear idea in regards to Norman. He still blames Spidey for his death, and doesn’t like our web-head if you re-read the dialogue. Believe man, I was thinking the same thing at first. However, I enjoyed the fact that Norman would stop short of killing a baby, thinking about how badly he had screwed his son up. When you look back at Norman since Harry’s been back in BND, he’s always been that father trying to make his son the best and above everyone else. It’s the demented part that makes him use manipulative means toward his end e.g. American Son. However, here, Norman sees that his son has totally lost control of his sanity and needs to be reigned in (wordplay!). Had Norman survived I would imagine down the line we’d see the Osclone at odds with the Spider-Men, and trying to put Harry back under his thumb.
Just my opinion, IDK!!
@FrakTheRules: lol. Care Bear DNA. I like that! Seriously, though, you brought up an interesting point that I hadn’t realized… ALL the clones do seem to become nice. That’s a bit odd. And makes things seem a bit more “pat” and “unrealistic”. Interesting point!
I am of two minds here. As a whole, this telling of the Clone Saga was better than the 1990’s Clone Saga. And yet, I liked “Revelations Part Four” better than this. I like my Norman Osborn being the original, evil and insane. I just never believed Harry was sinister enough, or had the will to pull this off, and I still don’t believe it.
And, I did enjoy Ben Reilly dying saving his brother’s life. It made sense to me at the time. Their spider-senses had been dampened, Norman was out for blood… and Ben died a hero. ::salutes him::
That being said, for all of you Clone Saga and Ben Reilly fans out there, I’m glad you all got this, and I did enjoy reading it as an interesting What If story. And fun too.
I’d give it a B+
My reaosning is that Ben just had another of his many existential crisises in light of Harry returning and tailed it to find himself. He’s yet to meet Trainer in this continuity, and he wouldnt be in Norman’s thrall unlike his 616 counterpart
My reasoning for Normans behavior is as follows kaine telling osborn that he was a clone was so jarring Norman had no choice but to see things with new found clarity. I enjoyed this series but IMO I just don’t see Ben leaving again, he has a family in may, peter, mj, and baby may I felt like it would have been more natural for him to stay especially because now that Peter does have a new child to take care of it seems THAT BEN SHOULD TAKE OVER AS SPIDER-MAN!!! instead we get Ben riding off into the sunset apparently leaving NY again and leaving peter to shoulder the wieght of spidey and a new found family. I really think that would have been a better way to end the book and a great opening to a branched of universe wherein Ben is spider-man. I’m actually surprised spidey dude didn’t really acknowledge this in the review. Anyway 5 out 6 ain’t too bad it’s deffinately the best mini series I’ve EVER bought
@DPFW: Interestingly, I think only Spidercide has ever been the only truely evil “clone” in the whole oriignal storyline…and taking him out of the equation here only telegrapsh that EVERY clone becomes inexplicably nice
-Gwen’s clone
-Miles Warren’s clone
-Kaine
-Ben
-Norman Osclone
What strands is Miles Warren using? Care Bear DNA?
Thanks for the review
I love me some 1990s Harry “YOU’LL PAY FOR THIS CAPTAIN PLANET” Osborn. More of that please Marvel, not that conceited, OOC, Michael Rosenbaum stand-in in BND,
I hope this isnt the end of Tom and Howard’s contributions to a married in-character Peter and MJ, or Ben Reily, or May raising little Mayday, or…well, this whole world we’ve been introduced to in The Clone Saga.
Marvel should swallow their pride and release a “Spider-Man Forever” title.
I was enjoying this mini up until this issue. It didn’t make any sense to me why Norman would do what he did- a clone would still be crazy (the goblin serum damaged his DNA, hence why he’s able to have kids with Gwen who have accelerated aging) and I would have expected him to still blame Spider-man for his death want revenge for that (there’s no way he’d believe Kaine that he died by his own hand). And the ending wasn’t as big of a climax as I would have liked and expected from such an “epic”. All in all, I was disappointed.