Writers Dan Slott and Christos Gage are returning to the clone well that was tapped in the 1970’s and the 1990’s. . In an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly, they reveled the Dead No More storyline is going to have a subtitle called “The Clone Conspiracy. It suggests that the man in the mask is the Jackal. Instead of taking place in the Amazing title, it will be a standalone five issue mini-series. There will also be spin offs and yet another Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1. Here’s a quote from Slott about the series.
“The Jackal has always seemed to be obsessed with cloning Spider Man and Gwen. He’s had a very narrow focus,” Slott says. “That’s led to very interesting stories in the past, but you have to stop and think, if you’re The Jackal and you take science to the next level, what’s more important to you than just cloning Gwens and Peters? What does this character want, and what’s he going to do with this awesome science?”
The book will hit the stands in October. 
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I have a bad feeling about this…………
Ok so now that slott gets to play with the clone era can we all agree that this should be the swan song? Even if theoretically this is half as good as the sum of the 90’s clone era it will still be hot garbage. As much I love Ben Reilly I think the one thing that came out of it that I still like till this day was Kaine. Where he Is now and after reading his solo series he was justification enough for me that the 90’s saga happening in the first place. And I fear now Kaine will be brought back for this and I dread him under slotts pen.
The Jackal should hate Norman because he deflowered Gwen! There’s your story!!!
Personally in my opinion I would love to have the real clone saga be canon then have another clone saga which is going to be really not that good but that’s just my opinion
There’s been five printed clone sagas
Orignal 70s version
1990s version
Ultimate Clone Saga
Spider-Girl’s Brand New May
2009’s “Real Clone Saga” (probably the closest next to MC2 Peter will ever get to happily ever after)
We need a poll on which is the best one.
@ChaseTheBluesAway
I would say the first Clone Saga is pretty well regarded. It has a definite beginning and end, it doesn’t drag on too long, and it’s a good story.
The second Clone Saga doesn’t belong to DeMatteis – he is one of dozens of writers across 3+ years of comics (with 4 titles each month). There’s no one owner of it. Like most 3+ runs of Spidey (not counting the current Slott era), there are some great stories, some average stories, and some terrible stories.
As for this third series, I share your trepidations.
First Clone Saga: Gerry Conway, author of “The Night Gwen Stacy died.” Not regarded as one of his high points.
Second Clone Saga: J.M. DeMatteis, author of “Kraven’s Last Hunt.” While ASM 400 is a classic, overall the Clone Saga is not regarded as one of his high points.
Third Clone Sage: Dan Slott, author of “Spider-Worse…I mean Verse,” Peter Starker, and Silk as a pheromone-crazed Mary Sue. Yeah, this is gonna be a treat for the reader.
While I understand a lot of readers dislike toward the 90s Clone Saga, it cannot be ignored. It is undoubtedly, for better or worse, one of the most significant eras in Spidey’s history. There are whole chunks of that saga that are damn good, one of Spidey’s best stories (ASM #400) came out of it. Granted, there is a lot of crud too. Dan Slott is not my favorite writer, and I’m sure this will be another chance to tease Ben Reilly fans (seriously, he’s due for a comeback) but this is the most interested I’ve been since Superior. I dropped ASM when it restarted after Superior, and I honestly haven’t felt compelled to read the book since. God help me, this story is going to make me pick up the book again.
“The house of run out of ideas.”
Marvel is officially just revisiting every story they’ve ever done. Secret Wars again, Civil Wars again, Clone Saga again.
Give Daredevil a secret identity mindwipe angle and keep the details a secret, just like Spider-Man.
Give Peter a tech company and have Spider-Man pose as his personnel, just like Iron Man.
In the future, lets have the X-Men and Avengers fight in an event, send the Hulk to another planet, give everyone in Manhattan spider powers, and have Peter and MJ get married again; for the honeymoon, they have Mephisto annul everything.
This does not grab my interest at all. I recently decided (painfully) to drop ASM. I’ve been getting this title since 1976 (!), but Dan Slott has absolutely ruined the character for me. What a dumpster fire! Maybe I’ll return in a couple of years once he’s off the book. RIP Spidey, you will be missed.
Well, here’s another opportunity to bring back Ben Reilly that they’ll wave in our faces. We have f******’ Gwen Stacey with spider powers running around now, and that still won’t happen.
And of course I don’t give a **** about this! It’s DAN SLOTT!!!
Basically the Jackal has moved on to: “I’m God, and I can bring back the dead and make people do as I say.” It’s no different than Roderick Kingsley: “I love being the Hobgoblin, but I’ll brainwash people to be me, because I don’t want to die or get captured.” Its tired, and even with the Jackal has moved on to thinking he is Lord of the Dead, he is still the same at heart. He is still obsessed with blaming Spider-Man for the death of Gwen Stacy, and comes off as a dirty old man who obsessed over a student he could never have.
How on earth are we getting an ASM #693 when the
series ended with #700?
So perhaps I’m not a ghost after all …
Aunt May is in ill health. In the clone saga, she was in ill health (and died), so does that mean she will die in the Amazing annual?
I would like very much for this to be the moment they reveal the May that’s been alive and kicking since 1998 was revealed to be a clone all along, so that they can reveal the deal from OMD was ultimately for nothing because the original died so very long ago anyway and that Peter lost his wife and child for nothing.
…And believe it or not, I remain convinced this is the story where Peter regains his daughter. Think about it, it’s been 20 years since the second clone saga and 20 years since the baby was “miscarried”. Last month’s Spider-Man/Deadpool indicated that OMIT may not be entirely canonical anymore (as Mephisto has not left Peter alone, and the deal DID happen, contrary to what Joe Quesada said about the snake biting off it’s own head and not even remembering the events) . Part of this is just wishful thinking they do something for the marriage’s 30th anniversary next year though, and might not prove accurate.
Clones?! What can I say?! I’m beside myself in anticipation! 😉 Professor Warren looks like he’s taken to wearing an Anubis mask!
so:
1. They’re outright admitting this is just another Clone Saga, which should obviously get Spider-Fans excited (I don’t even see Zach getting excited about this).
2. They’re basically admitting nobody is really coming back to life, so it’s not really “Dead No More.”
3. Slott’s not satisfied with the Jackal’s original characterization and motivation, the obsession that defined his character, and now wants to “update” him.
So Slott is bringing back elements from one of the WORST events of Spider-Man history? I think I’ll pass.
So if Dead No More is related to the Jackal, then isn’t the next logical step that no one is being brought back from the dead in this event? The Jackal is just making clones of dead people? Wasn’t DNM advertised as “the dead returning to life”? But this means no, they’re not, they’re still dead, we’re just getting clones of those people.” Didn’t Conway already do this in the 70s?
Also, I’m finding it hard to get excited about the Jackal because there’s a 99% chance this will be like all Jackal stories the 90s Clone Saga:
1) We’ll be told that the Jackal we saw in his previous appearance (who died at the end of that story) was just a clone.
2) We’ll be told that this Jackal is the real one.
3) The Jackal will die at the end of the story.
P.S. — I thought everything we knew about Dead No More was wrong. Okay.
I have to be honest. In the first moment that I saw the title of this post, I actually said aloud, “Nooooooooooo.” But I was pleasantly surprised to see that it is five issues long. That the original Clone Saga was seemingly interminable was what I disliked about it the most.
I’ve been working my way through a Clone Saga re-read recently (almost done with 1995! God help me), so these developments have definitely piqued my interest.