Spider-Man 2099 (Vol. 3) #17 Review

“You?! But we sent you to the future?”

Spidey and Cap are back from the future and looking for a hand when it comes to taking on The Fist! Will Elektra provide one?

WRITER: Peter David

ARTIST: Will Sliney

COLOR ARTIST: Rachelle Rosenberg

LETTERER: VC’s Cory Petit

COVER ARTIST: Francesco Mattina

EDITOR: Charles Beacham

STORY: Spidey and Cap switch to their civvies and catch a plane out west, bumping into Elektra, who is out for a lead on The Fist. When they arrive at their secret HQ, the heroes are attacked by the Iron Man from 2099. They defeat him, but before they can infiltrate the facility, it explodes.

THOUGHTS: Another fantastic cover graces the latest issue of Spider-Man 2099. The coloring of Spidey and Elektra compliment each other well and Spidey looks very sinister lurking in the background.

After a tour in yet another alternate 2099, Peter David returns Miguel back to 2016. Whilst I’m happy that we’re getting back to this plotline, not a lot of forward progression is made. Tempest is shown to wake up over the course of two panels and our heroes travel from New York to Denver, only to see their destination explode in front of their eyes. After all the action and twists and turns from the last story, this issue definitely seems to slow things down with not a lot happening on the surface.

That’s not to say this is a bad issue, though. The trademark Peter David humor really does all the work, making the comic a very fun read. Lyla’s dry sense of comedy shines once again and the back and forth between Miguel and Elektra is enjoyable, too. It’s interesting to pair this Spidey with Marvel’s best assassin, especially at this point in his life where he’s carrying a lot of hostility in him. Miguel is more apt to turn a blind eye to Elektra’s lethality, so it’s safe to say this partnership will be a lot smoother than if Peter Parker was around.

Sliney once again excels with his sequential storytelling, particularly when it comes to the timing on the more comedic elements. He (or maybe the credit should go to Rosenberg?) also employs a digital blur effect to draw focus to a certain character, lending to a more cinematic feel.

The Iron Man 2099 from the Secret Wars miniseries makes an appearance. Although Miguel and Roberta recognize him as working for Alchemax, he is completely clueless as to what they’re talking about. It was in thinking about this moment and reflecting back to an earlier scene at Parker Industries featuring Raul and Jasmine that I realized I don’t really care for any of the 2016 supporting cast. Well, any of the P.I. cast. I care about the Tempest storyline and I liked seeing Liz Allan and Tiberius Stone in the previous volume, but their ties run deeper into the Spidey mythos. Despite being witty Peter David creations, they don’t resonate like a Robbie Robertson or Glory Grant and given all the time-hopping this book has done, they are absent for long periods of time. They aren’t cutouts; David does imbue feelings and personality into them, but I’m not endeared to them in any fashion. This realization was spurred in part by seeing Gabe, Kasey, and Father Jennifer over the Sinister Six 2099 arc, followed by some of the other 2099 heroes during Civil War 2099.

So, what we’re left with at issue’s end is an enjoyable and fun comic, but I didn’t feel there was as much substance to it as recent entries. I’m looking forward to seeing where this team up between Spidey and Elektra progresses to as we (hopefully) reach a final confrontation with The Fist.

MY GRADE: B

JAVI’S HUH?: I laughed at the Carmen San Diego joke, but would a current 5 year old know who she is?