Spider-Man 2099 (Vol. 3) #19 Review

“If we can’t turn this thing around, then Tyler Stone, my father, will never be born…and I’ll blink out of existence.”

Spidey, Cap, and Elektra team to fight reptile-vampire-lizard-zombies to save America and preserve…THE FUTURE!

WRITER: Peter David

ARTIST: Will Sliney

COLOR ARTIST: Rachelle Rosenberg

LETTERER: VC’s Cory Petit

COVER ARTIST: Francesco Mattina

EDITOR: Charles Beacham

STORY: Tempest finds out she has spinal damage. Spidey, Cap, and Elektra fight The Fist at the McCormick Place Convention Center. A mutated Raul attacks Jasmine. Spidey and his amazing friends defeat the mysterious mystical woman, curing everyone. Tyler Stone says he can cure Tempest.

THOUGHTS: Mattina provides his standard cover excellence. I’ve mentioned this before in prior reviews, but there is a difference in brightness when you compare the print and digital versions, with more detail noticed on the print copy. This is again one of those situations. The digital cover has such clarity and would make a great wallpaper. I would love to see Marvel do a book of nothing but Mattina’s 2099 covers whenever he concludes his run with no type over the art. If you’re listening, Marvel, just up the brightness!

This issue is pretty succinct. As to be expected, David brings the fun and wit to any situation he throws Miguel in. It’s a signature of his style and once again, he doesn’t disappoint on that front. Also, his scene transitions are masterfully done and have a great flow to them. With only three locations to shift from, he keeps the pacing tight and engaging.

Whilst Elektra may just be along for the ride, David brings a great feeling of chemistry to Cap and Spidey. Maybe it’s because I received the Secret Wars Spidey and Cap action figures for my birthday back in 1980->cough, cough<, but I always saw them as a duo growing up, even though their team ups weren’t quite as prolific as they should be in my pre-pubescent mind. As I’ve admitted before, I didn’t read Secret Wars 2099 when it was initially released, but have since caught up, and am glad that though Miguel isn’t back in his true timeline, he has his own Cap by his side. I loved Cap’s callback to the Avengers movie, with her line, “Just..one God…lady” being a great show of her character and paralleling Steve Rogers’ sentiments in the movie.

Elektra does get her moment to shine, though. Sliney does an homage to her death when Elektra stabs Medea (I’m gonna assume that’s her moniker based on some dialogue from last issue; she’s not mentioned by name in the story or Lyla’s recap), defeating her and ending her “spell”. Sliney is also his usual self – clean lines, action popping out of frames, and sequential art that sells the comedy David writes.

It’s not all jokes and one liners as David has Medea pepper in some political commentary. She goes on her page long monologue and even has a point or two, before Elektra interrupts with a point of a different sort. Agree with any of her views or not, they’re voiced over Raul attacking Jasmine, making them feel more urgent to the story. When we finally cut back to the convention center, Medea’s monologuing pays off when she realizes how she got distracted and lost sight of Elektra, enabling the aforementioned denouement to occur.  To paraphrase Sean Connery, I think she got the point.

This volume launched in October of 2015 per Marvel’s website. That puts this team 4 issues over what would be a monthly output. They consistently deliver solid writing and art month in and month out. However, looking at November’s sales stats posted on ICV2, this book was #136 on the charts, selling a little over 19,000 copies. There’s been some speculation that this book may be on the chopping block, especially as David will be launching a Scarlet Spider book. I certainly hope not, but while I’ve been enjoying the book, there also seems to be an aspect of this title that is just spinning wheels.

Would this title perform better if Miguel switched back into his old suit? They tease the old mask at the end of every issue. In fact, there is an upcoming statue that is over two feet tall and retailing for $700, so clearly someone thinks fans love the classic look.

Would it help if Spider-Man 2099 was actually about Spider-Man in the year 2099? We’ve gotten a few dips into alternate 2099s, but not the one Miguel originated from, not exactly. It doesn’t help that Miguel is currently operating in a city and time that is overrun by Spider-People. 

As much as I like the book, this Fist storyline has been drawn out over 19 issues and we still have a few more to go till it gets resolved. Looking ahead at the March solicits, Miguel STILL isn’t reunited with Tempest, meaning they haven’t had a scene together in which they were both conscious since the first issue! Spidey 2099 is an enjoyable book, but it’s time to put some of its elements behind us.

MY GRADE: B

JAVI’s HUH?: How long did it take for Tempest to try and move her legs and realize something was wrong?