Spider-Man 2099 (Vol. 3) #23 Review

“The entire building is gone and he’s busy playing a &@*$ed game on his phone. What the shock is wrong with people?”

Spider-Man 2099 and Spider-Man 2099 (?!?!?!?!?) are in 2019 to stop The Fist’s secret evil plan, but members of the Sinister Six may have something to say about that!

WRITER: Peter David

ARTIST: Will Sliney

COLOR ARTIST: Rachelle Rosenberg

LETTERER: VC’s Cory Petit

COVER ARTIST: Francesco Mattina

EDITORS: Charles Beacham with Mark Basso

STORY: In 2017, Sonny believes he might have the time teleporter calibrated to get Miguel to May 15, 2019. Miguel takes the leap, only to find himself buried alive. Lyla pulls him back and he attempts again, only this time he asks to be placed outside the building. The jump succeeds and Miggy finds that Parker Industries has been destroyed (and much rejoicing was heard on the internet)! Stunned, but determined to continue his mission, Spidey heads to Times Square and begins his stakeout, trying to identify the mystery attacker, but only finding cosplayers, one of which is sporting his original 2099 look! Finally he spots the culprit-a terminal cancer ridden Tyler Stone! Spidey goes to thwart him, but is accosted by the Doc Ock of 2099,who is joined by Venom 2099. Tempest, going by the nom de guerre of Honey Bee, shows up, trying to grab the vial containing the disease, but gets distracted and taken down when she notices Miguel. As Tyler goes to release the virus, he is impaled from behind by the person in the classic Spider-Man 2099 costume! With his dying breath, Tyler whispers to Aisa to unleash New York and the citizens begin to mob the two Spideys and Honey Bee! To be continued…

THOUGHTS: Wow! Now we’re talking! This issue felt like it pushed the ongoing story forward with a big shove, starting off with the usual Mattina greatness! I loved how he rendered Times Square. The glow from the signs and monitors gave it almost a futuristic effect, feeling very appropriate for this title! I also enjoyed the classic Spidey pose with the 2099 twist of talons being out!

It’s gotten increasingly harder to praise Peter David’s story technique in different ways month in and month out. Everyone in this title has the same sarcastic sense of humor, but it has always fit for this character and his world. He demonstrates this readily in the opening scene between Miguel and Sonny as they banter back and forth, with Miggy’s bravado covering his inner uncertainty. Of course, a turn of the page reveals Spidey in another fine mess, with Miguel’s shock at his dangerous new surroundings leading to Lyla picking up the humor baton.

I had to sigh with joy that Parker Industries was destroyed in the not so very far future! I’ll be glad when this era of Peter’s life is behind him and he becomes more relatable again. Speaking of things past their time, a construction worker spots a “didjyman”, this world’s Pokemon Go, on Spidey through his phone to hilarious results. The annoyance Sliney conveys through Miguel’s masked face is priceless!

As Miguel stakes out Times Square a moment I have long been waiting for has happened-the return of the classic Spider-Man 2099 costume! It was great to see Sliney render it again and he’s even modified it from the last time! Miguel assumes it’s a cosplayer, so that could explain the aesthetic differences, but before the audience can ponder further, the identity of who unleashes the virus is revealed-Tyler Stone, Miguel’s biological father from the future!

For the reader, it’s a moment of shocked/not shocked. We’ve seen him and his machinations with The Fist throughout this series, but Tyler is a lead-from-behind-and-have-an-underling-do-it-kinda-guy. Here we finally get the reason for all the soon to be unleashed Armageddon-Tyler has cancer and it’s not the kind you can get better from, even with the resources and medicine of 2099. Still, why the here and now? Before we can get further answers, Doc Ock 2099 and Venom 2099 strike. I love seeing Miguel’s classic and not-so-classic foes return.

Also making a return is Tempest, now going by Honey Bee instead of the Spider-Wasp description Miguel had labeled her with at the end of last volume. A furious game of “Who’s Got The Vial” is played back and forth until Stone gets it again-ONLY TO BE SHOCKINGLY IMPALED BY SPIDER-MAN 2099!

Except David plays a twist and it’s the “cosplayer” in Miguel’s classic suit! Is this Miguel from later in the timeline, explaining the cosmetic costume differences? An alternate Miguel? Someone else? Answers don’t come this issue as Aisa orders all of New York to “destroy Spider-Man and his amazing friends” and we get a “to be continued…” at the bottom, leaving me impatiently waiting for more!

Sliney continues to be a great collaborator for Peter David, giving the splash pages appropriate perspective and utilizing the right angles for the most dramatic impact when it comes to reveals. It’s a delight to look at. For example, check out how the original suited Spidey 2099 looks after he’s dispatched Stone. The back webbing is fanned out, making him look like a spidery angel of death!

Solicits for the future of 2099 look vague, but I had such a blast this issue. Things really seem to be building to something monumental and David and Sliney really delivered an action-packed, dramatic, and humorous tale that left me eager for the next installment.

MY GRADE: A

JAVI’S HUH?: The classic Spidey 2099 mask was left off from this issue’s “to be continued…”. Was there no room for it this month, or is it absent because the original costume has returned and Miguel is inside?