Let’s go, gang! Three weeks in a row with new Spider-Man content! I’m excited! Read on and find out why and whats going on with our favorite webhead and that other guy!
Credit Where Credit Is Due
Story Title: Beyond Chapter 2
Writer: Zeb Wells
Artist: Patrick Gleason
Colorist: Marco Menyz
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramanga
Cover Artist: Arthur Adams and Alejandro Sanchez
Asst. Editor: Lindsey Cohick
Editor: Nick Lowe
Published: 13 October 2021
Remedial ASM 101
Ben Reilly has been hired by the Beyond Corporation to be Spider-Man. Apparently Ock, when he was Spider-Man, trademarked the name and likeness. That trademark went up for sale when Peter sold off Parker Industries a while back. The U-Foes attacked and used a particularly nasty combination of radioactivity and toxic vapor. Both Ben and Peter got caught in the blast, but Ben’s suit was prepped for it while Peter’s suit was not. Peter is in the hospital and the U-Foes got away.
The Story – Pay Attention, This Will Be on the Test
Aunt May gets a call telling her Peter is in the hospital. MJ got the same call. Both were from Ben claiming to be Peter. MJ is at the hospital and Peter’s life is in the balance. The radiation plus poison gas is causing all sorts of havoc on his body and the doctors are not sure how to best treat it. Meanwhile, Beyond is rather pissed that Ben is no being completely up front with them and they hate that he is still referring to Peter as THE Spider-Man. Peter wakes up and goes through and on and off period throughout the rest of the book. Aunt May gives the doc the what-for to make sure Peter has everything he needs. Ben gets equipment upgrade to take on the U-Foes and Beyond is not at all happy that he let them go last time. Before he goes out to fight them, he swings by the hospital to check on Peter and backtrack a bit to ask Peter for his blessing, which, now that Peter has had time to reflect, gives it to him. Once Ben leaves, Peter goes into shock again. With the new equipment, Ben is able to get the upper hand on the U-Foes.
OOTI (Onomatopoeia of the Issue)
On a scale of 1 (POW) to 10 (BLRKBQRKPQRBLNB), SHORK! Gets a solid 7.
The Rubric
Addressing the Elephant in the Room – Many of us are going to immediately against this arc because it focuses on Ben Reilly instead of Peter Parker. This is a fair criticism of the title and I am not here to dissuade you of feeling that way or to suggest you are not justified in that take. I will, however, give you my take on why I will approach this arc with a more open mind despite my preference for Peter over Ben. This is Amazing Spider-Man. This is not Peter Parker the Spectacular Spider-Man. We are getting a comic about Spider-Man. I’m willing to go with this premise it because I hope to enjoy this. Why wouldn’t I? I’m shelling out $5 a week three weeks a month for this. If it is crap, I’m going to call it out as crap (and probably supply more links to where other crap can be purchased). If I like it, I’m going to praise it. If it is meh, there you go. But I am not going to hate it before I read it (and, mind you, that is going to be hard for me not to do) and am instead going to approach this story as a Ben Reilly Spider-Man story (much in the same way I would approach a Batman story when someone else is temporarily filling in the cape and cowl).
Analysis
Peter Out of Commission – I might as well address this too. Many people are upset that the U-Foes took out Spider-Man. I think this anger comes more from the fact that the U-Foes are being used to get Peter off the book more than it comes from the U-Foes not being able to handle Spidey. Let’s face it, Spidey has been taken down by some C-listers before, especially when he first encounters them. I mean, Slyde once gave him a run for his money. Shocker once gave him a run for his money. But let’s look at the U-Foes. They are a villain interpretation of the Fantastic Four and have tackled the Avengers and most recently held their own against the Hulk. Yeah, these guys are a match for our hero. Plus, when there was the Hero Initiative, they were the hero team for my home state of North Carolina, so I got to pull for the home team, you know!
On top of that, the nature of the attack is believable. Peter and Ben are whooping up on them pretty good, but the combo of toxic gas with a radioactive blast is what changes the game. Sure, he’s survived radiation before, but there are different types of radiation out there. Plus, he also got hit with an explosion AND toxic gas. So, while his body is fighting the effects of the blast and the poison he’s breathed in, he succumbs to the radiation. I think that is perfectly feasible.
Spider-Sense – The way it shows us that his spider-sense is reacting to the poison in his body is a nice bit of introspection, both verbally and visually.
This and the next time we see it is just a good bit of art.
Aunt May – Boy, Wells nailed her characterization. Her baby is hurt and she is on the move here. This brings back her spunk that we saw back in her Gray Panther days – you know, when she hit that police officer in the head with a sign?)! I think there is no way we go much further in this hospital setting without May figuring this out.
Her having suspicions is the type of story that we should have gotten when Ock took over as Spidey. I know that some of you are irritated that it wasn’t MJ suspecting, but my thought on that is that Ben probably talked to her with little hesitation. He had a problem with lying to Aunt May, so that gave her the heads up.
Beyond – I am loving the fact that they are not at all hiding that something is fishy with this group. Janine sees it and she is going to have to be the warning beacon for Ben – he’s too hopeful to see the danger – which means Marcus is going to have to take care of that loose end. She was brought in to control Ben, she could easily be taken out for the same reason. The whole U-Foes thing feels like a set up. We never really got to find out why they were attacking the university, which in itself is rather odd, and now they are just waiting around in an office building? I believe they are being played just as much as Ben is.
That also leads me to wonder who is this guy-in-the-chair Ben gets to talk to? Obviously, it is someone on Beyond’s payroll, but Ben seems to have a relationship with this person. I might be reading way too much into that (I’ve been known to do that from time to time), but I wonder, when push comes to shove, might this person act on Ben’s behalf?
Ben Reilly – I liked Ben’s first response of I am going to do this whether or not Peter likes it and I liked his backtrack to asking for his blessing. Ben clearly wants to this to work and is excited to be the hero again. I am hoping that his excitement will continue (until the shoe drops, that is) and we get some light-hearted, fun stories for a few issues. So far, this arc is doing wonders to repair his Slott-shattered reputation. While I don’t think Spider-Man needs all these fancy gadgets, I don’t mind it especially sine it is clearly a limited time thing.
Final Grade
I’m braced and ready for the feedback I’m going to get on this one (already getting it from Chi-Town – gotta change my number or something…) – I liked the story. It was a fun read. I felt that Aunt May and Mary Jane’s characterization was spot on. I liked the little bit of Peter that we did get and I like how Ben is being shown. All in all, this was a fun and interesting story.
A-
That said, would I rather read about Peter? Of course. I’m a complex individual like that.
Your Turn
What grade do YOU give it?
What’s Next?
- Kelly Thompson and Sara Pichelli pick up the baton to define this new era for Spider-Man.
- The Beyond Corporation has returned and this is your chance to meet the people who’ve brought you the new (and improved) Spider-Man.
- There’s a target on Spider-Man’s back and one of his classic villains is out for blood.
Chi-Town will be picking up the next issue in two weeks (it’s about time he got to work, if you ask me – I’ve written three weeks in a row – and a Cobwebs coming out next week!). He’ll be taking the odd issues (makes sense since he’s so odd, you know…) and of course, Ryan will be covering all of them on his review in video format. See you guys in the comments section!
‘Nuff Said!
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@Michael – Yes! I don’t know why, but that panel was etched in my memory!
@Mark- he captured Peter, Iron Man helped Peter escape and Radioactive Man said he should have snipped Peter’s tendons.
Guys, I normally try to answer everyone individually, but I’m going to have to make a group response today. I’ve been travelling and unfortunately do not have the time to respond like normal.
Geoff – It may be like Christmas now, but watch out! Halloween is coming! Chi-Town has the next issue! 🙂
Sthenurus and Geoff, I’m glad to hear the you guys liked it too. I was ready to be laughed right off the Crawlspace for enjoying it. I checked the poll and of the 32 responses, 30 have been B- or higher (with them pretty evenly split between the As and the Bs). That took my by surprise!
I completely missed the ring thing. I feel that it has no bearing on the story as it is now, but it is weird that we see it prominently, so that says the artists did it intentionally, but then it switches hands? Weird. I am chalking it up to artists not being given all the story at best and at worst, evidence that editorial stepped in and made some changes. If we continue to see the ring, and with MJ sticking her hand close to the ‘camera’ then maybe we have something, but my gut says that it means nothing at this point.
I do very much love the characterization of Peter, May, and Ben. I think Sthenurus nailed it on the head. Chi-Town, I think both Peter and Ben reconsider their thoughts on how to pursue this because they have both had time to get past that first knee-jerk reaction. Especially in the ’70s and ’80s, Peter is a bit of a hot-head. I like how they mirror each other and both reconsider it at the same time. Aqu@, once Stan Lee gets off the book, May gets stronger and stronger with her will power. When she is with the Gray Panthers, she is VERY strong will. As far as why does MJ hate Ben? I feel that she is probably still frustrated and tired from the whole Kindred ordeal and here comes Ben who was involved with Peter going to the hospital and she is just mad. Plus he lied to her and said he was Peter when he called. She’d just angry and he is a good target. It sounds like we are all enjoying Ben’s character, even if we would rather focus on Peter.
I thought Beyond was responsible for the U-Foes, but I like the idea that they were specifically after Peter. I also like that they might go for Miles too.
Michael, I remember that Radiation Man issue. If I remember correctly, he had captured someone and was going to cut their Achilles tendon to keep them from escaping. I don’t know why that image comes to mind. Have you read it recently? Am I remembering the same issue?
All in all, I am like that Star Wars meme with this arc – A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one!
@Sthenurus
Oh, I know, I know, I wasn’t lamenting. It’s just that the character has gone a long way since the kind, a bit senile, old woman from the ’60s.
@Chi-Town
I think Peter acted that way because he felt he was on the verge of passing out and knew exactly how guilty Ben is feeling and would have felt otherwise. He knows the man well, almost like himself!
To me it was a sort of parting gift.
One last thing, guys: the ring is a lie.
I’ll see myself out.
@Aqu@
To be fair since then may:
-lost 2 steady boyfriend/husband on top of Ben,
-dated doc ock
-was kidnapped by Norman and replaced by an actress for months/years
-got shot and almost died.
I’d say that’d be enough trauma to make any of us a tad bit more aggressive 😉
The issue was ok. I have only two nitpicks: 1. I felt this and last issue would have been better condensed in a single comic. But given this will come out almost-weekly, I can understand the pace. 2. the panel with Peter laying in a hospital bed with his feet at a right angle felt unnatural. They didn’t even give him a cover!
I know May’s character has grown since the ’60s, but for one reading the first hundred issues it sure had me raise a brow at how aggressive and unpolite she reacted here. It’s a stark contrast.
@Mark
I think Langston is just an automatic system, or a simple AI, given how it answers Ben. Curious fact, last issue I thought it was Marcus surname before reading differently in the Kafka short story!
* meant to say the dream peter had in issue 75
Is X-mas early this year? 3 Dark Mark reviews in a row? Woo hoo!!
As always , thank you for your objectivity here. Not even I can get beyond how Marvel editorial screwed us over and enjoy this series as much.
Anyway, My question to you was regarding what do you think is inside peter that’s making his condition worse? Is it connected to that bad dress he had? And why is it red?
My guess is that it might have something to do maybe with mephisto or even Kindred if I really hoping here. Or my other guess is that the radiation from the spider bite ain’t mixing well with the radiation from U foes
MJ was wearing a ring on her finger in this issue. Some people at comicbookresources suggested that this was supposed to be an engagement ring, and this is more evidence that Amazing Spider-Man 74 was rewritten so Peter didn’t propose.
.
Re:Peter being affected by the radiation- the Radioactive Man was able to use his radioactive powers to weaken Peter in Iron Man 234. If he could do it, there’s no reason X-Ray couldn’t.
Nice Review Mark, but clearly you missed a few things. Luckily for you (as usual) I’m here to help you out. I’m nice like that.
Things I liked
May and MJ characterizations. Pretty much spot on. May being the mother to Peter, will always turn on the heat to anyone who doesn’t get Peter what he needs to stay alive. Would have loved if MJ slapped Ben in the face a few times. She’s mad because of what he did recently and I’m sure Peter told her all about the Clone Conspiracy.
Ben 27 to Ben Reilly: Finally! I was actually HOPING for this to happen and I’m glad it did. Being the brother figure he’s suppose to be.
Things I didn’t like
Peter’s characterization. How does one go from being not comfortable with Ben to being comfortable with Ben overnight? Sure he’s in a situation where he can’t really argue and Peter knows the world needs Spider-Man, but he can be uncomfortable about it. Just giving his blessing just like that and not wanting Ben to worry about him going into a coma…come on, that’s about as much motivation to BE AMAZING than anything else. Ben failed to act and protect Peter, that very important lesson that makes up Spider-Man.
Beyond Corp. I think they are gunning for removing Peter and that’s going to stir in some trouble. I willing to bet that Reilly figures that out or even Black Cat.
Finally…editorial feels like they got involved. Have you noticed the ring on MJ’s ring finger. Sure it’s on her right hand, but that looks like an engagement ring, especially in that panel where you see her calling Peter’s name. Still believe there is a page form Ramos art missing in 875 where Peter pops the question and that final kiss is the “Yes” moment. Otherwise, why make that ring so obvious to many (with the exception being you) reading this comic and seeing that Gleason Cover.
That’s why I gave it a C+. Like you, I’m going to see where this leads and the solics look promising and you are correct on one thing (don’t let that go to your head). I’m shelling out the cash for this too. If I think it’s bad, I’ll write that it’s bad. If I think it’s Good, I’ll suggest is worth the money. Simple as that. Paying customers have that right.
Hey Mark! I’m SO glad you liked it! I feel less alone.
I loved the brotherly bonds between Ben and Peter.
When Peter says he knows how hard it must be for Ben to have all these memories that don’t belong to him… You know he means it because he THOUGHT he was the clone. He KNOWS it and goes at it with kindness and empathy. THAT is my Peter Parker.
When Ben says he is eaten by guilt and would gladly take Peter’s place… You know it’s true. Cause he did, twice. Once when he took Peter’s place in jail and once when he shielded him from Norman goblin glider and DIED protecting Peter. THAT is my Ben Reilly.
It’s so good to see them pick up the relationship they had at the very end of the clone saga. When Peter gives Ben his blessings, you can see how much it means to BOTH of em!
Random thoughts:
-loved may here. She is badass.
-i don’t get why MJ is so cold toward Ben. Last time these two interacted she was telling him he was gonna be baby may godfather. Sure Pete might have told her about the clone conspiracy crap off panel but still..
-radiation isn’t what is killing Peter. Of course they would pick up radiation in his blood, due to his powers. The doctors focus on that cause to a normal it’s the most probable cause of illness put to spider-man… Nah. It’s just used to mask the real problem.
-u-foes definitely are hired by beyond corp. And I wouldn’t be surprised if taking out Peter was the main objective, so that Ben remains as the ONLY spider-man (we know he will go after miles for that very reason)