Ben Reilly: Scarlet Spider/Spider-Man Appreciation 2024.

[Huntsman Spider]

I want to be clear here on the messaging - because it's ALWAYS a battle of messaging.

I don't want this to be a case of "it did well, that means they want more Chasm!" if Ben fans support it, just as much as I don't want it to be "it did poorly, they must not want more Ben!" if it underwhelms on the charts. It's so easy to spin the narrative as a "heads I win, tails you lose" when it comes to certain editorial decisions at odds with fan requests.

They're struggling to find a place for Ben and I honestly don't have a problem with any writers or offices trying to see if something fits better, but they have to eventually self-reflect that fans like characters for a specific reason, and that there is a surplus of well-regarded media out there for them to consume and refamiliarize themselves with to get back on track. Hell, CBR just published a list ranking Ben Reilly's "The Lost Years" as #2 on their 10 Best Spider-Man Comics That Explored Forgotten Eras list this week. Fans like that! They like Ben IN that! They would probably like a Ben like that AGAIN.

If I recall, Ben Reilly: Spider-Man was on that list, too, so a double boost to your point there.

[Garlador]

If I recall, Ben Reilly: Spider-Man was on that list, too, so a double boost to your point there.

It was. Ben was never the problem with Clone Saga, and it's a miracle he emerged as a beloved character distinct from Peter. All those stories that filled in the important life moments that defined him are the reasons why, and I refuse to believe it's some impossible task for modern writers to look to those stories and faithfully carry that character forward into new adventures that don't overlap with Peter. I've stated before, if Ben lacks all the elements that made him Ben, then the character is currently suffering an identity death and is in essence a different person, and I'm not fond of the "new guy" running around as Chasm. Chasm is the pale mockery of what Ben was, ironically far more than Ben ever was an inferior imitation of Peter.

[Sr. Bungle]

I want to be clear here on the messaging - because it's ALWAYS a battle of messaging.

I don't want this to be a case of "it did well, that means they want more Chasm!" if Ben fans support it, just as much as I don't want it to be "it did poorly, they must not want more Ben!" if it underwhelms on the charts. It's so easy to spin the narrative as a "heads I win, tails you lose" when it comes to certain editorial decisions at odds with fan requests.

They're struggling to find a place for Ben and I honestly don't have a problem with any writers or offices trying to see if something fits better, but they have to eventually self-reflect that fans like characters for a specific reason, and that there is a surplus of well-regarded media out there for them to consume and refamiliarize themselves with to get back on track. Hell, CBR just published a list ranking Ben Reilly's "The Lost Years" as #2 on their 10 Best Spider-Man Comics That Explored Forgotten Eras list this week. Fans like that! They like Ben IN that! They would probably like a Ben like that AGAIN.

This is my biggest fear

[Huntsman Spider]

It was. Ben was never the problem with Clone Saga, and it's a miracle he emerged as a beloved character distinct from Peter. All those stories that filled in the important life moments that defined him are the reasons why, and I refuse to believe it's some impossible task for modern writers to look to those stories and faithfully carry that character forward into new adventures that don't overlap with Peter. I've stated before, if Ben lacks all the elements that made him Ben, then the character is currently suffering an identity death and is in essence a different person, and I'm not fond of the "new guy" running around as Chasm. Chasm is the pale mockery of what Ben was, ironically far more than Ben ever was an inferior imitation of Peter.

Truth. So much truth here.

[boots]

is it weird that i'd read an ultimate ben reilly before i'd read a new chasm or 616 reilly story?

[JustLuke]

is it weird that i'd read an ultimate ben reilly before i'd read a new chasm or 616 reilly story?

Trust me dude I feel the same way at this point. At least on the Chasm front

[Blanks]

is it weird that i'd read an ultimate ben reilly before i'd read a new chasm or 616 reilly story?

Honestly, I’m kinda interested in seeing what they would have done with the original Ultimate Ben Reilly from the last Ultimate Universe; the one who helped Otto with the cloning process. Before they created Miles I was 100000 percent certain that was them setting us up to get a Black Spider-Man.

[Huntsman Spider]

is it weird that i'd read an ultimate ben reilly before i'd read a new chasm or 616 reilly story?

Trust me dude I feel the same way at this point. At least on the Chasm front

Honestly, I’m kinda interested in seeing what they would have done with the original Ultimate Ben Reilly from the last Ultimate Universe; the one who helped Otto with the cloning process. Before they created Miles I was 100000 percent certain that was them setting us up to get a Black Spider-Man.

That would have been cool. Could have still seen him become the Ultimate Scarlet Spider to Miles's Ultimate Spider-Man.

[boots]

Honestly, I’m kinda interested in seeing what they would have done with the original Ultimate Ben Reilly from the last Ultimate Universe; the one who helped Otto with the cloning process. Before they created Miles I was 100000 percent certain that was them setting us up to get a Black Spider-Man.

yeah, i wonder if hickman (or whoever inherits the book) will look into that?

[Huntsman Spider]

Wish I'd Never Been Born at All, a Ben Reilly fanfic I found on Archive of Our Own that diverges from the Clone Conspiracy's backstory. Lots of angst, given all he's been through by the time Peter and Kaine manage to find and save him from Miles Warren's clutches, and a nod to the fact that Peter and Mary Jane (who are still together or together again here) were supposed to have a daughter that would have been a toddler at that point, though despite the title, it ends up being pretty hopeful, all things considered.

[CaptainUniverse]

Ben Reilly vs. The Joker by Steven Butler:

[Sr. Bungle]

Ben Reilly vs. The Joker by Steven Butler:

Love it! Why the golden web-shooters tho?

[Huntsman Spider]

Ben Reilly vs. The Joker by Steven Butler:

Love it! Why the golden web-shooters tho?

Callback to how Marvel vs. DC opened with Ben Reilly/Spider-Man encountering the Joker, and having no clue who he was since he wasn't the Spider-Man that teamed up with Batman to fight him?

[HypnoHustler]

Callback to how Marvel vs. DC opened with Ben Reilly/Spider-Man encountering the Joker, and having no clue who he was since he wasn't the Spider-Man that teamed up with Batman to fight him?

What’s weird about that callback is in the Spidey/Batman crossover they live in a shared universe (Gotham is just another city in the US that Pete travels to), but in Marvel/DC they are from two distinct universes that are part of the multiverse. So it renders the original impossible, but somehow it’s still canon? *shrug*

[JustLuke]

What’s weird about that callback is in the Spidey/Batman crossover they live in a shared universe (Gotham is just another city in the US that Pete travels to), but in Marvel/DC they are from two distinct universes that are part of the multiverse. So it renders the original impossible, but somehow it’s still canon? *shrug*

I think that may just be Joker breaking the fourth wall in a weird way lol