Ben Reilly: Spider-Man #5 Spoilers and Review!

Well, Friends of Ben, it's time for this fantastic miniseries to end. On my first read-through, I found it read a little too quickly and there was one particular issue that I had a bit of trouble with -- but overall, it's another enjoyable entry in the life of Ben Reilly under the pen of J.M. DeMatteis! Let's have another read-through together, shall we?

1) The issue begins with a riot: Spidercide has freed the Ravencroft inmates, and they are immediately doing damage against John Jameson's security staff. Ben wonders aloud to Spidercide how he could do this after wanting help in understanding humanity, but Spidercide responds that he is a monster and is going to embrace his INhumanity. And it's at this point that we see him transform himself into a new look: the white Jurgens costume, which looks pretty awesome!

2. Kafka tells Ben to go save the others, leaving Spidercide alone with herself and Edward Whelan. While Ben narrates about gaining Ashley and Edward as friends, Spidercide decides to "heal" Edward by invading his body.

3. Ben saves John Jameson from Typhoid Mary, while Kafka interrogates Spidercide, saying that deep down, she suspects that Spidercide really does want to be like Ben. Spidercide DOES NOT like this, yelling about how he's nothing like Ben and hates everything he stands for. Kafka responds that there's a fine line between love and hate.

4. Meanwhile, Ben takes down the Chameleon and Sir, but then gets pummeled by Mr. Hyde. Luckily, he's saved by... MYSTERIO?! Yes, the self-proclaimed artist feels he's different than all the other psychos, and he wants to keep Ben alive so HE can be the one to destroy him. However, Mysterio's monologue is cut short by the reemergence of Vermin! Oh no!

5. Simultaneously, we have Kafka trying to talk down Spidercide -- "I have no soul!" -- and Ben trying to talk down Vermin, which works just in time for Edward to save Ben from an attack from Swarm! Edward is able to maintain control of himself and take out Swarm, but then Shriek enters the picture and takes Edward out.

6. Ben's now being attacked by both Shriek and the real Scorpion, but is able to take out both while monologue-ing about living with and being free of his demons. But Spidercide is there, telling him he's never going to be free of his demons, just like he'll never be free of his evil clone brother -- or the inmates, who have been given a boost due to Spidercide's DNA being implanted in each of them.

7. Ashley Kafka as Ben gets the absolute crap kicked out of him, until...

8. "Damn you, Kafka -- you were right! Like it or not, Reilly is a part of me. The only spark of decency ... of humanity ... in my warped, corrupted heart! And I can't let him die."

9. Having taken out all the other baddies, Spidercide is informed by Kafka that it might be too late. Ben might be dying. But Spidercide thinks he can help and TAKES OFF HIS MASK TO REVEAL THE FACE OF BEN REILLY, BLONDE HAIR AND ALL!!!

10. Spidercide sends tendrils of himself into Ben's body in an attempt to heal him -- and it works! Ben is saved! And Spidercide wonders if maybe he isn't such a monster after all.

11. But then, he totally freaks out! Ben's narration suggests that it's "as if there's some fundamental truth he wants to grab hold of... but it's just out of reach." And with that, Spidercide seems to go into some kind of coma.

12. Ben narrates that he hopes Spidercide can heal and build a life for himself, and we see Kafka checking in on the comatose Spidercide -- except he puts up a hand to the glass! He's alive! Ben hopes for better tomorrows as he swings through New York City, and that. is. the. end.

13. Coming Soon -- Spider-Man: The Lost Hunt?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! INTRIGUING. If it's another story about Ben set in the past under the pen of JMD, there's so much to potentially be excited about!!!

As far as this issue goes, I did feel like it wrapped things up a little too quickly, and I felt like the change of heart that Spidercide had wasn't completely earned. However, I did like Spidercide finally gaining some humanity, and I am especially interested in his choice to look like Blonde Ben rather than a more traditional Peter Parker look. Also interested in the fact that he took off his mask for the first time ever, as in the past he never actually had a mask: his Spider-Face was him transformed, not a costume. And frankly, I'm shocked that we get an ending in which Spidercide is apparently conscious and willing to change his ways! What this might mean in regards to future stories is beyond me, but I hope we don't have to wait another twenty years for his next appearances!

Thoughts on the issue? Thoughts on what might be next for Spidercide? Thoughts on The Lost Hunt?

I can't wait to hear what everyone thinks!

Thanks to JMD, David Baldeon, and the whole creative team for such a sensational miniseries :)

-Pav, who can't wait to learn more about The Last Hunt...

That ending was designed with a retcon in mind somewhere down the line. I think we all know which one, but will Marvel bite?

I know I kind of showed my hand in that Ben Reilly fan piece I commissioned, but I'll just reiterate it here: Kafka, not Janine, is Ben's MJ.

Pacing was hit and miss, but it was definitely a very well written mini.
Re: the ending, I think it was a way to allow the fan theory for post-Clone Conspiracy Reilly to exist without actually committing to it. I could probably guess what's JMD's preferred explanation, though. Guy really cares for the character and the Spider-Man world as a whole.

Looking forward to Lost Hunt.

This was a very good issue. I actually choked up when Spidercide expressed his love for Ben just before he died. I can’t remember the last time a comic had that kind of reaction on me, but it’s been years. I think Spidercide’s change of heart was earned… he already expressed his love for Ben a bit in #4. Saying that wasn’t him, but just a duplicide seemed too convenient and it was. This mini series was the best Spidey story since ‘Life Story’ came out 3 years ago imo.

[QUOTE=Matt Rat;6085114]That ending was designed with a retcon in mind somewhere down the line. I think we all know which one, but will Marvel bite?

I know I kind of showed my hand in that Ben Reilly fan piece I commissioned, but I'll just reiterate it here: Kafka, not Janine, is Ben's MJ.[/QUOTE]

Kafka is Ben’s Aunt May. She’s a confidante, not a romantic interest (in fact, she should be a middle-aged woman… later writers or artists de-aged her and made her more “sexy”).

[QUOTE=HypnoHustler;6085213]Kafka is Ben’s Aunt May. She’s a confidante, not a romantic interest (in fact, she should be a middle-aged woman… later writers or artists de-aged her and made her more “sexy”).[/QUOTE]

Eh, I prefer to 'ship them, and have done so since this series started.

[QUOTE=HypnoHustler;6085213]Kafka is Ben’s Aunt May. She’s a confidante, not a romantic interest (in fact, she should be a middle-aged woman… later writers or artists de-aged her and made her more “sexy”).[/QUOTE]

Yeah and she'd be super unethical to date someone she's treating.

[QUOTE=Matt Rat;6085214]Eh, I prefer to 'ship them, and have done so since this series started.[/QUOTE]

Good for you? I don’t see it, we’ll have to agree to disagree here.

[QUOTE=Pav;6085080] What this might mean in regards to future stories is beyond me, but I hope we don't have to wait another twenty years for his next appearances!

Thoughts on the issue? Thoughts on what might be next for Spidercide? Thoughts on The Lost Hunt?

I can't wait to hear what everyone thinks!

Thanks to JMD, David Baldeon, and the whole creative team for such a sensational miniseries :)

-Pav, who can't wait to learn more about The Last Hunt...[/QUOTE]


Great review.

First to throw it out there: We don't need to his see future stories. We've seen them, as the Ben Reilly in Beyond (and Clone Conspiracy, and PAD's series?) is not Ben but...Spidercide. :evil face

[QUOTE=HypnoHustler;6085216]we’ll have to agree to disagree here.[/QUOTE]

That we will. It's just the way DeMatties wrote them in the first issue, I thought they had excellent chemistry, and I always grew up on 'sexy' Kafka. The ethics of dating your patient are not quite as taboo as one suggests, in fact these things go on all the time behind closed doors in many cases...most of the time off-the-record otherwise they'd be in real trouble

Kafka did indeed date John Jameson, who would occasionally be a patient because of his Man-Wolf problem...and she wound up marrying him in the MC2 timeline.

What an enyoable mini this has been. One of the most enjoyable mini's/ongoings I have read in a while that has been on the newer side of publication.

Hats off to JMD and Baldeon. Art was very good and I bought it. The immersion. Writing was superb. I am a sucker for words and particulary the right word at the right time. [B]Bedlam[/B] just felt right for me. It carries just the right nuance for it to elevate the scene and the prose.

I can buy Spider-cides regret. He kept zigging back and forward. His mind is unstable and even at the end he almost lashed out violently.

I enjoyed Kafka and Edward. This mini made me realise how much i miss them.

Would have been nice with more coffe bean and Jessica and Desiree but you can't have it all.

I will probably reread this several times over the coming years. Remember how comics and Ben used to be. Because that is what this was for me in many ways. A greatest hits verison of all the good things with 90's spider-man.

[QUOTE=Matt Rat;6085246]That we will. It's just the way DeMatties wrote them in the first issue, I thought they had excellent chemistry, and I always grew up on 'sexy' Kafka. The ethics of dating your patient are not quite as taboo as one suggests, in fact these things go on all the time behind closed doors in many cases...most of the time off-the-record otherwise they'd be in real trouble

Kafka did indeed date John Jameson, who would occasionally be a patient because of his Man-Wolf problem...and she wound up marrying him in the MC2 timeline.[/QUOTE]

Obviously it does happen, but it's a breach of ethics and they shouldn't.

I'm looking forward to Ben Reilly: Spider-Man --- The Lost Hunt. I also wonder if DeMatteis will ever do a "part three" to the Ben Reilly and Kaine saga begun in Spider-Man: The Lost Years and Spider-Man: Redemption. That said, Ben having some of Spidercide in him could certainly explain aspects of his rebirths and revivals from Clone Conspiracy onward, not to mention the finale and epilogue of Spider-Man Beyond. On the flipside, Spidercide having some of Ben/Peter in him, too, emotionally and psychologically speaking . . . was a rather poignant revelation. Would love to see if that leads to a revival in the present day. Maybe he could be the one who ends up shaking Ben back to his senses.

we're a bit behind the US in this part of the world, so i won't be able to get my hands on this issue till next week some time but the spoilers seem worth the wait.

i was hoping for a little more exploration of spidercide's personas, especially diaz.

[QUOTE=Huntsman Spider;6085354]I'm looking forward to Ben Reilly: Spider-Man --- The Lost Hunt. I also wonder if DeMatteis will ever do a "part three" to the Ben Reilly and Kaine saga begun in Spider-Man: The Lost Years and Spider-Man: Redemption. That said, Ben having some of Spidercide in him could certainly explain aspects of his rebirths and revivals from Clone Conspiracy onward, not to mention the finale and epilogue of Spider-Man Beyond. On the flipside, Spidercide having some of Ben/Peter in him, too, emotionally and psychologically speaking . . . was a rather poignant revelation. Would love to see if that leads to a revival in the present day. Maybe he could be the one who ends up shaking Ben back to his senses.[/QUOTE]

i do get the fascination with ben and his "brothers" and why it's given writers so much fertile ground...but after spidercide...i wouldn't mind ben having a story that just focuses on him as a person and as a hero without any of the (good and bad) baggage of being a clone.

that being said, a scene or two of him with peter wouldn't hurt.

[QUOTE=boots;6085388]we're a bit behind the US in this part of the world, so i won't be able to get my hands on this issue till next week some time but the spoilers seem worth the wait.

i was hoping for a little more exploration of spidercide's personas, especially diaz.



i do get the fascination with ben and his "brothers" and why it's given writers so much fertile ground...but after spidercide...i wouldn't mind ben having a story that just focuses on him as a person and as a hero without any of the (good and bad) baggage of being a clone.

that being said, a scene or two of him with peter wouldn't hurt.[/QUOTE]

Fair points, especially the last one.