BR:SM #4 Spoilers and Review: Take a Walk on the Spidercide
Chasm who?
When last we left our hero, Ben Reilly, the One True Spider-Man, found out which villain was out to get him: the shapeshifting clone, Spidercide!
1) This issue starts with Ben literally in the clutches of the deranged clone Spidercide. Right off, I'm loving how Baldeon depicts Spidercide: he's a huge hulk of a spider, yes, but there's a messiness to him that there really wasn't back in the 90s. It lends both a vulnerability to him as well as a monstrousness, and I really like it.
2) Spidercide admits to impersonating everyone from Scorpion to John Diaz, and tells Ben that this has nothing to do with the Jackal. He and Ben fight, and we get narration from Ben about 'Cide's origins until a semi smashes into Spidercide, turning him to goop. Of course, that means little to someone who can control his own molecular structure. But before he can kill the truck driver, Ben tackles him and leads him away.
3) It's at this point that Ben realizes he's been dehumanzing Spidercide, and it's a moment I think every Ben will appreciate.
4) Ben demands to know what Spidercide wants and assumes that 'Cide has come to steal his life. He throws some vicious punches at Spidercide, but 'Cide returns the favor and tells him he doesn't want Ben's life -- and we also get some interesting thoughts from 'Cide on Peter in Portland, "pretending he's something he's not."
5) "I can alter every aspect of who and what I am. I can be anyone or anything. Why in the world would I want to be you?"
6) AMAZING PANELS OF SPIDERCIDE BAGGING BEN WITH HIS OWN SELF AND CLAIMING HE'S TAKING BEN HOME.
7) When Ben comes to, he's in a house and Spidercide has turned himself into Mary Jane. He says he can give Ben what he wants; he can give him back the life of Peter Parker, the life he should be living. He doesn't want to be Ben's enemy; he wants to be a good brother and help Ben fulfill his dreams.
8) Interesting that, at this point, Spidercide is choosing to look like many of Peter Parker's loved ones, living and deceased -- but each person is without eyes. Considering the symbolism of eyes, this says a lot about 'Cide: dude's got no soul.
9) At first Ben realizes just how insane Spidercide is, what with the whole, "Let me be everyone you've ever loved" thing, but then reconsiders, focusing on how much pain Spidercide must be in. He decides to keep him talking, and we then get a monologue from Spidercide about how he's been able to evolve himself: increasing his strength, dividing himself into multiple autonomous forms, etc.
9) In the group shot, notice that John Diaz is the only version of Spidercide with eyes. I wonder if, to some degree, that persona most closely represents who Spidercide feels he really is -- and I'm sticking with my theory that John Diaz is going to be the final form of Spidercide when this story ends. Also, it was at this point that I realized Spidercide has basically turned himself into a Walking, Talking Spidey Clone Creator!
10) Spidercide finally comes out with it: he wants to know what it means to be human. It's why he's been plaguing Ben, and also why he sought out others as the First Date Murderer! Interesting that 'Cide seems to express regret for his actions as the Murderer.
11) Ben tells Spidercide that if he really wants to learn to be human, he needs to turn himself in -- but that's a non-starter for Spidercide, who is afraid of being locked away again in some laboratory. As they fight, Spidercide expresses his disbelief that this is how Ben repays him for his kindness in the offer to give him back Peter Parker's life.
12) "You don't understand -- I DON'T WANT PETER'S LIFE!" Saying it truthfully for the first time, according to Ben's inner monologue (and JMD!).
13) I like all the half-Cides that Ben fights.
14) JMD gives us more brilliant characterization of Ben, who admits that no matter how many times he told himself he'd never be Peter Parker again, part of him kept hoping he could go back. It's 100% believable because this struggle sits at the crux of Ben's identity; it's the kind of thing that will never be fully settled, just as each of us has aspects of ourselves that we continually wrestle with even as we (hopefully!) grow and learn to better handle those parts of ourselves.
15) Ben realizes that it's okay to treasure the past, but the future is what really matters -- and Ben Reilly is his future. He also realizes that the small army of Spidercides is losing cohesion: according to Spidercide, he has accidentally broken his own genetic matrix in making so many copies of himself.
16) "Even after... all I've done -- you actually... care about me?"
"Yes. Because what you said before was right. We are brothers."
17) TRAGIC END TO SPIDERCIDE, WHO IS NO MAN'S BROTHER
18) Eesh. This scene parallels another scene we've gotten recently involving Ben, except he's changed positions this time.
19) Back at Ravencroft, Ben relays what happens to Ashley Kafka and Edward Whelan. When Kafka questions this, Ben admits they've become his friends. But they're interrupted by a doctor bursting in, alerting them: the inmates are loose!
20) How? Well, that's not really Doctor Liu! It's... Spidercide! This aspect of him survived!
21) Ben continues to try to talk sense into Spidercide, but 'Cide's had an epiphany due to his "death:" he should embrace what he is and reject humanity!
22) He releases Kafka and Whelan from his grip, telling Ben there's more urgent matters to attend to as we see Swarm, Mysterio, Shriek, Sir?, Chameleon, Typhoid Mary, Scorpion, and Mr. Hyde are loose!
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Well, it was an action-packed issue for sure! I enjoyed JMD's take on Spidercide here immensely, and I hope this take on the character is liked enough by others that it leads to further appearances. His desire to become Ben's whole family is definitely beyond anything I would've expected, yet it made total sense that he would want something so crazy, yet founded in a simple need for loving, human relationships.
The Clone Saga kicked off with Ben helping Peter deal with the Ravencroft inmates. I wonder if we'll see Spidercide, in the end, deciding to help Ben take on the inmates that have been let loose. I also wonder if Edward Whelan will tragically revert back to his Vermin form.
Well, that's it, Friends of Ben! I look forward to reading your thoughts on today's issue!
-Pav, who may need to hunt down all the variant covers from this miniseries...
