Ben Reilly: the Scarlet Spider #23 and #24 Spoilers/Review

[Pav]

Hey, friends! I apologize for slacking on the threads for our favorite scarlet clone bros! Work has been crazy lately, parent-teacher conferences are this week...

Anyway, let's go right to it!

Issue #23 sees Ben and Kaine finishing their cab trip from the issue prior, and I like the subtle way this shows that, despite all his growth, Ben isn't above f*cking with someone's mind just for shytes and gygles -- and Kaine even participates this time! (Honestly, it strikes me as a Peter Parker-y thing to do.)

After leaving the cab, Ben brings up to Kaine the question that's been lurking in the background throughout this series: once Ben cures Abigail, will Kaine kill him?

Kaine says he doesn't know.

They reach the casino, and Kaine explains himself: in his eyes, even when Ben was the Jackal, he was "trying so damn hard." Apparently, he wants to see whether Ben can save himself, and THEN WE GET THE MOMENT WE'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR:

"We're kind of brothers, and believe it or not, I'm kind of rooting for you."

I have to imagine that, for anyone who has followed the journey of Ben and Kaine from the beginning, this bit of dialogue was a real treat.

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So, then Aunt June shows up and tries to warn Ben of something, but her alzheimers gets in her way.

Meanwhile, Abigail's doctor tells Cassandra to say goodbye: Abigail doesn't have much time left. That's when Ben shows up with an antidote, and Cassandra goes from hating Ben to kissing him yet again. The doctor protests the use of some strange serum, but Slate removes him from the room.

This is when the issue takes a crazy turn!!!

An Abigail from the future -- like 370 years in the future -- has come back to ask her mother and Ben to not inject her. If they do, she will remain her same age indefinitely and witness the fall of her world and everyone in it. We see moments of her life (including the necessary Maestro cameo) and it's enough to convince her mother to not use the serum, with Ben promising to figure something else out.

SWERVE.

Abigail starts flat-lining and the Time-Traveling Abby reveals herself as none other than MEPHISTO. It seems he's still after our boy Benjamin, and didn't take kindly to their broken deal during DAMNATION. Mephisto alters the brains of Cassandra, Slate, and Kaine, who now all believe Abby is dying because Ben refused to use the serum on her in order to sell it elsewhere. Mephisto offers a deal: he'll change their memories back if Ben can stay alive for an hour; Ben agrees, only to be stabbed by Cassandra!!

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Issue #24 begins with Ben escaping from Cass and Slate, only to be squaring off against Kaine, who refuses to believe that Mephisto is behind everything and is out for Ben's blood, just as he was at the beginning of the series. Kaine wants Ben to just give up, but Ben says that, just like Peter, he has never been much for giving up. This enrages Kaine, who screams, "You don't even get to say Peter's name!" And, of course, in true fashion, Ben responds by repeatedly saying "Peter" over and over again.

(I loved that exchange -- it calls back to their original relationship back in the 90s so beautifully.)

Ben tries to escape by webbing onto a helicopter, but Kaine latches on to Ben's foot. They then bicker about which one is doing the endangering of innocents, which is another highlight of the issue for me. I love how deftly PAD consistently puts these two at odds.

Kaine finally gains the upperhand and hits Ben repeatedly in the knife wound from Cassandra. Ben, enraged, threatens to kill Kaine.

Ben thinks about how, no matter how hard he's tried, trying to be good hasn't accomplished anything. Yet he can't bring himself to kill Kaine, even though it seems like the logical thing to do. Ben reminds himself that this is all Mephisto's fault, and at this point he should only have to survive for a few minutes more.

Ben tries to reason once more with Kaine, but Kaine won't have it. He webs away a gun from a nearby police officer and decides it's finally time to kill Ben.

He fires, and Ben realizes that if he moves, Cassandra will be in the crossfire.

He pushes her out of the way and takes four bullets in the blue hoodie.

Cass and Kaine stand over his bloodied body.

Next issue: the FINALE.

-Pav, who almost forgot that Abigail's body was taken from her room...

[HypnoHustler]

I liked the writing in both issues, but the art was REALLY bad in #24, which is such a shame as it ruined my enjoyment of the issue a bit. Whenever a title is on the chopping block, it seems the regular artist always flies the coop and we get bad fill-ins.

Anyway, Mephisto sure has a weird thing for the Parker brood. First Peter, now Ben.... Kaine better watch out!

[Huntsman Spider]

I liked the writing in both issues, but the art was REALLY bad in #24, which is such a shame as it ruined my enjoyment of the issue a bit. Whenever a title is on the chopping block, it seems the regular artist always flies the coop and we get bad fill-ins.

Anyway, Mephisto sure has a weird thing for the Parker brood. First Peter, now Ben.... Kaine better watch out!

He should, considering that Mephisto had him possessed by one of his demons/Ghost Riders to enforce the deal Ben struck with him in Damnation. Given the things Kaine has done in his own past, he'd be on the fast track for a long stay in Mephisto's realm if not for his efforts to redeem himself. Come to think of it, wouldn't killing Ben for something he didn't actually do possibly damn him as well, netting Mephisto two Spider-Clone souls for the price of one?

[Pav]

I liked the writing in both issues, but the art was REALLY bad in #24, which is such a shame as it ruined my enjoyment of the issue a bit. Whenever a title is on the chopping block, it seems the regular artist always flies the coop and we get bad fill-ins.

Anyway, Mephisto sure has a weird thing for the Parker brood. First Peter, now Ben.... Kaine better watch out!

I actually really liked the art in this issue. It had a gritty yet kinetic feel that I think this book could have used. Don't get me wrong: Bags is excellent, and Sliney is no slouch, but both of them do a lot of "pose" while this artist really had the kind of kinetic energy I want in my Spidey comics.

-Pav, who assumes he's doing the final issue too...?

[Batman Begins 2005]

I liked #23 more than #24. #23 like the issues prior went places unexpected. #24 marred my experience with the bad art.

[Kurolegacy]

He should, considering that Mephisto had him possessed by one of his demons/Ghost Riders to enforce the deal Ben struck with him in Damnation. Given the things Kaine has done in his own past, he'd be on the fast track for a long stay in Mephisto's realm if not for his efforts to redeem himself. Come to think of it, wouldn't killing Ben for something he didn't actually do possibly damn him as well, netting Mephisto two Spider-Clone souls for the price of one?

It does seem odd that Kaine wasn’t willing to at least hear Ben out on this one. I mean he’s aware that Mephisto is in Vegas even if he’s supposed to be imprisoned and he’s well aware of just how hard Ben has been trying to save Abigail as shown by his speech to Ben last issue. With that, it should seem strange to Kaine for there to be such a sudden swerve considering that Mephisto has only altered their memories of that one event of what happened in the room when Ben was gonna use the cure not anything beyond.

[Huntsman Spider]

It does seem odd that Kaine wasn’t willing to at least hear Ben out on this one. I mean he’s aware that Mephisto is in Vegas even if he’s supposed to be imprisoned and he’s well aware of just how hard Ben has been trying to save Abigail as shown by his speech to Ben last issue. With that, it should seem strange to Kaine for there to be such a sudden swerve considering that Mephisto has only altered their memories of that one event of what happened in the room when Ben was gonna use the cure not anything beyond.

More of Mephisto's manipulations at work, I would think.

[Scott Taylor]

Well this tells me that Ben is dead and will be revived by Death, whose criteria has been fulfilled by his noble sacrifice. His soul will be fixed.

[Scarlet Spider-Man]

If this ends with Ben's soul being saved, would anyone else like to see him return as Spider-Man, rather than Scarlet Spider? With Ock returning to his SSM identity, we'll have four Spider-Men in the 616, so why not have Ben be the Spider-Man of Las Vegas?

Kind of a long shot, but maybe this is why #25 appears to be the last issue? Rebrand the book as Ben Reilly: Spider-Man?

[Reilly]

If this ends with Ben's soul being saved, would anyone else like to see him return as Spider-Man, rather than Scarlet Spider? With Ock returning to his SSM identity, we'll have four Spider-Men in the 616, so why not have Ben be the Spider-Man of Las Vegas?

Kind of a long shot, but maybe this is why #25 appears to be the last issue? Rebrand the book as Ben Reilly: Spider-Man?

Yeah, that would be cool as hell but I don't see it happening. Let's just hope for now that Marvel does not kill him (again).

[Pav]

If this ends with Ben's soul being saved, would anyone else like to see him return as Spider-Man, rather than Scarlet Spider? With Ock returning to his SSM identity, we'll have four Spider-Men in the 616, so why not have Ben be the Spider-Man of Las Vegas?

Kind of a long shot, but maybe this is why #25 appears to be the last issue? Rebrand the book as Ben Reilly: Spider-Man?

I certainly wouldn't mind it. After twenty years of waiting, I'll pretty much take any Ben stories we can get!

I could see Marvel having more faith in a comic about Ben if it had the Spider-Man title on the cover, and so that's a positive. Yet, for me, I always felt like the one thing Ben had that was truly his was the Scarlet identity, and I think that's my ultimate preference for him -- even if it means sharing the monicker with his clone-brother, Kaine.

-Pav, who still wants to see Scarlet Carnage someday...