The spider is always on the hunt.
FELLOW FRIENDS OF BEN!
I forgot to bring this up last Wednesday, so I thought I would now before I forget again:
What does everyone think about the introduction that we've been getting for a few issues now, in which they've basically just replaced the name "Peter Parker" with the name "Ben Reilly?" It doesn't say anything about Ben being a clone, refers to Uncle Ben as "his," etc.
I'm also curious if anyone has any ideas as to what deeper meaning, if any, the Beyond Intro might have regarding the overall story, its plot, and/or its themes. Like, is it supposed to imply that Ben is as legitimate as Peter? Is their interchangeability being emphasized?
Very interested to know what you guys think!
-Pav, who sees Lafuente's original art for the BR:SM #2 cover is sold and is wondering which of you fine folk bought him such a wonderful Christmas present...
You were Spider-Man then. You and Peter had agreed on it. But he came back right when you started feeling comfortable.
You know what it means when he comes back.
"You're not the better one, Peter. You're just older."
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Considering one of Beyond's perks for Ben as their Spider-Man is giving him access to psychotherapy via Dr. Ashley Kafka('s "reanimate"), I'd say it's more subtly referenced that he still has trauma from those torturous deaths and resurrections the Jackal put him through.
I think it's supposed to reflect how Beyond intends to supplant Peter Parker (and Miles Morales) with Ben Reilly as the sole legitimate Spider-Man going forward.
The spider is always on the hunt.
First of all, if someone had told me 15 or 20 years ago that one day Ben would not only be back but take over the Spider-Man mantle again in the main 616 books (even if it’s just a 6 month event) I would’ve thought they were certifiable. I sometimes have to pinch myself.
I think the blurb is interesting… I don’t remember if Ben’s blurb in 1996 mentioned the clone stuff, but I think it also didn’t. I’m not sure if this is by design to reflect Ben’s ideal vision of himself (just the hero parts with none of the self-doubt and clone parts mentioned), which would be kinda meta. Or if Marvel also wants to keep things relatively simple for new readers (always someone’s first comic, which is why this is pretty ballsy also). Ben feelings of doubt and his low self-esteem and feelings of inadequacy compared to Peter has been obvious in some scenes of dialogue. But actual mentions of cloning and what Ben is, has been scant. A new reader would probably think Ben is a friend or cousin of Peter.
More bothered by the sticky fingertips and toes instead of being able to stick from his entire body because he's said and done so in the comics.
It's cool, kinda meta in a sense.
He has enough trauma for decades of therapy aside from his deaths.And again he has the memory of those, I just meant the effect of said memories in his spirit has been "cleansed".
Fair points, and yeah, I agree Marvel should have stopped with the "adhesive fingers and toes" thing a long time ago since it's been known and demonstrated for years that Spider-Men with the Peter Parker power template can stick with any part of their bodies to whatever surface they happen to be touching.
That's an interesting take I hope the writers run with as Spider-Man Beyond continues.
The spider is always on the hunt.
I just realized something: There's something really spooky around here, like a "deja vu". You see, back in OMD, Aunt May was fighting between life and death and Peter's dispair took him to make "a pact with the devil", literally. Now we are in a similar situation, where Peter is fighting fighting between life and death and Aunt Mat's dispair took her to make "a pact with the devil"; even although this is a lesser Devil.