Friends of Ben! Spider-Clone enthusiasts! It's that time once again: a new comic book featuring the Sensational Spider-Man, our boy, Ben Reilly!
DISCLAIMER: I PREFER BEN REILLY BE WRITTEN AS THE HERO HE IS. I DO NOT THINK BEN REILLY IS / SHOULD BE CAPABLE OF ANYTHING BEYOND WHAT PETER PARKER IS CAPABLE OF DOING. BEN REILLY IS PETER PARKER. PETER PARKER IS NOT A VILLAIN. BEN REILLY IS NOT A VILLAIN.
But Marvel clearly wants to make him one, and I'm going to read Ben's story.
And so I have! It's... fine! It's fine.
...
Realistically, no matter what the creative team wants to do with Ben - like with any character - I just want to read well-written stories. If Ben's going to be a villain, I at least want to believe his motivation, his characterization -- and this has been the problem with earlier attempts. Let's do a read-through together and see whether or not this take has anything to enjoy...
1) The story starts in SPRING, presumably not long after the events of the Beyond storyline. Janine has come home and finds Ben messing with some tech that he's raided from another Beyond safe house. I like that Ben has continued his vendetta against Beyond, and I would like to see him develop more spider-tech from his raids; it's been too long since he's added his own tech to his arsenal. Also like seeing Janine as the voice of reason, but it's a bummer to once again see Ben suffering under the weight of negative memories. It's like writers just can only see one story possibility for Ben, which I just can't wrap my mind around.
2) Later, we see Janine at Grand Central Station. Apparently she's afraid that things are going bad with Ben, and it's hurting her enough that she's decided to leave. Except the guy she's talking with recognizes her as an escaped convict, and he's not going to let her go anywhere! So! Janine stabs him in the hand, breaks the leg blocking her way, and runs... back to Ben with an epiphany: she tired of trying to fit in with a world that doesn't want her; she loves Ben and is willing to burn down the world for him! And as much as I don't like these characters becoming villainous, I will admit that I get it from Janine's perspective. It doesn't feel like her becoming a villain so much as it's her saying she's no longer willing to be a victim, and that's how it SHOULD read, I think. These characters should be sympathetic, even if we disagree with their choices. PLUS, honestly, I still can't believe it's 2022 and we're reading stories that not only involve Ben but also involve Janine! Like, who ever thought we'd see her again before Beyond? I can appreciate that she's being used at all, even if the creative choices aren't what I would do. But I will admit: seeing Ben and Janine as this new super-powered ride-or-die couple is kind of enticing.
2.5) Loved the end of spring with Ben making a joke. It's good to see he's still himself, if only partially.
3) SUMMER comes, and Ben is hanging out somewhere he says he shouldn't be. He expects Peter to show up, but apparently Peter is off with Norman to save MJ. Suddenly, some guy looking to collect money from Peter walks up on Ben and mistakes him for Peter. Ben enjoys saying some angsty things and walks away. We switch scenes to Ben and Janine back in their lab(?) and Ben is using Beyond tech to travel into Limbo. It's calling him "home."
Within Limbo, the demons of both Madeline Pryor and Ben are saying very nasty things about their status as clones: "nothing person" and "never be real" and that kind of thing. Ben and Madeline bond over the similarities their demons show, and watch as they meet and fight each other. Pryor: "The only thing familiarity breeds is..." and Ben: "That'll keep 'em quiet." Ben introduces himself as Chasm and shares his story, with Madeline replying that their shared origins - "others who know my pain" -- and her status as Queen of Limbo pulled him to her. And honestly? I actually kind of like their interaction here! The writing is clever in regards to their inner demons being manifested, but I also still feel like Ben SOUNDS like Ben. He's snarky here, not angsty. AND THE ART HERE IS AWESOME. Ben's suit especially hasn't looked cooler than it does in this section, especially in the panels where he meets Madeline.I'm going to assume -- and I hope I'm wrong -- that Madeline's comments about making Limbo and home for people like her and Ben won't be developed in terms of having other clones join their new club. I think that could be fun, especially if they continued to touch different parts of the Marvel Universe. It's always fun to see Ben make new connections, but again, I have a feeling that isn't going to happen.
4) Anyway, now it's FALL and the events of the FCBD have happened. Janine has joined Ben and Madeline in Limbo, and she's tired of feeling helpless and powerless. So Madeline stabs her with the finger of S'ym and names her Hallows' Eve, with powers based on the refused masks that society demanded she wear. We don't know exactly what she can now do, but it's possible wearing different masks will give her different powers...?
5) WINTER comes and Ben is once again confronted by the man who wants money from Peter. Ben beats the crap out of him and takes him to Limbo so that Madeline can experiment. Okay, I LOVE Chasm's "Hi, dear" to Hallows' Eve! Madeline makes Gus the Bad Guy Ben Brought eat some weird Limbo fruit and it allows her to suck out his soul, which potentially points to their actual plan: will Madeline and Ben steal the souls of Peter Parker and Jean Grey?!?! I don't know! But what I can say is that I like the potential connection to Sensational 23, where Peter glimpses Ben's soul as a photon of light. That was again referenced in PAD's run, so I like that consistent portrayal of souls in stories involving Ben.
So, that's the issue. And honestly? As much as I'd rather Ben just be Spider-Man, I don't think this issue was written badly. Ben and Janine feel consistent who with they've been in past issues, and I understand why they're doing what they're doing. I don't see either of them laughing maniacally or doing evil things just to do them. So far, they still read as themselves -- good people who have been pushed beyond their limits. I only hope it works out well for them in the long run.
Honestly, the biggest problem I had with the issue is that we STILL don't know what Ben's new powers are! What do his glowy green webshooters do other than look cool? I was hoping to find out in this issue.But the costume does look cool.
Thanks for reading, and I hope you'll share your thoughts on the issue!
-Pav, who really enjoyed all four Marvel comics that he read today...