Preview: Ben Reilly: The Scarlet Spider #1

[Spiderfang]

I hope Ben goes back to being a blond.

[Aioros22]

I can't help but find it odd that there was a smile on the mask on the cover yet in the interiors, other than the occasional small indentation, there's no sign of a smile.

The way I see it, the smile is still there. Bagley is just being visually subtle about it. Notice how he draws the expressions under the mask.

[FishyZombie]

He really shouldn't be.
He had the same moral compass as Peter, except he was a bit hardened by living on the road, and had a hard time belonging anywhere.
Then he came back wrong and was basically turned into Deadpool-lite.

Did he have much of a hook beyond "blond Peter" or was there more to him than that? Because if not, I can see why they'd try to put an anti-hero spin to him.

[Shirayuki]

Did he have much of a hook beyond "blond Peter" or was there more to him than that? Because if not, I can see why they'd try to put an anti-hero spin to him.

He was the single Spider-Man, but that obviously isn't a hook anymore.

[FishyZombie]

He was the single Spider-Man, but that obviously isn't a hook anymore.

I shouldn't judge a character I've never read, but that sounds like a very limited premise. I mean he even has Pete's memories, so just blond Peter.

[Pav]

I shouldn't judge a character I've never read, but that sounds like a very limited premise. I mean he even has Pete's memories, so just blond Peter.

Ben's character did change over the course of the two years or so that he was re-introduced back in the 90s. Who he was at the beginning and who he was before his death in PP:SM75 were fairly different, I'd say, based on the circumstances of his life at the time.

However, he did great a pretty great arc for those years, moving from "I'm a clone and I'm not sure I'm worthy of a real life" to "I'm the real Peter Parker, and even if I can't live that life anymore, I can still make a new one for myself!"

For me, Ben is a special character because of the existential dilemma of his life: what do we do when we can't be ourselves? Who do we become?

I can imagine that, in his upcoming solo, PAD will be juxtaposing the clone-brothers of Ben and Kaine to provide some interesting commentary on identity and purpose.

I'm certainly excited by that potential premise.

-Pav, who can't wait for the first issue to drop...

[Aioros22]

I shouldn't judge a character I've never read, but that sounds like a very limited premise. I mean he even has Pete's memories, so just blond Peter.

That hook is what motived the Office towards the storyline. A behind the scenes hook. In the books, the theme of Identity was the main hook.

[Webhead]

Did he have much of a hook beyond "blond Peter" or was there more to him than that? Because if not, I can see why they'd try to put an anti-hero spin to him.

IMHO, Ben's character is about hope and the nature of identity. He was world-weary in a way Peter never was. Simply by existing he was exiled from a life that was never his (a life that he never took for granted, unlike Peter sometimes). Even while thinking he was the original Peter Parker, he let his alleged clone keep the identity and loved ones/relationships. He pushed through that pain and loneliness and still made the world better. We got a small portion of the supporting cast development and what could have been. And while I don't think it was the greatest death ever, he sacrificed himself to save the "clone", not a thought to himself.

Of course, this is all nuanced, and putting the anti-hero spin is the easy, marketable way out. "We already had Kaine as the "slightly warped" clone and it was a minor hit, so why not try again?" must be the most thought that was put into this.

[The Whovian]

I'm going to try this but only because PAD is writing it.

[comicscollector]

Looks cool.
Very good art by Bagley,looking forward to get my copy.

[boots]

IMHO, Ben's character is about hope and the nature of identity. He was world-weary in a way Peter never was. Simply by existing he was exiled from a life that was never his (a life that he never took for granted, unlike Peter sometimes). Even while thinking he was the original Peter Parker, he let his alleged clone keep the identity and loved ones/relationships. He pushed through that pain and loneliness and still made the world better. We got a small portion of the And while I don't think it was the greatest death ever, he sacrificed himself to save the "clone", not a thought to himself.

Of course, this is all nuanced, and putting the anti-hero spin is the easy, marketable way out. "We already had Kaine as the "slightly warped" clone and it was a minor hit, so why not try again?" must be the most thought that was put into this.

he was definitely the outsider of outsiders. great for all that teen angst in the 90s

[Pav]

he was definitely the outsider of outsiders. great for all that teen angst in the 90s

Truth! So. much. angst back then. Probably that pesky approaching millennium playing havoc with the collective unconscious.

And who could be more angsty than a Peter Parker who isn't sure he's real?

If he's real, he got Uncle Ben killed! But if he's not - well, that's no good!

-Pav, who is glad he's still working on figuring it all out...

[Moriarty]

art looks great. and the new costume doesn't look that bad.

[TheNomadicOne]

Did he have much of a hook beyond "blond Peter" or was there more to him than that? Because if not, I can see why they'd try to put an anti-hero spin to him.

See the problem there, is that Kaine kind of already had that (granted, he's more good now). Having another spider-clone be an anti hero is really redundant.

[Pav]

See the problem there, is that Kaine kind of already had that (granted, he's more good now). Having another spider-clone be an anti hero is really redundant.

Well, Kaine was a monster who is trying to be good.

Ben was a good man who is maybe enjoying being monstrous now.

Two sides of the same clone.

I mean coin.

-Pav, who thinks PAD is going to have a field day...