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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These little one off appearances don't really do much for me in terms of persuading to me to buy something I'm not interested in to begin with but I suppose the positive in them is that it shows somebody at Marvel is showing interest in the character in some capacity.
I'd of course like to see more meaningful appearances for Ben but I'm also not worried if we go for an extended period of time without anything more than cameos because that would hopefully mean the next time he pops up in a meaningful manner it would be of better quality than what we got with Ben Reilly: Scarlet Spider.
I love Ben so much, that I plunked down 4 bucks just to see his cameo in this ‘Conan’ issue (despite having absolutely zero interest in Conan). It was about what I expected. It was like a 3-4 page fight scene. It was.... fine, I guess. The thing is besides a quick thing Ben says about controlling his anger better, there was nothing distinctly Ben Reilly-ish about his dialogue. You could copy-paste what he said over any other hero and nothing would seem out of place. That’s my problem with these kind of quick cameos. It was a completely bland and pointless appearance... just an excuse for the artist to draw the Scarlet Spider costume if anything. It’s not bad, except for the fact Ben gets taken out in a completely stupid and illogical way that ignored his spider-sense. It was just... generic. I guess beggars can’t be choosers. But it’s just some scraps... gives no new info on his current status or continuity fan-service, so unless you’re a super Ben fan like me, it’s not worth the price.
To be honest, the only thing I found interesting is that Mephisto plays a role in whatever’s happening in this ‘Conan’ story.
Meh. His handling of Ben in this cameo was totally generic and by-the-numbers.
Last edited by HypnoHustler; 03-07-2020 at 01:32 AM.
It's probably a defeatist attitude to have but i've long since given up hope of trying to change people peoples minds on that front. If the fact that he's an identical clone of Peter as far as appearance and abilities go is such a massive deterrent in finding any interest in the character than chances are he'll never appeal to you.
I've been waiting to get Serpent War in trade anyway, mostly for Moon Knight, but I'm also a Ben fan so nice to know there is that to also look forward to when I get the book!
"Freedom is the right of all sentient beings" - Optimus Prime
So, I've been rereading Clone Conspiracy and Spider-Geddon over the past couple of days. That, combined with rereading ALL of the Clone Saga over the past several months (let's be honest, you need several months to go through that slough), has helped me a little bit in putting Ben in context. When I initially read the Clone Conspiracy and Spider-Geddon, there were a couple of jarring elements and some things I couldn't handle well, like the sudden shift in Ben's attitude. Reading the stories again, I still think Slott could have stuck the landing a bit better in terms of explaining Ben's personality change. Yeah, 27 deaths will derange you, but seriously, he felt that everything he had done prior to dissolving into ashes was fake?
However, I feel there is a lot of unresolved things. I definitely think that Ben has unresolved issues with Peter and Kaine. Though Peter may have understood where Ben was coming from during Clone Conspiracy, he couldn't forget everything, especially trying to clone Uncle Ben. And Kaine of course feels that Ben got off the hook for so much.
So, I'm just getting reiterate what I've been saying for years; we need a Scarlet Spider something that resolves all these issues. Hell, even a simple "Scarlet Spiders" miniseries would do, with Ben coming to terms with Kaine, Pete, his past (would love to see the regulars from the Daily Grind), and especially his past mistakes. Use it to rebuild Ben's personality from whatever dark, cynical life he's been living for these past couple of years. Have him (and Kaine) star in situations that regular Spider-Man couldn't be in. For me, the Scarlet Spiders could always be beat up a bit more and go through more of a ringer than regular Spider-Man.
So in short, yeah, let's stop with all of these little guest appearances and find some resolution from Ben Reilly!
"I am a man of peace."
"A man of peace...who fights like ten tigers."
I got to say that Ben Reilly should appear in the next Spiderverse movie.
Be yourself everyone is taken !! I'm an X-Man trapped in the DC omniverse
Tien, I've read both the above post and your post over in the Kaine thread -- thanks for reigniting the conversation, and I hope you're enjoying your Spidey-Clone re-reread!
While I 100% agree with your posts, one somewhat pedantic difference I'd suggest is that what we need -- rather than a "conclusion" or wrapping-up of loose ends -- is a true and honest ongoing that utilizes elements of the characters' past when it makes sense to do so. I don't want a conclusion, y'know? I don't want another "end" to Ben Reilly's story. I want a new beginning, and I want Kaine along for the ride of course.
Think about all there is for future writers to mine:
~the Lost Years era for the characters
~the enemies and cast for Ben Reilly when he became Scarlet Spider, then Spidey
~the enemies and cast for Kaine when he operated in Houston
~everyone now connected to Ben Reilly due to Clone Conspiracy
~the enemies and cast for both Ben and Kaine in Las Vegas
If it were up to me, I'd have Ben and Kaine stationed in Las Vegas but with stories throughout the American Southwest and even into Mexico, Central America, and South America -- thanks in part to their commitment to keep Aracely safe, but also due to a major adversary for them, the Black Tarantula. Ben would be exploring who he really wants to be as a person, and Kaine would begin experiencing a redux of his original clone degeneration; however, this would bring him and Ben closer as brothers -- at least while Kaine's mind remains mostly intact. They'd essentially be the co-leaders of the Slingers, who would help them infiltrate the various crime syndicates in Las Vegas and other nearby cities.
I think a setup like this allows for all kinds of interesting plots, including the opportunity for the writer to bring in elements from these characters' pasts. Like, Houston and Salt Lake City aren't too far away from Las Vegas. Or, maybe Buzz from the Daily Grind is gambling in Vegas and realizes Ben is alive -- maybe he alerts Shirley and/or Jessica? Perhaps you bring back Lady Ock, Stunner, Joystick. Perhaps you bring back the Lobo Werewolves and the Salamander. But you definitely also have to push the story forward: introducing new concepts for the Scarlet Spiders to encounter; opportunities for them to grow and become stronger and perhaps even more popular characters, with an established cast of intriguing characters of all kinds and major themes that speak to the readership. Relying only on past stories won't do, but ignoring those past stories (*cough* PAD *cough*) doesn't work either.
-Pav, who agrees that some Scarlet Spider stories should be things you just can't do with Spider-Man...
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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Closet full of comics? Consider donating to my school! DM for details