A Spider-Man Podcast

Spider-Man 2099 #13 – REVIEW

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The obstacle that really seemed to halt the momentum of the last volume of Spider-Man 2099 was big event tie-ins. Miguel’s story was put on pause by “Spider-Verse,” and completely interrupted by “Secret Wars.” A big question going into the relaunch was whether or not this series would be forced to pay tribute to other big crossovers going forward. The day of reckoning is here, and while Spider-Man 2099 #13 doesn’t totally abandon its purpose for the sake this year’s big summer event, it continues to suffer from a seeming lack of direction as it completely resets the stakes that had building over the last several issues.

SM20992015013-int-LR2-1-5cdefEven though this issue was promoted as a “Civil War II” tie-in, I still assumed the creators would continue the story of Miguel’s encounter with the Sinister Six of 2099. That arc had only just begun to heat up after the last three issues, which was why it was particularly surprising to see the start of a new arc in this issue: “Civil War 2099.” While issue #13 technically picks up where issue #12 left off, the spirit of this issue has nothing to do with the Sinister Six that is running Alchemax and Nueva York in 2099. This is more about Captain America 2099 on a mission to find her family in a world where superheroes are hunted, while loosely connecting it to the world of “Civil War II.” This tie-in could’ve sparked an interesting discussion about how an actual time-traveler like Miguel would interpret Ulysses’ visions of the future, but instead, the vision only seems to serve as the catalyst to Miguel to use his time gate again (keep in mind, he has yet to fix something by using the time gate; he has only made things worse).

Peter David continues to give easter eggs to fans of the 90s 2099 universe. In this issue, Punisher 2099 makes another appearance, although this time, he may not be on Miguel’s side as he was back in “Spider-Verse.” We also get the reboot’s first appearance of Ravage, but his motives and allegiances are still not completely known, as he only appeared in one panel, albeit, a full-spread pin-up which is easily the artistic highlight of the issue.

David finally addresses one of my longest-running complaints of this volume of the series: Miguel basically running rogue without any consequences vis-a-vis Peter Parker and Parker Industries. Peter and Miguel finally have a conversation, but Peter is in the dark about Miggy’s most erroneous misadventures. Peter knows about Miguel manhandling Man Mountain Marko and Captain America 2099’s existence in the present, but he doesn’t seem to be aware that Venture has sneaked into 2016 and is working for The Fist. Peter’s also not aware that an Inhuman with seemingly unlimited power over space and time was born on PI property, and she is now also SM20992015013-int-LR2-2-a8de8working with The Fist. Yes, Miguel gets a long-overdue lecture from the CEO, but it’s outcome is far from satisfying. Ultimately, Peter comes off very laissez-faire, and his characterization seems to be in conflict with his mantra on responsibility, especially since Peter has taken a very hands-on approach to Ulysses’ visions in his own tie-in title.

The art team delivers a solid, but not overly memorable package with this issue. Most of the highlights center around Captain America 2099. Will Sliney gives her some great acrobatic poses while in battle, and the translucent neon look that he and Rachelle Rosenberg give to her shield makes it pop off the page. Conversations at Parker Industries take up a large part of this issue, and that’s usually not a problem for Sliney, as he excels at displaying emotion through his facial expressions; however, this issue doesn’t really showcase this strength. Sliney also improves on one of my critiques from last issue: the lack of world building in this version of 2099. We get a few glimpses of what this Neuva York looks like, but the artists have yet to deliver a perspective that truly defines this landscape.

This book still seems to be unsure about the story it wants to tell. Each arc has a first and second act, but the stories never have any resolution. Even though the last arc had little to do with Miguel’s mission to save the future by changing the present, the stakes had risen to a level that made the series very interesting again. Now, the story resets again, with an uninspired tie-in to “Civil War II.”  This series always seems to be one issue away from turning a corner and hitting its stride, but at this point, the only thing that surprises me about this book is that it continues to have new solicitations each month.

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