A Spider-Man Podcast

Spider-Man 2099 #10 – REVIEW

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Miguel O’Hara has just made a huge blunder that won’t only disrupt his timeline; it could threaten the entire fabric of the Marvel Universe.  This has the potential to be as dangerous as Peter Parker bringing the Venom symbiote to Earth, or Hank Pym’s invention of Ultron!  In Spider-Man 2099 #10, Peter David and Will Sliney have raised the time-traveling stakes of this series to a boiling point and deliver an issue that forces readers to beg for more.

While the last issue had some rich moments of characterization for both Miguel and Maestro, issue #10 is definitely driven by its action-packed plot.  Miguel basically battles guards as he gets out of a bind IMG_0632and finds the MacGuffin that will send him back to 2015, so that he can change the timeline and save his 2099.  But we also get some tiny moments with the characters, especially Maestro.  His hunger for power seems to be as limitless as his strength.  He’s less interested in the pursuit of science, and more interested in the sins of the flesh.  But just because he’s abandoned the Bruce Banner side of his life, do not underestimate his intelligence.  That’s Miguel’s biggest mistake, and Maestro uses his intellect to accomplish his goals and create one of the most frightening situations the Marvel Universe has ever faced.

Some little details make this issue very enjoyable.  Last issue, Maestro gave Miguel his biggest beating of the series.  That’s why it was refreshing to see Miggy continue to sell those injuries in the first pages of Issue #10. We’ve seen heroes in stories as recently as “Spider-Verse” (I won’t name names) who have miraculously overcame injuries and found a second wind.  Thankfully David realizes that it’s literally going to take a little magic to come back from that Hulk-sized beat down.

It’s interesting that Miguel’s hologram assistant, Lyla, hasn’t appeared in the book since issue #5.  I’m not missing her.  She always seems to serve as the source of a convenient solution, so I like that David hasn’t needed her to bring resolution recently.  But it seems like she could have helped in some recent situations, like informing Miguel of the year or dimension that he’s in, or helping him with the specs on Doctor Doom’s time machine.

IMG_0633The visual highlight of the issue is Maestro’s trophy room, where Will Sliney has 7 pages to fill with Marvel artifacts.  It seems the Hulk has been battling everyone from Juggernaut to Gambit over the years, and winning.  Judging by his collection, the clashes with Tony Stark were epic.

I probably mention the way Sliney draws expressions every other review, but they’re once again some of his finest moments.  When Miguel and Strange battle armed guards, Sliney gives them each a unique look of befuddlement.  We also get to see a few gorgeous panels of New York City, where the credit may go to color artist Antonio Fabela.  His Manhattan is gold and brown with orbs of light.  The kind of city you only see at dusk, where the buildings still shine from the sunset, but the streets begin to usher in the night.

Francesco Mattina delivers another great cover.  I usually forget to bring attention to these covers, but they have been beautiful and his work on this series sets a high bar across the entire industry.

I’m trying not to spoil much, because the events of Spider-Man 2099 #10 will send shockwaves across the entire Marvel Universe.  Are David and Sliney planting the seeds to “Secret Wars” or will this have an immediate impact in the issues that follow?  I would be willing to travel through time to find out.

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