22 months ago, Miguel O’Hara became the star of his own title — for the second time 00 with a mission to save the future from its dark and corporate-controlled fate. Miggy spent the first arc trying to fix the 22nd century, but was soon distracted by “Spider-Verse,” “Secret Wars” and girlfriend drama. Now, Miguel is finally forced to address his original objective, and it makes Spider-Man 2099 #10 one of the most exciting issues since the title’s “All-New, All-Different” relaunch.

Peter David has been giving readers the slow burn all series, but here, he’s able to take all his newly-introduced characters and plot devices to actually raise the stakes of the series. In the 2014 incarnation, Miguel was trying to change and prevent a dystopian future. This time around, it’s Miguel himself who indirectly created a new, darker 2099. He and Parker Industries are responsible for the accidents that led to Glorianna’s creation and Venture’s invasion. If there was any doubt earlier in this series of Miguel’s commitment to the future, this issue serves as a wake-up call for both Miggy and the reader. The year 2099 is worse than ever thanks to actions that happened while Miguel become obsessed with attaining revenge for his girlfriend’s apparent death.

Artistically, Rachelle Rosenberg’s colors are easily one of the highlights of this issue. She makes use of a wide palate of colors, giving each scene a different look, whether it’s the purples of upstate New York, the neon blues of Midtown and Parker Industries, or the browns of 2099. She gives scenes depth by using different tones and shades to represent different types of light: auburn for natural light, bright whites and harsh blues for office fluorescents and computer screens.

Will Sliney’s art has some strong moments as well.  He draws a great 3/4 page panel of the Denver skyline that mixes the lights of the city with the majesty of nature. He also showcases an iconic full-page pin-up of a character that is guaranteed to please fans of the 90s series. Sliney’s panel work and layouts are largely traditional, but for one page he draws diagonal panels which gives the battle a sense of speed and action.

The issue is packed with plot, but David makes sure to dedicate a few pages to develop Miguel’s personal relationships. If it wasn’t clear yet, this issue makes it clear that Miggy is a jerk. Once again, he treats his subordinates with disrespect, and even when Miguel realizes he’s stepped over the line, he only makes modest attempts at reconciliation. It’s nothing new; we’ve seen Miggy treat his staff like this before, just as we’ve previously seen him treat his boss, Peter, with disdain. He’s also rather condescending to Tempest’s mother and for some reason or other it makes it easy to root again him. However it leaves me wondering, when will he face consequences for putting Parker Industries in such a liable position?

It’s exciting to see this series return to its original path, while incorporating all these new elements from the previous nine chapters. This issue also has some great teases and cliff-hangers that makes me excited for this series again, and this new arc in particular.