Credits: Plotted by Tom DeFalco, scripted by Todd DeZago, pencilled by Paris Karounos and edited by Eric Fein.
Cast: Going to knock this on the head, it’ll make sense later.
Plot: After Ben Reilly (as the Scarlet Spider) breaks up a mugging, hearing a comparison to Spider-Man. After the bad gays are either stung, or webbed up, Ben gets to a nearby roof, unmasks and we get some exposition as we’re brought up to speed with Ben’s recent history. Lost in his reverie, he almost misses a helicopter flying past him. The helicopter has a sort of gondola-platform suspended beneath it and it attaches to a car on the road. Ben masks up and goes after these thieves, but won’t kick on of them as his spider-sense warns him. He uses impact webbing to find out why and sees a cloud of green smoke erupt from the thieve, completely blanketing the immediate area. The robbery is foiled and the helicopter flies off, the fracas has attracted the police and they find that the car has several boxes of experimental computer chips stolen that day, so the guys being robbed, were thieves themselves. Ben feels dejected and swings off.
Subplot time: It turns out that the helicopter was sent by Doctor Octopus II and her mysterious partner. They talk about their intention to try to steal the chips again, since their plans cannot proceed without them. At Seward’s home, Ben is ranting about how badly he’s doing compared to Peter. Seward offers the idea that he doesn’t have to be a spider-themed hero and offers him a research job, but Ben wants to make his own way.
Elsewhere a Mr Tso kills one of the people who were attacked by Doctor Octopus’ people. Then we get a mini-montage of Ben struggling to find work. He ends up at a bar called Noir. He isn’t doing any better, but he prevents a spill using his reflexes and spider-sense and then the bar’s manager has a change of heart.
Later, the police are transporting the stolen chips, which is attacked by Doctor Octopus II’s men, this time Ben is ready for them and has brought a gas mask for the occasion. This time, no smoke bomb, just a suit rigged to deliver an electric shock. Ben is kicked out of the helicopter He webs a line back to the chopper and he’s hanging on, but one of the thieves shoots his web and he’s falling. He’s able to web up a glider and lands safely-ish in Central Park.
Finally we get a scene with Mr Tso being the one whose lost out on the next phase of his plan. He stops at a business he owns, the Noir bar and learns that they’ve just hired a barman, Ben Reilly.
Notes: This is not how you start a brand new era. There, got that out of the way. It’s a bit of set up, showing Tso and Doc Ock II after the same things, but it doesn’t give you any more than that. We’ve no new supporting characters, no furthering of personal plot, just a new job and the same imposter syndrome as a personality thing for Ben. It doesn’t really feel like the start of anything. This feels like a missed opportunity.
Verdict: Writing 2 out of 5 – We get more of the ‘Peter would get this right’ crap as before, Ben seems to be devolving. No one else gets an ounce of characterisation.
Art: 1 out of 5 – This felt like fill in art and a far cry from the Butler/Emberlin team that made Web of Spider-Man a great first title of each month, genuinely hoping that this gets a lot better soon.
Overall: 3 out of 10 – This doesn’t feel like a new start, if feels like a fill in 3rd tier book and it should feel like a flagship.
Next Time: The first verse of the X-Cutioner’s Song.
My Marvel Life 