Customer Reviews

Spider-Man 2099, Vol. 1

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Of course nothing, but nothing, tops the original Spider-Man. But Spidey 2099 is still pretty kick-arse. Marvel Comics' 2099 imprint didn't last all that long, really (off and running in 1992 with the first issue of SPIDER-MAN 2099, kaput in 1998 with the one-shot 2099: MANIFEST DESTINY). But while it was around Marvel 2099 provided interesting stories based on familiar Marvel heroes but in a shared universe set in a future gone wrong. And SPIDER-MAN 2099 was clearly Marvel 2099's flagship title. With the talents of Peter David, Rick Leonardi, and the legendary Al Williamson onboard, this comic book was a terrific read and consistently proved to be the most popular in the 2099 line.

The lowdown: A genetic imprinting experiment loused up by sabotage and an unexpected influx of spider DNA. Sudden super-strength and tremendous agility. Wicked sharp, retractable talons now growing out of fingertips and toes, and forearm spinnerets which shoot out organic webbing. And fangs. An old costume dusted off from a long ago Mexican Day of the Dead festival. And the startling realization of what an utter condescending, know-it-all git a guy's been all his life. In the year 2099 half-Mexican, half-Irish genetic engineer Miguel O'Hara becomes Spider-Man.

In the How Else Is He Different? Department, note that Miguel doesn't have Peter's danger warning spider-sense or adhesivity. Instead Miguel would apply his talons in scaling various types of surfaces. Also, Miguel's mother is alive, even if she's kind of insane.

SPIDER-MAN 2099 Vol. 1 collects issues #1-10 and also reprints the introductory Marvel 2099 article from MARVEL AGE #117. Peter David's very good (as always) storytelling and immersive worldbuilding drew me in right away when I read the first issues back in 1992. As Spidey 2099's origin story unfolds, one is struck by the bleakness of things. The gap between the haves and have-nots have widened insolubly. Oppressive mega-corporations now rule North America. In New York what passes for the police force (called the Public Eye) is controlled by Alchemax, a corrupt company which Miguel O'Hara works for. These ten issues chronicle not only Miguel's exploration of his newfound freakish abilities but also his gradual awareness of Alchemax's sinister nature. It's pretty messed up when you quit the company and your boss immediately tries to get you hooked on an addictive drug which only his company supplies. That, by the way, is pretty much what led to Miguel becoming the new wallcrawler.

Miguel inhabits a dystopian cyberpunk world (which Marvel would retroactively label Earth-928), and I guess it's not unexpected that the reader catches a whiff of American Flagg: v. 1 and Blade Runner - The Final Cut (Two-Disc Special Edition) and even a flavoring of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. In desperate times the stepped-on common dude often looks for omens of hope and change. Marvel Comics' present day continuity is regarded by those in 2099 as the Heroic Age, with the original Spidey and his contemporaries having gained mythical status, and a religion built around Thor. So it's not surprising at all that this Spider-man soon garners his own flock of followers. Although, because of an early encounter with a Thorite, Spidey is considered by some fanatics to be a Harbinger of Thor.

Spider-Man 2099 is the first "superhero" to appear since some sort of apocalypse ended the Heroic Age a century ago. He'd be quickly followed by future versions of the Punisher, the Hulk, Ghost Rider, the X-Men, and so on. We follow Miguel during his initial run-ins with the cyborg enforcer Venture and the Samurai calling himself the Specialist, both deployed by Alchemax which has plans for Spider-Man. But, as formidable as Venture and the Specialist are, the Vulture would turn out to be the most disturbing villain in these ten issues.

It's kind of neat that Miguel stumbles onto his powers one by one and is more than a bit repelled by them (suddenly having fangs and then creepy things in your forearms may do that). Miguel isn't a natural born fighter, and he barely holds his own against the bad guys, and he's still not really sure what he wants to do with his new abilities. It takes an unforeseen trip thru the hellish Downtown region, home of humanity's detritus, to really change Miguel's outlook. As it is, Miguel would spout a different mantra: "With great power comes great guilt!"

There's an element of humor threading thru these stories. Peter David won't have it anyway else. Miguel is darker and more intense than Peter Parker and not as likeable initially, but he does manage to throw out some funny comebacks. The "person" I absolutely dig is Miguel's resident holo Lyla, who has to be the most fun and lively character in the series, never mind that she's only a computer program.

SPIDER-MAN 2099 encompasses 46 issues, one annual, and the one-shot SPIDER-MAN 2099 MEETS SPIDER-MAN, in which Miguel meets Peter Parker. Thankfully, Miguel O'Hara is popular enough that, even after the Marvel 2099 imprint crumbled, Spidey 2099 would again show up in other titles (CAPTAIN MARVEL #27-30 & EXILES #75-99, of which issues #75-83 can be found in Exiles Vol. 13: World Tour, Book 2 (X-Men) (v. 13, Bk. 2)). Still, I'm hoping that SPIDER-MAN 2099 Volume 2 is in the offing. I'd like to keep my original issues sealed in their heavily boarded Mylar bags, thanks very much.

Maybe it's the cool costume, or maybe it's the variations on his powers, or maybe it's just the whole "future timeline" thing, but this title always rocked and was the most successful of the "2099" titles. Now the first 10 issues are collected here in full color so you can either be introduced to the character or remember those great moments. Now don't judge everything about this series based on these 10 issues, as the stories really didn't take off until around issue 8 or so.

This is not Peter Parker, but Miguel did a great job of being able to channel a lot of those light-hearted Parker one-liners into his battles. We get to see the origin of the new hero, and his exploration of his powers before he begins to face off against his own super-villain collection. There is enough variation in these stories to make them seem original, but enough familiarity to make them fun reading for Spider-Man fans looking for something a little different. I hope Marvel continues to release these, as the stories were always a great read.

After the series was cancelled, the character disappeared into comic book limbo for a while until finally reappearing in the "Exiles" comic book. If you want to see what eventually happened to Miguel, read the "Exiles: World Tour" TPB to see him join the team, and then read the 3 follow up TPBs to see his final fate (for now, at least). I, for one, appreciate Marvel taking the time to give Spidey's fans a chance for a little closure with the hero.

I do wish they'd put this out as an Essential series so we could have gotten more issues at the same price, but I'll take these any way they come. This is a highly recommended collection!

I attempted to order this twice. First I got nothing but an empty envelope, the second time, I got issue 1 of Spiderman 2099. The listing is for the collected graphic novel people! Does anyone actually sell that?