**** (four of five stars)
Summary
Gabe tells his mother about the events of last issue, explaining how the Public Eye officers beat him while Kasey was taken from the scene. He begs Conchata not to take him to the doctor and she agrees. Gabe muses what his life would be like without Alchemax, where he and Kasey could be alone, and Conchata tells him to get some rest. She tells herself that it's on her to make things right while, elsewhere, Miguel fights Venture. Venture notes how much more aggressive Spidey is since he was when last they met and Miguel keeps him seriously on the ropes for most of their fight. Venture tells him that he's making a mistake but Spidey responds that his only mistake was going easy on him the first time they fought. He tells Venture that he and the "corps" have been harrassing him since he first got his powers, but they'll have to think again about their assumption that he was weak. Proving his point, he maneauvers Venture onto a mag-lev track; Venture's metallic body is stuck to the track and he's hit by a mag-lev train. Miguel expresses shock that he just did what he did, but even more shock when Venture crawls from the track, virtually unscathed. He attacks, but Miguel uses Venture's own staff to overload his system. He thinks the fight is over, but Venture ejects his hands from his body and uses them to pin Miguel to the ground. Meanwhile, at Miguel's apartment, Xina has Lyla running again, but she's a little surprised when Dana appears.
Standing over Miguel, Venture explains that he had no intention of fighting Miguel, since he was "obliged" to him for defeating Risque. But, he explains that they're now enemies since Miguel came out swinging, telling Miguel, "You still got a lot to learn about power, son. When to use it...and when not to." Miguel leaves to the sounds of Venture using his staff to beat his still-paralyzed sister. Miguel heads to Alchemax where he hitches a ride on Tyler Stone's car, committed to ending Tyler's threat to his family once and for all. He reasons that Tyler is beyond feeling emotions except for fear, the same fear that Kasey felt when she was arrested, or Gabe felt when he was beaten, or Miguel himself felt when he was hooked on rapture. Miguel decides to attack Tyler in his house, where he'll feel as safe as possible, so that he'll know that he'll never be fully safe.
Prepared to kill him, Miguel begins to inflitrate the house, using his accelerated vision to get past the security systems, while, in the foyer, Tyler is greeted by Conchata. Tyler offers her a drink and they retire to the living room. Conchata tells Tyler that his "goons" beat up Gabriel, but Tyler counters that Gabe threatened them with a gun. Conchata retorts that he was trying to keep the Public Eye from taking Kasey and demands that she be released with a clean record and that they be left alone. She also informs him that she knows that he addicted Miguel to rapture, asking how much Tyler hates her for continually going after her family. Tyler stresses that it's business, with Conchata remarking that makes it even worse. She threatens to bring down Tyler if he doesn't do what she wants, saying that she'll let his ex-father-in-law know that he was involved in the death of his late wife. Tyler retorts that she has no proof, but Conchata insists that she does, though wonders if Tyelr wants to call her on the bluff that he's accusing her of making. Miguel arrives in time to see Tyler kiss Conchata, informing her that she was the only woman who was ever a match for him. Tyelr commits to release Kasey and informs her that he didn't really get Miguel addicted to rapture, expositing that it was a simulation; it was meant to last only three days, which is why he never asked how Miguel was dealing with his "addiction." Miguel reels from the revelation that he could've had a normal life and Tyler tells Conchata that she doesn't want to admit that he might have genuine affection for Miguel. Conchata tells Tyler that Miguel thinks that she hates him because she reminds him of her husband, but that the truth is that she only see Miguel's father, Tyler, when she looks at him. She then threatens to kill Tyler if he tells Miguel.
In the back-up story, the Net Prophet enters cyberspace (as a real person, not a computer archetype) and notices a woman to whom he's drawn. Before he can do anything, the woman's ex-boyfriend appears, trying to take her with him. The systems operator tries to stop him, but he attacks, revealing that he's made modifications that make him untouchable in cyberspace. The Net Prophet engages him and vaguely recognizes the sword and the shield that he's using. On the ropes, the ex-boyfriend threatens the woman with a program that would fry her brain in real life, but the Net Prophet cuts off his limbs with eyebeams, convincing him that he's also doing so in real life. In reality, he's put the ex-boyfriend in a "recursive loop" to keep him busy and kisses the woman. The kiss awakens memories in him, but they fade before he can identify them. The woman also disappears and the Net Prophet becomes convinced that she's the key to his past.
The Review
I actually knew the outcome of this issue, since this issue is the last one that I read the first time that I read this series. (The revelation that Tyler is Miguel's father is pretty memorable, even 19 years later.) So, everything after this point is new ground for me.
This issue somewhat clears the decks of the plots that have been the focus of this series over the last few issues or, at least, moves them to the back burner. David has recently spent time developing the world around Miguel, using him as our guide to the realities of the 2099 world. But, we now return to a more personal focus, with Miguel taking center stage again. You can tell that this issue is really going to define the next few issues (if not the rest of the series).
Along those lines, I think the key development here, besides the obvious, is actually the undercurrent of Miguel's fury running through this issue. Between his attempt to kill Venture and his inclination to kill Tyler, David is making it clear that Miguel has had enough. The revelation that Tyler is Miguel's father could either send him over the edge or somehow force him to come to some sort of peace with Alchemax's presence in his life. I'm guessing that it's going to be the former rather than the latter, but we'll see!
The Good
1) Once again, David shows enormous respect for his readers by addressing a past loose-end, namely Tyler never noticing that Miguel wasn't actually addicted to rapture anymore. Sure, he probably wondered why Miguel didn't berate him after realizing that he wasn't actually addicted to it, but, if Miguel didn't mention it, it makes sense that Tyler wouldn't broach the subject either. Plus, the psychological harm that this revelation is going to inflict on Miguel is obvious, given that he never had to become Spider-Man in the first place.
2) The idea that Tyler could have affection for anyone, particularly Miguel, is interesting, particularly given Miguel's seemingly accurate assessment that Tyler has shut off real human emotions in the interest of climbing the corporate ladder. We've seen hints of Tyler's secret compassion (such as his private moment of pain after he flushed his son's ashes down the toilet in issue #10), though whether it would really make any difference in the way he treats people (including Miguel) remains to be seen.
3) Speaking of affection, we really see Miguel as a caring older brother here. He's usually so tightly controlled with his emotions, but David makes it clear that a large part of his fury has to do with the Public Eye goons beating up Gabe and taking in Kasey. If Tyler Stone gets to have emotions, I'm glad that Miguel does as well.
The Unknown
1) The revelation that Conchata and Tyler had a relationship (and seemed to have been in love) raises the question about how a Downtown girl like Conchata got involved with an uptown guy like Tyler. I'm sure David is going to tell us this story and I can't wait to see it.
2) Along those lines, I wonder what "business" Tyler has in persecuting the O'Haras. Is it just that the boys keep running against Alchemax, forcing Tyler's hands, or does he mean something more specific? How would persecuting the O'Hara boys specifically help him? Is it related to whether or not he knows that Miguel is Spider-Man?
3) I wonder who Tyler's ex-father-in-law is? Is it Avatarr? It seems to be someone sufficiently powerful to be a threat to Tyler and not many people are on that list. If it is Avatarr, it begs the question if Tyler is where he is because of nepotism? It could explain why he's so ruthless, since he knows he doesn't deserve to be where he is.
4) Seriously, what the Hell happened between Risque and Venture that they hate one another so much? I wonder if David ever gets a chance to tell that story.
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