Amazing Spider-Man #75 (October 6): If I'm being honest, I have to admit that Spencer's run gave me PTSD just like Peter. I opened this issue with a certain amount of dread, expecting to end it as frustrated as I often was after a Spencer issue. The good news is that it's a pretty solid start for this new chapter. The bad news, to the extent that it's "bad," is that I still don't feel ready for full optimism.
As mentioned, Peter is struggling with the events of the last few weeks, most notably Harry's death. Ben Reilly's return represents another hit after Ben reveals that Beyond bought the rights to the Spider-Man name after Parker Industries (i.e., Otto) trademarked it. Peter takes it reasonably well after Ben tells him that he's not asking for permission, stressing that he has the same compulsion to do good as Peter has. (I'm sure that it didn't really help Ben's case, though, when he paid for lunch mentioning the "stupid" amounts of money Beyond is paying him.) Ben never explains why Beyond wants a Spider-Man other than it wants to get into the "superhero game." I'm sure they're just totally altruistic.
Later, when the U-Foes attack Empire State University for...some reason, both Ben and Peter respond. These scenes play to Wells' strengths, as Ben and Peter's banter leaps off the page; they're more than the sum of their parts. Wells and Zdarsky are probably my favorite Spider-Man writers, and I'm thrilled that he's serving as the Beyond Board chair, if you will.
Wells makes the wise decision to take Peter off the board for a few issues. After X-Ray explodes to take out both Spideys, Ben is left standing given his suit's "radiation-shielding and air-scrubbing micro-mesh," but Peter lapses quickly develops radiation poisoning.
Again, I'm excited to see where we go here. The Beyond Board clearly has a vision, and I'm excited where that vision is going. But, Spencer also had a vision, and it went some...not great places. That said, this Spider-Man looks and sounds more like the Spider-Man I know, so I'm going to take the win, temporary though it may be.
Dark Ages #2 (October 6): It's weird reading this issue six months further into the pandemic than when it was released. Peter describes a world that lost billions of people to the natural disasters and power struggles that came after electricity disappeared from Earth. Given COVID-19 has killed 6,000,000+ people and Russia invaded Ukraine a few weeks ago, it isn't that hard to connect with this situation. The action-forcing event here is Apocalypse kidnapping Iron Man to help Reed Richards and RiRi Williams reawaken the Unmaker so Apocalypse can steal his power. He reveals that they're using Magneto to block the Earth's electromagnetic field enough to build a Faraday cage and that he's using the Purple Man to force the hero geniuses to work for him. Given Apocalypse has established a brutal dictatorship in Europe, it isn't hard to see what his goals are.
Amazing Spider-Man #76 (October 13): As I recover from my PTSD, I'm happy to say that I enjoyed this issue. I mean, "enjoy" is probably the wrong word, since Peter eventually slips into a coma from his radiation exposure.
But, I feel like the Beyond Board walks us through a pretty logical series of consequences stemming from X-Ray's attack. First, Peter is in a bad way. It's pretty clear that he's only alive due to his Spider-Powers, but he's barely alive. Second, Ben is struggling with his loyalty to Peter and his desire to embrace his life as Beyond's Spider-Man. In violation of his contract, he takes off his uniform to bring Peter to the hospital and calls Aunt May and MJ to meet him there.
Later, Ben again defies his handler, Marcus, when he refuses to go after the U-Foes immediately and instead goes to the hospital to seek Peter's blessing to be Spider-Man. Here, Wells does the reverse of what Spencer did during his run. Instead of showing Peter's good heart by having him wallow in guilt, Wells has Peter understand that if he feels like Ben is asking him to share his life with him then it has to be even harder for Ben. Peter gives Ben his blessing and beseeches him to "be amazing."
As usual with Wells, we get great character moments along the way. Peter remains funny as he weakly jokes about his situation, and Aunt May is a force of nature when it comes to berating the doctors for not helping Peter. I particularly enjoyed Colleen and Misty telling Marcus to have some respect after he says that, in Beyond's eyes, Ben is the only Spider-Man.
Do I dare to hope that I'll look forward to reading "Amazing Spider-Man" every month? Maybe!
X-Men: The Trial of Magneto #3 (TPB) (October 20): This issue is beyond odd. As we saw last issue, someone resurrected the Scarlet Witch. However, she seems to have almost no memories of herself. Jean and Rachel provide her with her "greatest hits," as Rachel calls them.
But, before they can help Wanda process them, three kaiju suddenly attack Krakoa. The Avengers and X-Men assemble to fight them, but they seem nearly unstoppable. Meanwhile, Wanda somehow re-enters the astral space that we've previously seen her occupy and discovers her older self, who - based on her white costume - seems like the person who killed her?
It's fine to drag out the mystery so you can hit four issues, but the kaiju attack is such a random way to do that that it feels like Williams (or, probably more to the point, the editorial staff) just picked it from a hat labeled "obstacles."
Amazing Spider-Man #77 (October 27): I've dreamt of Kelly Thompson writing "Amazing Spider-Man," so I'm thrilled to see her here. Ben has functionally taken over the title at this point as Peter remains in a coma. But, as usual, everything isn't wine and roses for Ben. I mean, not only does Morbius bite him, but he also forgets how one of his memories about Uncle Ben ends as he's recounting for Dr. Kafka. Ruh-Roh. Given the long line of clones who suffered degeneration syndrome, I'm worried where the Beyond Board is going with this one. Ben also meets Maxine, the head of Beyond's superhero program, and she's...intense. It's also a reminder that we know very little about Beyond or its goals. I'm sure they have Ben's best interests in heart.
Inferno #2 (October 27): We have a lot to cover here, as Hickman is telling essentially five separate, though connected, stories.
First, Hickman walks us through how Mystique used her powers to trick the Five into resurrecting Destiny. It's pretty straight-forward: she was the Magneto whom we saw last issue grabbing Cerebro from Island M (is it a duplicate?) and the Professor X whom we saw getting Destiny's DNA from Mr. Sinister. Posing as Professor X, she then has the Five resurrect a younger version of Destiny, at the age she was when they first met, a gift to both of them.
Second, we have the Council machinations. Mystique is able to assemble a coalition of Exodus (the believer), Mr. Sinister (the spoiler), Nightcrawler (the son), and Shaw (the cynic) to vote with her. The surprise is Emma, for whom she obtains a special object in exchange. We'll return to this point later.
Third, we have the Orchis drama. First, Omega Sentinel reveals herself as a mutant (I think) to Nimrod, though it's unclear right now where that story is going. The main development is that Orchis has managed to create a translocator from Earth to the Forge. However, I'm not totally clear how they plan to use that. The monkey doctor tells Mystique disguised as Sage (I think) - who found the Orchis HQ after discovering the X-Force mission log about the Paris gate - that they want to unleash the Sun through the portal. I initially thought that he meant on Earth, but I'm now guessing that he means Arakko? A lot relating to this thread isn't clear. (One question I have is how Mystique knew to look for the security log?)
Most importantly, we have Moira. She seems pretty damn near crazy, yes? At this point, the main question to me is still why Moira is so afraid of Destiny. She's right that Destiny is onto her: she tells Mystique that she sees a "hole" in the future, and we all know what (or who) that means. But, if Charles, Erik, and Moira are really committed to building a paradise for mutantkind, why would Destiny care? Isn't that essentially what she told Moire to do when the Brotherhood killed her in issue #1?
Moira also mentions that Destiny will see through Charles and Erik. If I'm reading between the lines correctly, it implies that Destiny discovering that Moira is lying and scheming to destroy mutantkind wouldn't the only spoiled plot: Charles, Erik, and Moira are clearly planning something that Destiny wouldn't see as in mutantkind's best interests. Charles himself mentions how willing Moira is to spill blood. Then again, Erik refuses to kill Destiny simply because Moira finds it expedient, so maybe Charles and Erik are comfortable with the risk of mutantkind learning of their (likely not as heinous as Moira's) plans.
Returning to the Council machinations, Charles and Erik suggest to Moira that they bring Emma into their scheme because they can trust her. In exchange for the truth, she would then support their choice for the final Council seat. (Moira is skeptical that a Council seat alone would get them the support that they need.) At the Louvre, Emma meets Moira with Charles and Erik and reads her mind, learning "the truth." But, the plan backfires: Emma is appalled at how long and how much Charles and Erik have manipulated her. Emma apparently sees the threat that a precog represents, though it's clear yet that she's willing to play ball. After Emma leaves in a huff, Moira acknowledges that their best bet at this point is putting someone on the Council they can trust, who they decide is Colossus. The literal glint in his eye as he appears before the Council makes it unclear whether they're right or not.
All in all, I'm pretty happy with where we're going here. Charles and Erik seems finally to be getting some form of comeuppance, and I hope that Emma is the one to serve it.
Marauders #25 (October 27): OMG, this issue couldn't have been better. I rolled my eyes at the end of last issue when Rixlo spaced the Marauders, but Duggan and Noto are spectacular as we watch the team work together to survive. Bobby creating the ice bubble, Bobby and Pyro creating water that scientist Kate could electrify to create oxygen, and Bishop and Shaw serving as the "dude-thrusters" were all just great. (I only had to stretch my ability to suspend my disbelief at the idea of Bobby "catching" some oxygen in the ice bubble right after they were spaced.) As Emma said, Kate then ghosting into the ship and kicking Rixlo's difficult-to-kick ass was quite exciting. It's exactly the sort of story that I was hoping that we'd see again in this title. Boo yah.
Moon Knight #4 (October 27): I think I've mentioned on this blog that "West Coast Avengers" was my jam when I was a teenager. I've always been a sidekick person - Bucky Barnes, Clint Barton, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Sam Wilson - and "West Coast Avengers" was the greatest assembly of sidekicks ever. As such, I was thrilled when Tigra walked through that door. As Tigra's rooftop conversation with Marc reveals, Marc could really use a friend in his life right now, isolated as he is. (I'm going to have to read this Avengers' arc where he fights them on Khonshu's behalf.) Moreover, McKay is putting together a rogue's gallery that really fits with Moon Knight's commitment to protecting the night. All in all, I continue to be happy where we're going here.
Also Read: New Mutants #22 (October 6); X-Men #4 (October 13)
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