It’s a new era of Spider-Man, with a new Spidey (well, a new-old Spidey), a new love interest (well, a new-old love interest) and… Well, you just have to check it out, in the launch of the 19 part epic Spider-Man Beyond in The Amazing Spider-Man #75 from Zeb Wells, Patrick Gleason, Marcio Menyz, and Joe Caramagna.
Fans often look at certain stories as the redux of a different story “done right.” Though that quality is often subjective, it’s easy to see that fan debate when talking just about the MCU. In this week’s Amazing Spider-Man #75 though, the opening chapter of the Spider-Man Beyond era is determined to show readers that combining several of those redux can create an interesting and unique new whole.
We’ll get this out of the way first. Yes, Spider-Man Beyond is just ____ done differently (and some readers and critics might go as far as saying “done right” or “done better”). That blank can even be filled in with several different iconic (and not so iconic) stories- the Clone Saga, the 1999 Mackie/Byrne relaunch, Brand New Day, Big Time, Superior Spider-Man, and Worldwide (and that’s just off the top of my head). However, this is a nearly 60-year-old intellectual property owned by the world’s largest entertainment company. There’s bound to be a repeated idea or five. That shouldn’t be held against the so-called “Beyond Board” heading up the series.
What matters is that Wells and Gleason take these ideas and concepts, throw them in a blender and give readers something that feels fresh and new. Ben Reilly is back in New York, back in the Spider-suit, and he has corporate backing. The bulk of this issue is Peter Parker dealing with that, while also establishing this new take on Ben. Plus there’s some punching the U-Foes.
Considering we’re just coming off a nearly 100 issue run that tried to do the same sort of “remix the classics” and just kept failing, it’s impressive that it works. Taking the idea of a “new Spidey in town” and letting him be additive to Peter Parker, rather than a replacement is a big part of that. And yes, that’s sort of what they did with Miles Morales post-Secret Wars, but that status quo started en media res while we get to see how Peter handles that here.
Is it a perfect story? No, it’s not. However, it makes an effort to put care into the characters, their relationships, and their history with one another. It balances the existing Spider-world with the new status quo It also makes a point to be fun. Wells has a great voice for Peter and Ben, making them feel like brothers rather than just two versions of the same guy. Gleason draws one of the most fun versions of Spider-Man I’ve seen in a long time, and Menyz’s color work gets better with every story I see him do.
For anyone that the Spider-books of the last decade has left behind, this feels like the turn that could point the line back on the right path. It seems tailor-made to attract the lapsed Spider-reader. And in my case, it worked. There may be questions that need to be answered, a love interest that needs some fleshing out, and a conflict over who really deserves the webs, but it’s a fun take on Spider-Man that actually gives readers something to look forward to three times a month, rather than a building dread.
And for that reason I’ll be back next week, to give the Beyond era another chance.
Tony Thornley is a geek dad, blogger, Spider-Man and Superman aficionado, X-Men guru, autism daddy, amateur novelist, and all around awesome guy. He’s also very humble.
