Spider-Man 2099 #13
Written By: Peter David
Art By: Will Sliney
Colors By: Rachelle Rosenberg
Letters By: VC’s Cory Petit
Cover By: Francesco Mattina
Release Date: 08/10/16
Price: $3.99
In the year 2099 a young lab tech named Miguel O’Hara is Spider-Man 2099. A brilliant geneticist who worked at the mega corporation Alchemax in Nueva York, Miguel rewrote his DNA to make it 50% spider in an attempt to recreate the powers of the original Spider-Man. Since then he has mastered his powers as Spider-Man 2099, and along with his holographic assistant Lyla have traveled back to the present, only to become trapped and in the midst of witnessing the birth of Alchemax.
After the universe shattering Secret War the path to the future was opened but the future was not how he left it. Miguel has vowed to set things right and this time he has the assistance of the Captain America of 2099 Roberta Mendez. This have gotten complicated with Miguel getting his girlfriend in the present pregnant and saving her from the terrorist group The Fist, while the future seems to be in a constant state ever changing flux.
Plot: Captain America 2099 uses the time gate to return home to find her family which allows the Inhuman Ulysses to have a vision that shows her being crucified in a future where heroes are being hunted.
Story: Marvel is really trying to tie everything they can into Civil War II, which puzzled me, and was honestly why I wanted to review it. I was curious about how they could tie it in since Spider-Man 2099 is very much into its own thing with multiple storylines running through the title right now. The “Tie-In” comes into play with the vision from Ulysses. That’s it. But that doesn’t mean this issue was bad, it was actually the opposite, it just didn’t need the tie-in banner.
The story really continues the plotlines that David has been weaving since the beginning of the series, while playing off of that ever changing future, and setting up a Civil War 2099? That seems very interesting. Heroes are apparently gone in the future. They are illegal, they get their powers stripped and costumes burnt. This twist has me really excited. Could the new Superhero Registration Act talked about in The Accused #1 this week have come to pass in this future?
One of the strongest parts of this title is Roberta. I really love her character, the unique twist David put on her, and how she is “Called to duty” as Captain America. It is really cool to see her play out these lives, one as Roberta and one as Captain America. What is real? What is controlled manipulation? Plus she is just bad ass, she arrives to the future in the tiger exhibit of the Nueva York Zoo and is about to be mauled, what does she do? She clocks one of them then asks “Anyone else?” I would love it if Marvel did a whole mini series on her to really flesh her character out more.
The one downside may be an upside as well. I like that this book is a part of the Marvel Universe, but at the same time its own thing. We have two Spider-Men swinging around right now and Miguel makes three, which to be honest is two more than we need. I would love if they give Miguel a different name in this era. I just hope that by creating its own sub corner in the Spider-Man corner that the book doesn’t get overlooked as it is one of the best Spider-Titles out there, and the best Spider-Man one.
Art: The art here is always solid. I love Sliney’s art, as he really adds a lot of detail to every scene. He also does a does a really good job with his emoting. I can always feel what the characters are going through because of their facial cues and body language, which really helps tell the story visually. Not to mention his awesome action sequences that really showcase a fight, as seen in this issue with Captain America.
The colors on the series are always very vibrant. I love the color palettes use and how they easily distinguish the timelines. In a book where they use multiple timelines and one is in constant flux, it really helps to have those slight visual cues.
Verdict: Overall this was another really good issue, but like a lot of the tie-ins it did not require Civil War II plastered on the cover. If you are looking for something to add to that story, you will not find it here. If you are looking for a great character driven rich story, than this is your book.