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| Cover (close enough) |
The year was 1992 but it was only on 2009 that this series first got collected. Fulled by nostalgia I got it as soon as it hit the stores. I wasn't expecting much to be honest, these old stories aren't always up to par by these days standards. Memories often betrays us, but I was willing to experience these stories again for nostalgia sake.
It came as a surprise when I just couldn't put the book down. It was really good., engaging, fast paced, and took a few liberties with the usual super-hero memes. I'm not saying it was a master piece, but it was really, really good, especially if you consider it was a 90s super-hero comic book.
But 2009 was way before I started this blog, so no review for volume one (maybe one day).
It took Marvel 4 years to release the second volume. Why? Who knows? Poor sales of the first volume? Change of strategy? Douchebaggery? Your guess is as good as mine. But it was, eventually, released! (Huzzah!)
Spider-Man 2099 tells the story of Miguel O'Hara, a scientist in one of the biggest corporations of the World that through a botched experiment gained Spide-Man like powers. There are a few differences, like he produces his own webs, but its basically the same set of powers. Miguel also creates one of the best looking Spider-Man outfit ever put on paper, apart from the arm-pit web one of course.
In this volume Miguel is already comfortable in the Spider-Man shoes. Unlike the previous collection there isn't a grand story arc that encompasses the whole book. Instead we get several episodes of his superhero adventures with a social guideline to tie them together (albeit a bit loosely).
You might ask "If there isn't a collection long story arc then what do I get?" Well what you get is pure Spider-Man super-heroic fun stories. The underdog superhero struggling to balance his personal life, with his work (aka revenge on Alchemax) and the protecting of 2099's average Joe.
In these pages you'll get to experience the first appearances of Mutagen (a crazy man searching for the cleansing of the human gene pool), the Net Prophet (possibly someone from the 616 Timeline) and Thanatos (another crazy person with, as of yet, obscure motivation)
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| Mutagen |
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| Net Prophet |
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| Thanatos |
Art wise its a though book to describe. On one hand it suffers from the 90s Marvel art style. On the other hand it has great costume designs (Mutagen is a exception), awesome mood, especially in the portrait of the high city versus the slums. I find it an example of the 90s style done right, but it's not perfect.
There is an issue drawn by a different artist, and that issue stands out like a sore thumb. Its a shame really, because it tarnishes a good job by Leonardi
Its a good bang for your buck. Cool stories, interesting characters and nice looking art. It was great to re-read these stories. Hope Marvel doesn't take another 4 years to publish the next volume.
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Year: 2013
Pages: 240
Authors: Peter David, Rick Leonardi
ISBN: 0785185372
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