News flash: it’s not the 90’s anymore, but if you’ve seen a comic stand recently you may be compelled to think otherwise, since our favorite futuristic version of Spider-Man is back! I thoroughly enjoyed the character dynamics of issue #1, but how is issue #2? Is it good?
Spider-Man 2099 #2 (Marvel Comics)
Miguel is stuck in the past, but he’s making the best of it. He currently resides in a bad part of the city with a not-so-friendly superintendent. There’s also Liz, his current boss, who is almost certain he’s Spider-Man because she was smart enough to figure the new guy at her office is probably the one showing up in tights. Along with his hologram buddy, Miguel needs to keep his head above water so he can get his butt back to the future.
Love the impossible stretching going on!
I can’t help it, I find the writing in this series charming. Peter David is the culprit, partly because he’s so good at writing strong characters, but also because the dynamics are intriguing. Miguel has a friend in his hologram, who just wants to do him right, and his relationship to Liz is only getting more complicated as the pages progress. The clincher in this issue, however, is Miguel’s relationship with his superintendent. The woman is closed off and in pain, and Miguel wants to know why. He brings her flowers and the interaction is light but believable. When he discovers her secret you want him to just hug her, but he leaves, further enhancing the complexity and tension. This is great stuff.
You gotta be strong to do that.
This all builds to a very touching and powerful moment that’s rendered incredibly simply. It’s so simple that, if not for such great writing before it, it would have fallen flat.
It isn’t without action though, as the issue opens with a fun and exciting scene we’ve seen a thousand times. You guessed it, a bank robbery. In hindsight it’s a bit of a throwaway sequence, but it’s drawn beautifully and it shows he’s a little more no-nonsense than Spider-Man. There’s another moment of action later on, as Miguel daydreams what he wants to do to someone as well.
I really love the art by Will Sliney. It’s very clean with a strong, glossy look. He has an impeccable handle on drawing the physique of Spider-Man 2099 and much more importantly, the guy can draw really good facial expressions. This issue has a lot less of Miguel in the suit than some might like, but the dialogue and talking head portions are very strong because you know exactly how the characters are feeling.
That’s pretty funny.
Is It Good?
Even after reviewing Amazing Spider-Man this week, I can safely say this is the best Spidey book on the stands today. The art is top notch and the characters are all so good, gosh darnit, I want to be right there in the comic so I can hang with the bunch of them!
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