Probably the most infamous Spider-Man story now has a sequel series releasing monthly, and so far, it’s certainly edgy. Crafted by Kaare Andrews, Spider-Man: Reign 2 #2 releases today with an old version of Peter Parker desperately rushing to find Mary Jane. He accidentally killed her in the original run, and now he’s back in the past and needs to find her. Along for the ride are cat burglar Kitty-Kat and a whole bunch of actual goblins supplied by Green Goblin. If that sounds weird, wait until you read this second issue.
The edginess continues in Spider-Man: Reign #2 to the point where it practically takes your breath away. To say this issue is violent is an understatement. If you’re upset by heroes killing characters, you’ll likely not be able to swallow this issue. Picking up where the last issue left off, Spider-Man is seemingly in the past, but things aren’t adding up.
As far as what it’s trying to accomplish, it certainly feels like it’s taking chances, but it’s so frantic and overtly emotional it’s hard to pin down what it’s trying to do. Spider-Man doesn’t seem like himself, largely due to his inability to slow down and focus. Instead, he rushes to find Mary Jane as if she’s the last gasp of air he needs to breathe. Along the way, Andrews makes Spider-Man come off as borderline psychotic, with wild swings in his emotions and violent acts without a tinge of remorse.
If you can’t tell from this page, Spider-Man is a lot more violent.
Credit: Marvel
This issue is fun as an Elseworlds tale, though. Green Goblin sent creepy 20-inch goblins with Spider-Man, and they’re a bit of a riot. Spider-Man’s giant bearded look is a bit much, but that’s part of the fun. Throw in classic rogues who are, for some reason, beefed up, and there’s fight-comic fun to be had. Sure, it’s weird that a random bystander gets a metal rod to the eye, but the weirdness largely works.
Probably the most upsetting scene involves Jameson and Robbie Robertson. Like any alternate reality story, trying to piece together what this universe is and how the characters are different is entertaining. That said, it’s hard to imagine Jameson whipping out a shotgun and blasting it at Spider-Man, let alone witness a truly tragic death in the process. Once again, the series is taking huge swings because it can, but for what gain? It’s a death that seems rather pointless and simply there for shock value.
Alternate reality stories offer new twists on characters, and the final page has a doozy of a reveal. The nonsensical timeline aside, it’s possible Andrews can pull off something compelling when it’s revealed who Venom is under the symbiote. Or, like the rest of the issue, it could just be another shocking twist for twist’s sake.
Spider-Man: Reign #2 is an interesting alternate reality experiment, but it’s tedious and ultimately hollow. Spider-Man feels nothing like the character as he rushes along overly emotional and out of his mind. You might find entertainment in the twists in characters, but it’s hard to enjoy this incomprehensible lead hero.
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