Posted in: Comics, Marvel Comics | Tagged: ben reily, dusk, hornet, HRL, Marvel Comics, marvel legacy, peter david, ricochet, scarlet spider, spider-man, thorne, will sliney

Marvel Legacy Ben Reilly: The Scarlet Spider #10 Review

The Scarlet Spider had Ricochet on his side as Hornet and Dusk take the scene. The two throw a monkey wrench into everything, and Hornet thinks it's a good idea to summon an interdimensional demon to really kick things up a notch.

Can Ben Reilly get out of this bind and protect Cassandra Mercury from Thorne?

This comic is alright. It's one of those issues that is in the midst of a larger arc that moves from Point A to Point B to Point C without a lot of context for what's going on. That seems like a questionable decision for a comic that's being slapped with the Marvel Legacy label, but at the same time, I get why Peter David may not want to warp his comic to fit the schedule of a corporate initiative.

Peter David and Will Sliney teamed up for Spider-Man 2099, too, and Ben Reilly: The Scarlet Spider does share a lot of the charms that book had. Both have a lot of humor and decent dialogue. Both have solid artwork thanks to Mr. Sliney. Both have the energy of a Spider-Man title.

However, this comic doesn't quite have the spark and magic of Spider-Man 2099. Ben Reilly just isn't as appealing a protagonist. You don't get much of him as a character in this issue, and, when you do, it's him beating an unarmed man who is not fighting back absolutely senseless. If someone is just jumping on here, he kind of looks like a brutal jackass.

Ricochet, Dusk, and Hornet are a bit of fun, though it's anyone's guess how Hornet got access to a freaking Cthulhu-esque demon literally called a Fhtagn. He seems more like a subpar Beetle knock-off as opposed to frigging Baron Mordo.

As already stated, Will Sliney does do some good work in this comic. It's high on action, and he gives the world a decent amount of depth. The movement is highly kinetic, though he's not the greatest at depicting punches, kicks, blows, et cetera when they are on panel.

As I already said, this book is alright. Even though it's over, I definitely recommend the last Spider-Man 2099 run in terms of David and Sliney Spider-projects. I don't strongly recommend it, but it's a bit of fun if you need some more Spider-Man periphery.

Also, Kaine is still by far the supreme Scarlet Spider.

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