Spider-Man 2099 #1
Recap
Essentially what we have here is a soft reboot that slightly updates the origins of Spidey 2099. Spencer even tosses in some subtle nods to 2099 books that probably won't see the light of day again (RIP Ravage 2099). If you've never read the origin I'm not gonna spoil it but suffice it to say Miguel O'Hara has a lot more grit to his origin in comparison to his present day counterpart.
Review
Nick Spencer does a pretty good job recounting the origins of Miguel O’Hara as Spidey 2099 and updating the relationship between Miguel and his brother. That’s essentially the meat and potatoes of this book along with a slight mystery planted within the first and last pages. I’m not gonna spoil it just because if you’re an old school Spidey 2099 fan then the twist is really the only thing you’ll get outta this book. It’s a great introduction to Spider-Man 2099 if you’ve never read him or if you’ve never seen what he’s about in solo adventures but this is like 99.9% old hat if you’re even vaguely familiar with the original series or even the later 2000s follow up also by Spidey 2099 creator Peter David.
The art is good, nothing spectacular but it does have a good blend of West and East styles without looking like a cheap knock off of either. The bummer of it is the stellar cover by Viktor Bogdanovic. Not knocking the team on the interiors itself because as I said the artwork is solid in and of itself, it doesn’t shatter any barriers or break new ground but it’s still good. The thing is though Bogdanovic’s style is extremely fluid and hyperkinetic, the perfect style for something like a Spider-Man book so when you crack it open and the interiors don’t quite stack up it’s a bit of a letdown. But to be fair though that was kinda my fault for letting myself get hung up on Bogdanovic sketches and not actually looking into the creative team past Nick Spencer as writer so can’t be too harsh right?
Final Thoughts
Spider-Man 2099 #1 (Spencer, Ze'Carlos) So lack of Bogdanovic art aside the issue does the job it sets out to do just fine, introduces the future (and best) Spider-Man to a new generation while also planting some new seeds in this whole 2099 Alpha/Omega event.
Spider-Man 2099 #1: Man In the Mirror
- Writing - 7.5/107.5/10
- Storyline - 8/108/10
- Art - 8/108/10
- Color - 9/109/10
- Cover Art - 9.5/109.5/10