Spider-Man 2099: Dark Genesis #2 – Enter, The Midnight Suns!

Going into this second issue, it seems that Orlando has somewhat moved away from focusing on the Black Card conflict, instead giving the book’s suffocating number of characters some room to wiggle and shine. As such, Spider-Man 2099: Dark Genesis #2 is much more entertaining than the first issue.

Blade 2099 makes his debut here and is a welcome variant of the original character, gelling well with the plot and characters. With Ghost Rider, Moon Knight, and Venom in tow, Orlando is clearly writing a stealth Midnight Suns book inside this Spider-Man 2099 story. Its goal of introducing various characters from this future timeline and uniting against Carnage is super fun, but as a consequence, the book isn’t Miguel’s story.

In general, the book lacks a main character to follow. There is some emotional drama with Spider-girl’s internal conflicts, and Miguel gets some excellent moments of conflict and pushback that add to the tension in this book. The secondary villain’s introduction was also a welcome addition to the story, adding more wrinkles to the fold of a relatively flat plot line.

However, this book is still delightful to flip through and pass the time with. It uses its setting and concepts well enough, Justin Mason’s art carrying most of the book’s enjoyment on its back. The location and dialogue elevate what’s at hand plot-wise. This issue has given the story a bit more color and depth. If the series continues to improve overall, I could see this as a solid book for fans of 2099.