Symbiote Spider-Man 2099 #1
Christian Laspada
Recap
THERE IS A NEW SYMBIOTE ON THE LOOSE! Comic legend Peter David triumphantly returns to pen the next epic chapter in the Symbiote Saga alongside artist Rogê Antôntio. This time, set your time circuits ahead to the techno-dystopian future of 2099! Miguel O'Hara, a.k.a. Spider-Man 2099, is facing a hostile takeover - of his own body! Kron Stone, the Venom of 2099, wages an all-out assault on Alchemax, and the only hope of stopping him lies with the power awakened by a top-secret project gone terribly wrong. What must Miguel sacrifice to seal the bond with his new symbiote - his body? His mind? His very soul?!
Review
This explosive first issue is action-packed with stunning art and an exciting return of the symbiotes in 2099. Symbiote Spider-Man 2099 #1 (written by Peter David with art by Rogê Antônio and colors by Sebastian Cheng) picks up right after the events of Spider-Man #43 and opens with Venom 2099 running from intergalactic police and being stopped by Spider-Man 2099. These opening panels are gorgeous with great splash pages that reveal Venom and Spider-Man 2099. This is the first look at Spider-Man 2099’s costume in this mini-series and the design is fantastic. The spikes on the costume give Miguel a sharper look than the class Peter Parker Spider-Man and his short web cape feels like something from a couture runway. This first Venom look is a little questionable, with the villain looking more like the Green Goblin than Venom. Nonetheless, the art throughout this issue is absolutely stunning. Rogê Antônio does a fantastic job at making this universe feel lived in and making the characters expressive.
With Venom sent back to Atlantis, Miguel returns to Alechemax to find out his paternal half-brother, Kron Stone, has escaped prison. To make matters worse, his scientist, Doctor Hibby, is experimenting with the Venom symbiote. In these panels, we see Miguel start to act out of character, raising his voice and hitting things. It’s an interesting foreshadowing of his coming symbiote takeover. Peter David proves why he is a comic legend as he writes a Miguel that is dynamic. With just a couple of panels, David is able to highlight the struggle Miguel is facing running a company and fighting crime and how this will parallel a symbiote’s takeover. I’m excited to see how the character develops in this mini-series.
The moment everyone has been waiting for comes quickly as we get to see Kron Stone return to the mantle of Venom 2099. The design of Venom 2099 is astonishing, and it feels very distinct from the 616 Venom. The character is close to a horror character, but his comedic quips make the character feel like the Venom we know. Antônio and David come together to create an amazing design and well-written character. The return of Venom 2099 and the ending reveal of Spider-Man 2099’s symbiote come at a perfect time and David manages to pace this first issue well. This issue is an exciting start and promises that this mini-series will be fun, violent, and futuristic.
Final Thoughts
This first issue is exciting and gorgeous as David’s amazing writing pairs well with Antônio’s beautiful art. This is a fiery way to start the mini-series with several events already being set up in just a couple of pages. I am excited to continue reading this series to see how the character of Spider-Man 2099 develops and the design of his Venom suit.
Symbiote Spider-Man 2099 #1: Symbiote Saga
- Writing - 9/109/10
- Storyline - 8.5/108.5/10
- Art - 9/109/10
- Color - 9.5/109.5/10
- Cover Art - 10/1010/10
I have a near complete run of the OG Spider-Man 2099 run. I read almost everything he writes, so I will check this out.