The Clon- er, Chameleon Conspiracy wraps up in an oversized “Giant-Size” issue of Amazing Spider-Man, closing out fewer plotlines than one would hope. Written by Nick Spencer and Ed Brisson, penciled by Marcelo Ferreira, Carlos Gómez, Zé Carlos, and Ig Guara, inked by Wayne Faucher, Carlos Gómez, Zé Carlos, and Ig Guara, colored by Andrew Crossley, Morry Hollowell, and Rachelle Rosenberg, and lettered by Joe Caramagna.
The Chameleon is one of Spider-Man’s oldest and most interesting adversaries. He can be used in a variety of stories, with multiple roles such as master criminal or spy, and all of them incredibly dangerous thanks to his skills as a master of disguise. So why exactly is this story so damn boring?
After the relatively standard “Chameleon Conspiracy” story arc, Nick Spencer’s second to last “big” story before he wraps up his way-too-long and way-too-self-important run wraps in this giant-sized special, and quite frankly it does nothing. Prior to this issue, Spider-Man and multiple villainous players were fighting over a too-good to be true MacGuffin (this one could see the future!) while the Chameleon and his mentor taunted Peter’s super-spy sister Teresa about whether she was actually Richard and Mary Parker’s daughter. Oh and Ned Leeds mysteriously returned, even though he already returned and was killed off again in the last four or so years.
Well in this issue, the fighting continues until Spidey and his allies win the day. The MacGuffin is turned over to someone Peter can trust (who turns out to be Teresa), and she destroys it rather than giving it up to the Chameleon, who had tried to blackmail her into that in exchange for information. As for Teresa’s parentage? It’s back to being ambiguous rather than confirmed, but it’s mostly still confirmed, just with a seed of doubt in Teresa’s mind. Last and maybe not least, Ned might be more than he appears, but a sinister smile could mean anything really.
It’s all a story that could have been told in a two-part storyline or an oversized annual, rather than the paradoxically overstuffed and heavily decompressed four-parter that we got. In the end, it really accomplished nothing. Nick Spencer put some pieces on the board that he may or may not use in his final blowout storyline, Ed Brisson did an admirable job scripting over the confusing plot, and it all ended with a confusing and frankly boring whimper.
The art is another artist jam, just like the Giant-Size King’s Ransom conclusion. They’re all competent artists, and their style matches extremely well. Unfortunately, that does mean that makes for an extremely generic, house-style-heavy issue. It’s competent and the action is good, but that’s about the best you can say about it.
In the end, the Chameleon Conspiracy arc was nearly a complete waste of time. There was no character progression, no plot progression, and only served to tread water until Sinister War. I mean, Chameleon didn’t even end up joining the Sinister Six, as I assumed he would have. Even worse, it just went through the motions, and you could tell. It was boring and inoffensive, which at this point (in a run that has had massive pacing issues and has been a prime example of how to not tell a long-form story) is probably the ultimate sin. And in that, it’s probably the epitome of this run.
Tony Thornley is a geek dad, blogger, Spider-Man and Superman aficionado, X-Men guru, autism daddy, amateur novelist, and all around awesome guy. He’s also very humble.
