Ben Reilly is back, and this time he’s more continuity-inserted than ever! Ben Reilly: Spider-Man #1 is written by J.M. DeMatteis, with art by David Baldéon, colors by Israel Silva, and letters by Joe Caramagna.
Nostalgia is a hell of a drug.
Sometimes that’s a good thing, but others not so much. For the last few years, Marvel has been marketing a small line of books on nothing but nostalgia. Obviously they’re selling, since we’re still getting them. In some cases, they have their place, but others are just a little baffling (PAD’s Maestro trilogy anyone?).
In Ben Reilly’s case it makes sense. After all, Ben made a splash as Scarlet Spider, became Spider-Man for a hot minute and died immediately afterwards. After a 20 year absence, he was resurrected, returned to his Scarlet roots and died again. Naturally, with his return to the lead role in Amazing Spider-Man, it’s a prime time for a refresher on Ben’s previous time as Spider-Man. Thus, this week’s Ben Reilly: Spider-Man #1.
This story is straightforward – a bridge between Ben’s last moments as Scarlet Spider and his first moments as Spider-Man as he’s trying to figure out who he is as both Ben and as Spidey. Ben’s Scarlet Spider was a bit darker and angrier, but as Spider-Man he was more carefree and happy. JM DeMatteis takes that and shows the transition between those two Spiders – with all the angst and overwrought 90’s dialogue that goes with it. That’s balanced with a modern artistic sensibility from David Baldeon and Israel Silva.
Bringing in DeMatteis makes sense. No one shaped Ben Reilly as his own man more than the legendary Spider-Man writer. He didn’t just write Spectacular Spider-Man through the Clone Saga, he also wrote Spider-Man: The Lost Years, and Spider-Man: Redemption, the two most formative stories in Ben’s history. He gives the story extra weight, not just as one of the most notable writers in Spider-Man history, but as a creator who knows Ben as well as he knows Peter.
When it comes down to it, this doesn’t feel like the nostalgia cash grab of X-Men Legends, Symbiote Spider-Man or Maestro. This feels like a refresher, something meant to give modern audiences an understanding of why Ben worked as Spider-Man while also giving fans nostalgic for his short-lived time as Spider-Man something new from one of the writers who shaped him most. It also modernizes his time as Spidey a bit, by using Baldeon’s extremely energetic lines, and Silva’s modern coloring styles, and a more modern palette.
Is it perfect? No, not by any means. The angst is sometimes dialed a bit too high, and Ben seems to take a bit of perverse pleasure in being a jerk. But overall the story is strong and the art is great (even if Baldeon is a bit of an acquired taste to many). The series maybe should have debuted concurrently with the beginning of Spider-Man Beyond, but otherwise, it’s a solid bit of story for any 90’s Spidey fan.
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.
