Reasons You Should Be Reading The Clone Conspiracy
Dead No More: The Clone Conspiracy has been teased in the main Spider-Man books for some time, [...]
Never Overwhelmed By Clones
You might think that an event called The Clone Conspiracy would be filled with clones, and you'd be right. The difference between this event and the notorious Clone Saga upon which it's based is that this story never lets the clonage overwhelm the core narrative.
The narrative focus of Clone Conspiracy is regret, and how one deals with it. Some, like Peter Parker, use it as fuel for their daily actions, vowing never to let someone else die on their watch. Others, like Ben Reily, see it as an opportunity to fix a broken system, which in this case is death itself.
That focus hasn't been swayed from over the course of the first four issues, despite the fact that at one point hundreds of clones are seen within the Jackal's walls.
Utlizes The Spider-Verse
While the event doesn't yet feature every person to ever sling webs in New York City, it utilizes the characters it does have to great effect.
Heroes like Kaine (the new Scarlet Spider), Spider-Gwen, and Dr. Marconi are all given chances to shine against villains like the Rhyno and Lizard and the new Electro. If you happen to be up on your Spider-Man lore, you'll get even more out of the story, as past relationships from Spider-Man's past are referred to throughout the series, but that threading of lore doesn't seem to alienate new readers either.
Dan Slot continues to weave an interesting tale that combines the best parts of modern Spider-Man and the classic history so many are fond of.
The Return Of Ben Reilly
The big revelation of Clone Conspiracy #3 was the identity of the Jackal, who turned out to be the original Scarlet Spider Ben Reilly.
It wasn't just that they brought a big character back from the past, though, as that seems to happen every other issue in comics these days. What mattered was the method in which they brought him back, and how his journey informed his current mission to restore the dead.
His journey back to the living was torturous, but he managed to turn those circumstances around and created an empire devoted to righting the unfortunate deaths that occurred on his watch. Being that he is originally a clone of Peter Parker, it makes sense that his words would resonate with Parker.
Slott took an overplayed villain and a lost character and combined them to make a truly compelling antagonist to Peter Parker, and that was certainly most unexpected.
The Delightful Superiority Of Doctor Octopus
Dan Slott has managed to turn Doctor Octopus from a joke villain into a delightfully superior villain during his run on Spider-Man, and his involvement in The Clone Conspiracy continues the winning streak.
His genius is apparent to everyone, but no one holds it in higher regard than Octavius himself. The Jackal has literally figured out how to defy death with his clone process, but Octavius quickly finds the flaws in his process. He's the only one that speaks to Jackal as if he is a simple underling, who has the benefit and honor to witness Octavious' genius.
Not only that, but a rather warped love story continues to occur between Octavius and Ana Maria Marconi, who while detested by her will continue to treat her as his one true love. He even goes after the Jackal after disrespecting her, and this odd balance of chivalry and villainy continues to be one of the best parts of Spider-Man.
A Self Contained Spider-Event
Marvel isn't exactly known for compressing their events, nor are they known for being light on the tie-ins. The thing is that is what has happened for The Clone Conspiracy.
Sure there are still tie-ins in Amazing Spider-Man, but so far those are truly what tie-ins are supposed to be, optional. The main event is kept self-contained in the main series, and it feels much less disjointed than previous Marvel events specifically because of it.
You don't feel like pieces are missing, at least so far, when you read it. Compare this to Civil War II, where reading Steve Rogers: Captain America pretty much pulled the rug out from under Captain Marvel's entire argument. So far anyway, The Clone Conspiracy is a one-stop shop, and the story greatly benefits from being less diluted.
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