The end of Scarlet Spider will soon be upon us, and apparently writer Christopher Yost wants to go out with a bang – literally. No, seriously, there’s a big explosion at the end. In fact, this whole penultimate issue is like a big explosion. The writing of cancellation has been on the wall for some time, so Yost has had plenty of time to prepare for these last two issues. The action and drama get pushed up to 11 as Yost seems to throw everything he can into the issue, including the kitchen sink. Storylines that he probably planned for future arcs get crammed into this one issue. Yost seems determined to blow our minds with this finale. If only the art was willing to do the same.

Scarlet Spider #24

Scarlet Spider #24 may be the beginning of the end, but writer Christopher Yost is not yet ready to say goodbye – and we are all the better for it.

Comic Rating: 7/10 – Good.

From the very start, we all knew this was coming. The editors even acknowledge as much on the last page, saying their goodbyes now so that Yost can say his goodbyes in the last issue. The comic book industry these days just doesn’t support this kind of comic. Reaching the 20s in a solo series about a D-list character (at best) is a rare feat, and something to be proud of. Fearless Defenders, a comic launched under the promise of Marvel’s first all-female team, was cancelled this week with issue #12. That’s as far as they made it. But Scarlet Spider, a comic starring Kaine from the much-hated Clone Saga, made it to issue #25. That’s impressive.

I think what did the series in was the fact that it was still just a generic superhero story. Sure, Kaine is kind of an asshole, but this was still a comic about a guy with powers and a costume, who sets up shop to fight crime and super-villains, with a wacky band of supporting characters to play with. New solo comics like Hawkeye succeed because they’re doing something new and interesting with the superhero angle. Scarlet Spider was too much like the norm, starring a character that general audiences didn’t care about. So while it’s sad to see the series, go, there’s no denying it never had much of a chance.

Fortunately, like I said, this penultimate issue is pretty entertaining. Yost has nothing more to lose, so join me after the jump to dig into this exciting, action-packed issue!

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