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Review: Scarlet Spider #21
That cover is no fakeout, my friends. The classic Scarlet Spider appears in this issue! Who else is super excited? Granted, it’s not Ben Reilly come back from the dead. That would be too much to hope for. But somebody does wear the classic Scarlet Spider costume, and that’s cool enough for me. As I mentioned in last week’s List of Six, I’m a big fan of the Clone Saga, and an even bigger fan of Ben Reilly and the Scarlet Spider. Why do you think I’m reviewing this Scarlet Spider series in this larger review format? Because a fanboy’s gonna love what a fanboy’s gonna love.
Scarlet Spider #21
Scarlet Spider #21 is a set-up issue for the next big danger that Kaine must fight his way through. The fact that it features a call back to the original Scarlet Spider is the sweetest of icings on this cake.
Comic Rating: 7/10 – Good.
Say what you will about the sleeveless hoodie, the visible webshooters and the pouches around the ankles, but I love the Scarlet Spider costume. It’s possibly my favorite alternate Spider-Man costume ever. You better believe I unlock it as soon as possible whenever I’m playing a Spider-Man video game. I like the sleekness of the design, plus I loved the character. And I like the visible webshooters. They’re a neat alteration. I even like the ankle pouches. So sue me. The 90s were a time when pouches were in, and I started reading comics in the 90s. We all like what we all like.
So anyway, Scarlet Spider is still going strong, and Kaine is still on a downward spiral of self-loathing. The guy feels like crap, and that carries over into this issue. He’s dealing with a lot of baggage. Of course, that’s the perfect time to start a new storyline, and this issue delivers in spades. Heck, if I didn’t know any better, this could almost serve as a grand finale, but I’m pretty sure Kaine isn’t being cancelled. A villain with ties to Kaine’s past returns and starts picking apart Kaine’s life, taking down the friends he’s made in Houston. This seems to be leading up to a brawl to end them all, and I’m very much of looking forward to that. After everything Kaine has been through lately, I want to see him just use all of that anger and pain to really kick some ass!
Join me after the jump for a full synopsis and more review.
Phil Urich Dead!? Crossover with Kaine?! Ben Reilly Returns!?
Solicitations have come out for the Superior Spider-Man family of comics in August, and they all seem geared to characters I love. What’s up with that? But hey, I’m not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, even if that gift horse tastes like rancid, bitter tears!
First up, in Superior Spider-Man itself, it seems that Otto is going to target the new Hobgoblin, otherwise known as Phil Urich, otherwise known as one of my all-time favorite comic book characters. I’m always pleased when Phil pops up in the pages of Spider-Man, but based on the solicitations, it looks like Phil’s days might be numbered!
SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #15
DAN SLOTT 
• HUMBERTO RAMOS (A/C)
“Run, Goblin, Run!” Part 1 of 2
• What’s it like to be a villain in the Marvel Universe…once the Superior Spider-Man sets his sights on you?
• Find out, from Phil Urich’s point of view, in what might be the final days of the Hobgoblin.
• Plus, what is the secret of “The Tinkerer’s Apprentice”? Who’s been helping the Terrible Tinkerer? And how is he, of all people, the reason everything in Spider-Man’s life will be changed forever?!
Superior Spider-Man #15
That would really, really suck. But I’m not going to nerd rage about one of my favorite characters being killed. Slott has been building to a confrontation like this with Phil ever since he started writing Spider-Man. So I’m just going to look forward to an awesome Hobgoblin story. And check out Spidey’s new evil costume! Villains always go for black.
SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #16
DAN SLOTT • HUMBERTO RAMOS (A/C)
“Run, Goblin, Run!” Part 2 of 2
• How has the Hobgoblin evaded the Superior Spider-Man for so long? And does that hold the key to the Superior Spider-Man’s greatest success — or greatest failure? It’s the end of the line for Hobgoblin, and possibly an end for a big chapter in the history of Spider-Man.
Superior Spider-Man #16
Everybody keep your fingers crossed. The Phil Urich Death Watch begins here!
Next, it looks like we’re finally going to get the first crossover between Spider-Man and the Scarlet Spider. Chris Yost writes both Scarlet Spider and The Avengers Spider-Man (which will soon be renamed Superior Spider-Man Team-Up), so in August, he’s bringing the two comics together for a two-part story of Scarlet Spider meeting the Superior Spider-Man. Kaine and Otto have a torrid history stretching back to Kaine’s heyday in the 90s, when he killed Otto by snapping his neck with his bare hands. So one would think that Otto probably isn’t going to like running into Kaine again.
Marvel has an interview with Yost on their website. And we get a better look at the new Superior Spider-Man costume. Looks almost like an inverted version of Kaine’s costume.
But more importantly, check out the last question of that interview. The interview is about Scarlet Spider #20, but he question looks ahead to the solicitation for Scarlet Spider #21, which apparently mentions a confrontation with Ben Reilly!? And Yost says that the last page of the crossover will be a real game changer.
So, for reals, it looks like Ben Reilly might be coming back! I will tell you more when it becomes available.
Here are the covers.
Scarlet Spider #20
Superior Spider-Man Team-Up #2
That should make for an awesome team up. Though I’m a little disappointed that it’s not happening in the actual Superior Spider-Man series, as if this crossover doesn’t warrant anything more than just the secondary Spidey titles. But I can live with that.
So Phil Urich and the Scarlet Spider are a big deal in August! It’s like the 90s all over again!
Henchman-4-Hire 