Scarlet Spider #5 / preview/ spoilers /discussion

[Rob London]

Is this sarcasm? I know the movie, Maltese Falcon. I wouldn't say the bomb equates to a macguffin, but I suppose that line of thinking makes sense.

It's definitely a MacGuffin - a nuclear bomb does one interesting thing, and given that this isn't the last issue of Scarlet Spider, it's not going to do it. If we spent more time with the bomb, it would just be scenes of Kaine debating which wire to pull - a cliche that Yost amusingly sidestepped here.

[Spider-Dragon]

My favorite part of the book was Kaine's reaction to finding out the media/public has dubbed him the Scarlet Spider..... "I swear to God, I'm being punished." That had me rolling Overall the story was ok & definitely my least favorite of the series so far BUT thats really not a negative when you consider how great the first four issues were.

Kaine should feel that way considering what he did to Ben (the original Scarlet Spider) don't you think?

[classicgmer]

Kaine should feel that way considering what he did to Ben (the original Scarlet Spider) don't you think?

Oh yeah definitely & as a matter of fact I hope as the series keeps chugging along I hope we get inside Kaine's head as to how he viewed his relationship with Ben in the past as opposed to how he might feel about it presently now that his mind is cleared and he himself is a costumed do gooder (or one in progress...even though he wouldn't want to admitt it.)

[Ebon Phantom]

While not as good as the other issues, still a good read. I liked the interaction between Kaine and Layton, and Kaine gaining another Other power.

[Probalus]

Oh yeah definitely & as a matter of fact I hope as the series keeps chugging along I hope we get inside Kaine's head as to how he viewed his relationship with Ben in the past as opposed to how he might feel about it presently now that his mind is cleared and he himself is a costumed do gooder (or one in progress...even though he wouldn't want to admitt it.)

I think one of the Web of Spider-Man issues delve into that... If you think about it, Kaine was hounding Ben and protecting Peter because he thought Ben was the original... And he wasn't. So there was a hint of some guilt even before he "heroed" up.

[rdfnd1253]

I think one of the Web of Spider-Man issues delve into that... If you think about it, Kaine was hounding Ben and protecting Peter because he thought Ben was the original... And he wasn't. So there was a hint of some guilt even before he "heroed" up.

Not just that, but didn't Kaine save Ben after he passed out inside a house on fire instead of leaving him like he was going to do at first?

[classicgmer]

Not just that, but didn't Kaine save Ben after he passed out inside a house on fire instead of leaving him like he was going to do at first?

That did happen along with Kaine hallucinating that he saw Ben while he was imprisoned (can't remember where exactly) but I still think their relationship was still fairly complicated...You don't have a bloody, violent, hate filled relationship as long as they had & then have one "feel good moment" and then all of a sudden they have complete understanding of where each other has come from.


Quite some time has passed since Ben has died (I'd assume at least a couple of years) & alot has happened to Kaine, which includes becoming a hero which is something he A. Won't admitt to anytime soon & B. Has been dubbed by the media The "Scarlet Spider"


I think if there was ever a time in Kaine's life where he might be reflecting on his relationship to Ben agian it would have to be now.

[Chris Yost]

Gang --

Thanks for all the kind words on issue 5, I appreciate everyone who checked it out. A couple of things:

Kaine can't 'talk' to spiders, that's just the best he could describe it. He can sense them. He can't control them, they're not going to be coming up to him and warning him of stuff. He's not Ant-Man.

Regarding Ben Reilly, check out next issue to get a much better glimpse of how Kaine feels about Ben.

Also, someone somewhere said that they didn't think Ana Kravinoff was a credible threat to Kaine. And at first, I agreed with that. Kaine does too. And it's a mistake!

So next issue is the return of Ryan Stegman, Ana Kravinoff, Salamander and Julia Carpenter. Plus, Kaine and Aracely eat bar-b-que. So there's that.

So please, with sugar on top, check out next issue!

Best,

chris

[refrax5]

[QUOTE=stewart48;15144376]But not credit for the the ridiculous circumstances that led him to have one eye, burns around his eye, and a name change.

Eh, the way they had him lose the eye was actually not that ridiculous to me. It wasn't a random coincidence. The guy knew he was Fury's son and did it as sort of a sadistic joke. Honestly, that's the only way I could see it making sense.

The name change is a bit eye rolling, but I'm kinda suprised at how bad everyone's taking it. It's comics. The old school Fury hasn't been doing s--t for years. I love the character, but I don't mind them having a character fill the movie/Ultimate role, since I love that version too.

I'd be mad if they killed classic Fury, definitely. But to me, it makes sense Marvel wants to capitalize on the more famous, popular and---frankly---important version of the character, and "Nick Fury Jr" is a pretty simple and clean way to do it. And he has a cool costume.

Note: When I say black Fury is the more important version, I don't mean in terms of comic history or anything like that. I just mean that movie Fury and Ultimate Fury serve a very important function in their universes that the classic Fury never did very much and even if he ever did, he certainly isn't now.

[OkieDokiLoki]

Not as good as the other issues but I still thought it was pretty good.
I really like the relationship developing between Kaine and Officier Layton. Layton almost seems like a daddy to him in a way.

Excited for Stegman returning as artist next issue.
The art in this was okay but Stegman's work just has more energy to it. :)

[TheGreen1]

Good issue, keep up the good work.

I do have a question though. Is Kaine treated like some sort of god here in Houston? I mean, Sure, he's actually done heroic things and such, but let's face facts.
Peter could NEVER threaten a goon like that in front of a cop and not only get away with it, but have said cop drive him down to the next scene.

Kaine has gotten breaks that Peter never really has. Cops aren't actively hunting him down, he's not being slandered at all. He's never had to deal with bad press, only good press. And nobody gives a shit if he removes his mask. No repercussions from it other than The assassins guild. (Which actually was a pretty big repercussion, but he was removing his mask to breathe. Oh well.)

Chris, couple of questions.

Is Kaine physically stronger than Peter is right now? I know he used to be before the bath, but now that his powers have stabilized, is he still physically superior?

[Billium 3]

Gang --

Thanks for all the kind words on issue 5, I appreciate everyone who checked it out. A couple of things:

Kaine can't 'talk' to spiders, that's just the best he could describe it. He can sense them. He can't control them, they're not going to be coming up to him and warning him of stuff. He's not Ant-Man.

Regarding Ben Reilly, check out next issue to get a much better glimpse of how Kaine feels about Ben.

Also, someone somewhere said that they didn't think Ana Kravinoff was a credible threat to Kaine. And at first, I agreed with that. Kaine does too. And it's a mistake!

So next issue is the return of Ryan Stegman, Ana Kravinoff, Salamander and Julia Carpenter. Plus, Kaine and Aracely eat bar-b-que. So there's that.

So please, with sugar on top, check out next issue!

Best,

chris

If it's anything like issue 5, count me in. I enjoyed the hell out of this issue. I loved Kaine's reactions to being called Scarlet Spider. I loved that he just went and ripped some wires out of the bomb because they were going to die anyway. There were so many great Kaine moments in this issue, as per usual. His unique spider powers are very cool and work so well for him, much more than they did when Peter had them for a bit.

My only question is, since Kaine is a clone of Peter Parker, taken from him at the time he was still in college in Professor Warren's class, wouldn't Kaine have a bit of Peter's scientific know how up until that point? I'm not sure if it was addressed elsewhere, but I was curious if such scientific knowledge would have helped him in difusing the bomb more manually.

Anywho, can't wait to see Kaine battling against Ana Kravinoff again. That should be a blast. Though you had me at BBQ.

[Therion]

Guess Jacky didn't implant Peter's memories to Kaine since he was a defective clone to be discarded anyways... the "none of the responsibility" would mean that he was never raised by the Parkers... although a few months ago he risked his ID going to the airport to see Aunt May - don't think he ever showed any feelings for her before (unlike Ben), although he did show some concern about MJ dying during the second clone saga...

Dunno if at some point it has been said if he has Pete's memories or not, maybe he had them and the degeneration made it forget a big chunk of them...

[C_W]

This issue was hilarious, Kaine and the cop make an awesome team. Kaine is funnier than Peter. This issue had great dialogue and some pretty good art.

[Wellman]

I realize I am probably alone on this, but the art is a downgrade to me. More campy than before in my opinion. Plus Stegman got the details of Houston correct. Hopefully they will rectify this in the future.

No, you are not alone. I didn't hate the art, but Kaine looked WAY too much like Peter for my taste, both facially and fight style outside of the brief usage of 'The Other' claws. Also Hobby Airport doesn't look like a small airstrip in the middle of nowhere. But I don't know if that was a editorial mistake, writing mistake or miscommunication in art.


But other then those issues, I liked it and it did seem like the issue wasn't so much the bomb as it was Kaine realizing he has roots in the city and going beyond his normal comfort zone so that he didn't want to leave them if he had to.