This fall, a new era begins for Ben Reilly, the clone of Spider-Man, as he takes on Kraven the Hunter and Morbius the Living Vampire. Running through Amazing Spider-Man 78-80, as well as a special one-shot, the storyline chronicles Ben’s first adventures as the new Spider-Man. Ben may not get very far though, as both Moribus and Kraven have set their sights on the new Web-Slinger.
During the infamous “Clone Saga” which ran through the Spider-Man family of titles in the mid-1990, Ben Reilly was front and center. The story saw Ben Reilly, a clone of Spider-Man, assume the mantle after it was falsely believed he was the real Spider-Man, and Peter a clone. This proved to be false, and Peter was back as Spider-Man within a year, but Ben Reilly has stuck around, making occasional appearances; he recently appeared in Iron Man as part of Tony’s team to take down Korvac. In the Spider-Man/Venom Free Comic Book Day, the sinister Beyond Corporation agrees to sponsor Ben Reilly as the new Spider-Man, giving him a new costume and a new mission, and now readers can see Ben’s new adventures starting this November in Amazing Spider-Man #78, written by Kelly Thompson with art by Sara Pichelli.
Marvel has released more information on the storyline, including creators as well as preview art, shared below. The story kicks off in Amazing Spider-Man #78 and runs through issue 80, including a special one-shot. After a brutal fight with Morbius, Spider-Man must then contend with Kraven, who has arrived to test the new Wall-Crawler. The press release states that Spider-Man “is sent into a hallucinatory spiral that will test his sanity and force him to do the impossible.” The Daugthers of the Dragon will make a guest appearance as well. The press release also revealed the all-star lineup of talent behind the story, including the aforementioned Thompson and Pichelli. Cody Ziglar, Michael Dowling, and Jed MacKay are also contributing to the storyline. Marvel also shared a sneak peek at the four covers as well, featuring the new Spider-Man in action against Kraven and Morbius.
Spider-Man’s Clone Saga story was not popular with fans when it was being published. Thanks to shifting editorial mandates, the story did not play out as intended and stretched out much longer than it was supposed to. This had the unfortunate effect of short-changing Ben Reilly’s time as Spider-Man—by the time Reilly assumed the role, fan ire essentially forced Marvel to backpedal and reinstate Peter Parker in the role. As a result, Reilly never developed as a character, and once Peter returned he faded into the background.
Now Marvel has put Ben Reilly, the clone of Spider-Man, back in the driver’s seat, giving him a chance to redeem himself, and he will start by taking on Morbius and Kraven.
