Amazing Spider-Man by Nick Spencer vol. 7: 2099

In case you hadn’t heard, Marvel put out another event relating to their marketable-only-for-nostalgic-purposes “2099” series of comics last year.  “Amazing” writer Nick Spencer wrote the bookend issues and ties the whole thing into this series here.  Not very well if I’m to judge as someone who is just reading the main “Spider-Man” series.  Miguel O’Hara, the Spider-Man of 2099, shows up again in this timeline only to be immediately caught by his nemesis the Alchemax Corporation, escape from them, search frantically for Peter Parker, meet him, tell him that time is collapsing, and that’s it.  That is all the “2099” content you’re going to get from this volume.

I’d be less disgruntled about that if the rest of the volume was significantly better.  Except that it really isn’t.  Even for a story that involves Spider-Man trying to take down Doctor Doom, international intrigue, and a dash of espionage-laced fisticuffs, it never really takes off.  The first half is weighed down by all the “2099” stuff, which leaves the back half to try and right the ship by itself.  The end results aren’t terrible, but it’s definitely not up to the level of Spencer’s best work on this series.

I probably would’ve enjoyed it more if the art had been done better justice by the coloring.  The first three issues mark the Marvel debut of longtime DC penciller Patrick Gleason and he’s got an exciting style that fits the character well.  Unfortunately his art is dragged down by coloring that trades the bright primary colors that you expect to see in a “Spider-Man” story for a palette that’s far less interesting.  Artist Bazaluda’s less detailed style isn’t as exciting but it gets the job done and isn’t as weighed down by the coloring.  All this leaves “2099” feeling like a misstep, and not an interesting one at that.  It’s the kind that you hope the creative team swiftly puts behind them as they move onto the next volume.