ComiColumn
     
    
   
   
    
     
      by
      SEAN
      MCQUAID
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Welcome
      to
      ComiColumn,
      the
      newest
      and
      perhaps
      strangest
     
     
      branch
      of
      the
      X-PRESS’s
      Arts
      &
      Entertainment
      department.
     
     
      Many
      students
      (and
      many
      non-students)
      read
      comic
      books
     
     
      and
      this
      column
      is
      designed
      to
      showcase
      new
      and
      existing
     
     
      publications
      for
      readers,
      dealing
      out
      criticism
      and
      praise
     
     
      where
      each
      is
      deserved,
      as
      in
      the
      case
      with
      our
      first
      subject,
     
     
      Marvel’s
      new
      Spider-Man
      2099,which
      deserves
      a
      bit
      of
      both.
     
     
      Spider-Man
      2099
      is
      anew
      ongoing,
      monthly
      series
      from
      the
     
     
      ubiquitous
      Marvel
      Comics
      group.
      While
      the
      book’s
      name
      is
     
     
      familiar,
      it’s
      not
      referring
      to
      the
      same
      web-spinning
      wonder
     
     
      who
      seems
      to
      appear
      in
      about
      half
      of
      Marvel’s
      books
      every
     
     
      month,
      The
      Spider-Man
      in
      question
      here
      is
      an
      altogether
     
     
      different
      hero
      who
      makes
      his
      home
      in
      the
      late
      twenty-first
     
     
      century,
      the
      year
      2099
      as
      the
      book’s
      title
      indicates.
      This
     
     
      comic
      is
      actually
      the
      first
      in
      a
      small
      series
      of
      titles
      set
      in
     
     
      the
      2099
      era
      of
      the
      ‘‘Marvel
      Universe’’
      continuity
      and
      is
     
     
      receiving
      a
      lot
      of
      attention
      as
      the
      flagship
      title
      of
      this
     
     
      ‘Next
      Generation’”’
      line-up.
      Does
      it
      deserve
      the
      hype?
      Not
     
     
      necessarily,
      but
      the
      book
      on
      its
      own
      merits
      is
      a
      lot
      better
     
     
      than
      you
      might
      expect.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      One
      of
      the
      things
      that
      turns
      some
      readers
      off
      from
      the
      start
      is
     
     
      the
      very
      concept
      of
      a2099
      Spider-Man.
      Marvel
      has
      shown
     
     
      (especially
      in
      recent
      years)
      a
      nasty
      tendency
      to
      take
      their
     
     
      popular
      characters
      and
      concepts
      and
      milk
      them
      for
      all
     
     
      they’re
      worth,
      cheapening
      the
      original
      creation
      with
      overex-
     
     
      posure
      and
      meaningless
      spinoffs
      (the
      megapopular
      X-Men
     
     
      Spawning
      such
      things
      as
      Rob
      Liefield’s
      abominable
      X-Force,
     
     
      for
      example).
      The
      natural
      assumption
      in
      this
      case
      was
      that
     
     
      Marvel
      would
      create
      a
      cheap,
      future-era
      clone
      of
      ol’
      Spidey,
     
     
      but
      they’ve
      been
      considerably
      more
      original
      than
      that.
      The
     
     
      new
      Spider-Man,
      a
      brilliant
      young
      geneticist
      and
      wisecrack-
     
     
      ing
      upstart
      named
      Miguel
      O’
      Hara,
      has
      no
      relation
      to
      our
     
     
      present-day
      Spidey,
      Peter
      Parker;
      however,
      he’s
      inspired
      by
     
     
      the
      legend
      of
      the
      original
      Spider-Man
      in
      his
      research
      on
     
     
      Ways
      to
      give
      humans
      superhuman
      powers
      by
      imprinting
      the
     
     
      genetic
      code
      of
      another
      creature
      on
      their
      cellular
      structure.
     
     
      In
      the
      story,
      O’
      Hara
      (and
      the
      writer
      Peter
      David
      through
     
    

    
     
      O’
      Hara)
      admits
      that
      this
      research
      is
      inspired
      partly
      by
      the
     
     
      Sci-fi/horror
      classic
      The
      Fly,
      and
      partly
      by
      the
      original
     
     
      Spider-Man,
      who
      took
      on
      superhuman
      abilities
      based
      on
     
     
      those
      of
      a
      spider
      after
      being
      bitter
      by
      a
      radioactive
      spider
      in
     
     
      a
      freak
      lab
      accident.
      (okay,
      so
      it’s
      not
      Masterpiece
      Theatre.)
     
     
      When
      Miguel
      tries
      to
      use
      his
      own
      genetic
      manipulator
      to
     
     
      nullify
      the
      effects
      of
      an
      addictive
      drug
      that
      his
      shady
      corpo-
     
     
      tate
      employer
      had
      slipped
      him
      in
      an
      effort
      to
      ensure
      his
     
     
      loyalty,
      things
      go
      grotesquely
      awry
      due
      to
      the
      sabotage
      of
     
     
      the
      machinery
      by
      a
      jealous
      rival
      researcher,
      resulting
      in
     
     
      Miguel’s
      being
      imprinted
      with
      the
      genetic
      code
      of
      a
      spider
     
     
      and
      mutating
      accordingly
      (don’t
      you
      hate
      when
      that
      hap-
     
     
      Pens?).
      He
      does
      get
      augmented
      strength,
      agility,
      and
      the
     
     
      ability
      to
      cling
      to
      walls
      like
      Peter
      Parker,
      but
      he
      also
     
     
      develops
      fangs
      and
      hooked
      fingers.
      Miguel
      then
      faces
      not
     
     
      only
      drug
      addiction
      and
      coping
      with
      his
      new
      mutation
      and
     
    
   
   
    
     
      UPEI
      X-P
      RESS
     
    
   
   
    
     
      October
      1,
      1992
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      _
      powers,
      but
      he’s
      also
      pursued
      by
      the
      law
      on
      behalf
      of
      his
     
    
   
   
    
     
      employers,
      Alchemax,
      who
      want
      him
      back
      at
      all
      costs
      after
     
     
      he
      pulls
      a
      vanishing
      act.
      Miguel
      becomes
      a
      fugitive
      and
     
     
      takes
      on
      the
      identity
      of
      Spider-Man,
      clad
      in
      a
      unique
      black-
     
     
      and-red
      costume
      equipped
      not
      with
      web-line
      shooters
      but
     
     
      with
      webbed
      ‘‘airfoils’’
      that
      allow
      him
      to
      glide
      between
      the
     
     
      towering
      buildings
      of
      the
      future
      metropolis
      he
      prowls.
      The
     
     
      result
      here
      is
      a
      character
      who
      is
      visually,
      mentally
      and
     
     
      physically
      distinct
      from
      the
      original
      Spider-Man,
      battling
      an
     
     
      evil
      corporate
      empire
      of
      the
      future
      instead
      of
      the
      common
     
     
      criminals
      of
      the
      present.
      It’s
      the
      same
      Spider-Man
      concept
     
     
      ofan
      urban
      crusader
      who
      contends
      with
      both
      the
      law
      and
      the
     
     
      lawless
      in
      his
      city,
      but
      it’s
      a
      different
      crusader
      and
      a
      differ-
     
     
      ent
      city.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      A
      lot
      of
      this
      is
      probably
      due
      to
      Peter
      David,
      the
      series
     
    
   
   
    
     
      _
      writer,
      who
      has
      made
      the
      bestseller
      lists
      with
      his
      futuristic,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      sci-fi
      novels,
      including
      various
      popular
      “‘Star
      Trek’’
      novels
     
     
      such
      as
      Vendetta
      and
      Q-in-Law.
      David’s
      experience
      in
     
     
      science
      fiction
      is
      put
      to
      good
      use
      here
      as
      he
      and
      artist
      Rick
     
     
      Leonardi
      craft
      a
      future
      society
      that
      is
      fantastic
      but
      seldom
     
     
      implausible,
      a
      metropolis
      where
      the
      buildings
      have
      been
     
     
      expanded
      further
      upward
      into
      the
      sky
      where
      people
      travel
     
     
      among
      the
      buildings
      in
      small
      hovercrafts,
      such
      as
      those
     
     
      driven
      by
      ‘‘The
      Public
      Eye,’’
      the
      future
      city’s
      Big
      Brother-
     
     
      style
      police
      force.
      There
      are
      subtle
      touches
      of
      future
      tech-
     
     
      nology,
      too,
      such
      as
      the
      sometimes
      amusing
      holographic
     
     
      ‘*girl
      Friday’’
      who
      acts
      as
      Miguel’s
      secretary,
      day
      planner
     
     
      and
      confidant.
      Beyond
      the
      science
      fiction
      elements,
      David
     
     
      provides
      a
      solid
      story,
      providing
      action
      and
      suspense
      and
     
     
      developing
      well-rounded,
      believable
      characters,
      from
      the
     
     
      brash
      but
      inwardly
      compassionate
      Miguel
      to
      his
      vulnerable,
     
    
   
   
    
     
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