Back with more clone action. Presumably. Prior to any action, we find this low budget version of our hero headed to The Daily Bugle hoping to harass Ken Ellis for naming him “The Scarlet Spider.” He just casually breaks into the building and finds it empty (late at night), and thinks back to “his” memories of the old days for a minute until…
He says he may have his lawyers contact The Bugle about calling him “The Scarlet Spider” and swings away. As far as Spidey/JJJ banter goes, it’s like a 2/10, but Ben is flying high, feeling good about revisiting the past even if it’s not his. And somehow, Kaine is watching. That guy is everywhere. Now over to The Grim Hunter, doing basically the same speech to his dead dad about what he’s gonna do to Spider-Man he’s done in every appearance. He runs off to go ambush his prey, still not knowing he’s following the store brand copy, and his servant, Gregor, thinks that Kraven trusted him to care for his only son and he’s failed them both. His only son. In a few years, a 2nd Kravinoff son will appear, and a decade after that, a daughter, too, but ok. Ben Reilly gets back to his place and that Gabrielle lady is there to flirt a second, and Kaine is still watching. Meanwhile…
What could this mean? What could be so important that it’s invading all the Ben Reilly books even though it’s a Spidey plot? Seems pretty obvious. We then follow Kaine as he beats up a bunch of dudes while monologuing about how pain is his only companion and blah blah blah, 90s. Then we’re told Spider-Man is still knocked out on that rooftop, which makes no sense, and Ben is asleep in his apartment. And then, we’re told, both Spider-Men have the same dream…
It’s starting! The Honda Summer Sales Event! Oh, my mistake, it’s “the degeneration.” Ben calls his old pal Seward Trainer, who appears here for the first time, to ask if the degeneration could be starting already. Feel like they kinda tipped their hand by putting Kaine in there, but whatever. Trainer says Ben should’ve stuck around to finish the testing, and he’s coming to New York.
So, for a second time in this issue alone, a Daily Bugle reporter who’s known Spider-Man as long as he’s been around is just like, “Dang, another spider guy, what were the odds? Nothing suspicious or interesting about that. I am accepting it at face value!” I mean, right? Where are their reporter’s instincts? Isn’t it weird that a dude with the exact same powers as Spider-Man has shown up? That plus “I feel like I’ve known you all my life?” I dunno, man. Anyway, it’s fightin’ time. Almost! We gotta cut away to this first:
Uh-oh! Back at Betty’s, Ben tries to explain to Vladimir that he’s not the real Spider-Man, but Vlad’s animal senses can’t tell the difference, and he assumes Spider-Man has changed clothes in a pathetic attempt to hide from him. Give Spider-Man a little credit, sir, that would be a terrible disguise. But he insists Ben is Spider-Man and Ben, of course, has no idea who this is, so they finally get to it.
They go around awhile, Vladimir finally namedropping his dad so Ben can get an idea of what’s going on, but neither of them really scores any big hits. Ben says Vlad is insane.
So much for that, I guess. Weird how little of this I remember. I remember the Spider-Man issues pretty well, but not the Scarlet Spider ones. Speaking of, back to the original next post.