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The Amazing Spider-Man: Worldwide
Amazing Spider-Man: The Clone Conspiracy
Collects Amazing Spider-Man (2015) #19-24; The Clone Conspiracy #1-5; The Clone Conspiracy: Omega; Silk (2015B) #14-17; Prowler (2016) 1-5; material from Free Comic Book Day 2016 (Captain America) #1.
Amidst a gauntlet of his deadliest rogues, an old foe returns to the fore. Loved ones lost are dead no more as Peter Parker plunges headlong into THE CLONE CONSPIRACY - a blockbuster event series from A-List creators Dan Slott and Jim Cheung! Prepare yourself for THE Spidey story of 2016 as the writer who brought you Spider-Verse, Superior Spider-Man and Spider-Island brings you the next defining chapter in the wallcrawler's life! The identity of the man in the red suit has been revealed. The Jackal has returned, more driven and determined than ever. He's off ered Spidey's greatest rogues a chance to reunite with their loved ones in exchange for loyalty. But to what end? With the Rhino, the Lizard, Electro and even Doctor Octopus at his side, things are looking bleak. But who else from Spider-Man's past has reappeared?!
Amidst a gauntlet of his deadliest rogues, an old foe returns to the fore. Loved ones lost are dead no more as Peter Parker plunges headlong into THE CLONE CONSPIRACY - a blockbuster event series from A-List creators Dan Slott and Jim Cheung! Prepare yourself for THE Spidey story of 2016 as the writer who brought you Spider-Verse, Superior Spider-Man and Spider-Island brings you the next defining chapter in the wallcrawler's life! The identity of the man in the red suit has been revealed. The Jackal has returned, more driven and determined than ever. He's off ered Spidey's greatest rogues a chance to reunite with their loved ones in exchange for loyalty. But to what end? With the Rhino, the Lizard, Electro and even Doctor Octopus at his side, things are looking bleak. But who else from Spider-Man's past has reappeared?!
481 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 12, 2017
257 people are currently reading
270 people want to read
About the author
Dan Slott
1,996 books451 followersDan Slott is an American comic book writer, the current writer on Marvel Comics' The Amazing Spider-Man, and is best known for his work on books such as Arkham Asylum: Living Hell, She-Hulk, Silver Surfer, The Superior Spider-Man, and Ren & Stimpy.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 111 reviews
December 20, 2017
Look, we all know the original Clone Saga was a sucktackular poo-fest that epitomized all that was wrong with comics in the 90s. It did for the word “clone” what R. Kelly has done for act of urination. When that’s your baseline, you could ask an iguana to puke on a page, cover it with glitter, and end up producing a better work product. In other words, the bar for success with The Clone Conspiracy was pretty low.
Does it clear the bar? Absolutely. Is it destined to sit atop the pantheon of great stories in the annals of Spider lore? No—because it’s still got a bunch of clone tomfoolery going on, and the ridiculousness factor is high.
Still, Slott gets the heart of Peter Parker, and so there are some genuinely great moments here. I may not love everything Marvel (and Slott) are doing with Spidey these days, but I have the utmost of confidence in Slott approaching the material with reverence and love and a strong sense of history, so I’m willing to ride out the bumpy ones.
That said, I’m voting for a 100-year moratorium on clone stories involving Spider-Man. Let my great-great grandkids deal with the next incarnation of this…
Does it clear the bar? Absolutely. Is it destined to sit atop the pantheon of great stories in the annals of Spider lore? No—because it’s still got a bunch of clone tomfoolery going on, and the ridiculousness factor is high.
Still, Slott gets the heart of Peter Parker, and so there are some genuinely great moments here. I may not love everything Marvel (and Slott) are doing with Spidey these days, but I have the utmost of confidence in Slott approaching the material with reverence and love and a strong sense of history, so I’m willing to ride out the bumpy ones.
That said, I’m voting for a 100-year moratorium on clone stories involving Spider-Man. Let my great-great grandkids deal with the next incarnation of this…
January 29, 2018
This giant collection is really the only way to read this story. If you read each of the 4 series separately, you're going to be completely lost. I tried that with Amazing Spider-Man and was frustrated to the point I gave up until I got a hold of this. It puts all 4 series in order chronologically.
I'm not sure why Marvel decided to bring back the clones after the terrible Clone Saga of the 90's that caused me to drop all the Spidey titles. But this wasn't half bad. I liked the new take on the Jackal. The gremlin looking dude running around in his underwear always felt silly as opposed to threatening. Anyway the new Jackal is bringing back all the people who have ever died in Spidey's life in order to get Peter's help. The art in the Clone miniseries is by Jimmy Cheung so it is of course fantastic.
Amazing Spider-Man has been relegated to fleshing out revelations from the Clone miniseries. It works well in context of the larger whole but I'm not even for sure why they released those issues on their own. That's like something DC would do.
The Prowler goes off on some side missions spawned in the Clone miniseries. Jamal Crawford provides some really good art.
Silk is the only one of the books the works well by itself. There's actually some pages dealing with Silk's ongoing story as well. The art here is very cutesy. I almost expected this to be collected in a little digest edition for younger readers.
I'm not sure why Marvel decided to bring back the clones after the terrible Clone Saga of the 90's that caused me to drop all the Spidey titles. But this wasn't half bad. I liked the new take on the Jackal. The gremlin looking dude running around in his underwear always felt silly as opposed to threatening. Anyway the new Jackal is bringing back all the people who have ever died in Spidey's life in order to get Peter's help. The art in the Clone miniseries is by Jimmy Cheung so it is of course fantastic.
Amazing Spider-Man has been relegated to fleshing out revelations from the Clone miniseries. It works well in context of the larger whole but I'm not even for sure why they released those issues on their own. That's like something DC would do.
The Prowler goes off on some side missions spawned in the Clone miniseries. Jamal Crawford provides some really good art.
Silk is the only one of the books the works well by itself. There's actually some pages dealing with Silk's ongoing story as well. The art here is very cutesy. I almost expected this to be collected in a little digest edition for younger readers.
April 8, 2017
[Read as single issues]
Full disclosure, I am biased when reviewing this. The Clone Saga was what got me into Spider-Man comics, and comics in general, and I love pretty much anything related to it, so take that as you will. I also unironically love pretty much all of Dan Slott's Spider-Man run, so again, your mileage may vary with this review.
This omnibus includes all of the Clone Conspiracy mini-series, including the prelude and epilogue issues, as well as the Amazing Spider-Man tie-in issues, as well as the Silk and Prowler tie-ins too. You're getting everything, and it's all pretty grand.
The main series sees the return of the Jackal, longtime Spider-Man foe obsessed with Gwen Stacy and cloning. When his new technology seems to literally bring people back from the dead, Spidey is faced with the moral dilemma of having to face all of his old villains, as well as those who've fallen in the line of fire like George Stacy and Ned Leeds, and have to decide if they're real or not. Of course, nothing is as it seems, and things get very complicated very quickly. It's the next step in the epic Slott story, and it's going to rock Spidey's world for a while yet. Every issue of this series is handled by Jim Cheung, whose interiors are always, always a delight.
The Amazing Spider-Man tie-in issues focus on individual characters, explaining what's been going on behind the scenes to get them to the Clone Conspiracy. These issues are basically essential reading, especially the ones focused on Doc Ock, Scarlet Spider, and the Jackal. You can understand the event without them, but they give you some much needed perspective. The epilogue issue is also pretty important, giving closure to the story as well as setting up the next big things in the Spider-Man universe, including a new Scarlet Spider ongoing and the Osborn Identity storyline. Giuseppe Camuncoli draws most of the ASM tie-ins with his usual grace and fluidity, whilst the epilogue issue gets Cory Smith (channelling Olivier Coipel and Jim Cheung), Mark Bagley, and Stuart Immonen. That's a great selection of artists.
The Silk tie-in issues work well on their own, but if you've been reading Silk they'll make a bit more sense. Still, considering her deep connections to Jonah Jameson, Silk finds herself facing off against some very specific clones and has her own problems when her ghostly boyfriend Spectro is trapped in a clone body himself. Silk's a great little series, and this arc is a good example of why. Hopefully it'll make you want to go read the rest of Cindy's adventures. The art in these issues by Irene Strychalski is cutesy, but effective.
The Prowler issues are solid, picking up on some long-standing Daredevil storylines actually, but the resolution of the Clone Conspiracy makes things feel a bit inconsequential. There's not much I can expand on there without spoiling it. They're drawn by Jamal Campbell however, so they look absolutely beautiful.
Clone Conspiracy is probably my second favourite Spider-Man event after Spider-Verse, with twists and turns, important plot developments, and gorgeous artwork on all fronts.
But yeah, I'm biased. Still, give it a go.
Full disclosure, I am biased when reviewing this. The Clone Saga was what got me into Spider-Man comics, and comics in general, and I love pretty much anything related to it, so take that as you will. I also unironically love pretty much all of Dan Slott's Spider-Man run, so again, your mileage may vary with this review.
This omnibus includes all of the Clone Conspiracy mini-series, including the prelude and epilogue issues, as well as the Amazing Spider-Man tie-in issues, as well as the Silk and Prowler tie-ins too. You're getting everything, and it's all pretty grand.
The main series sees the return of the Jackal, longtime Spider-Man foe obsessed with Gwen Stacy and cloning. When his new technology seems to literally bring people back from the dead, Spidey is faced with the moral dilemma of having to face all of his old villains, as well as those who've fallen in the line of fire like George Stacy and Ned Leeds, and have to decide if they're real or not. Of course, nothing is as it seems, and things get very complicated very quickly. It's the next step in the epic Slott story, and it's going to rock Spidey's world for a while yet. Every issue of this series is handled by Jim Cheung, whose interiors are always, always a delight.
The Amazing Spider-Man tie-in issues focus on individual characters, explaining what's been going on behind the scenes to get them to the Clone Conspiracy. These issues are basically essential reading, especially the ones focused on Doc Ock, Scarlet Spider, and the Jackal. You can understand the event without them, but they give you some much needed perspective. The epilogue issue is also pretty important, giving closure to the story as well as setting up the next big things in the Spider-Man universe, including a new Scarlet Spider ongoing and the Osborn Identity storyline. Giuseppe Camuncoli draws most of the ASM tie-ins with his usual grace and fluidity, whilst the epilogue issue gets Cory Smith (channelling Olivier Coipel and Jim Cheung), Mark Bagley, and Stuart Immonen. That's a great selection of artists.
The Silk tie-in issues work well on their own, but if you've been reading Silk they'll make a bit more sense. Still, considering her deep connections to Jonah Jameson, Silk finds herself facing off against some very specific clones and has her own problems when her ghostly boyfriend Spectro is trapped in a clone body himself. Silk's a great little series, and this arc is a good example of why. Hopefully it'll make you want to go read the rest of Cindy's adventures. The art in these issues by Irene Strychalski is cutesy, but effective.
The Prowler issues are solid, picking up on some long-standing Daredevil storylines actually, but the resolution of the Clone Conspiracy makes things feel a bit inconsequential. There's not much I can expand on there without spoiling it. They're drawn by Jamal Campbell however, so they look absolutely beautiful.
Clone Conspiracy is probably my second favourite Spider-Man event after Spider-Verse, with twists and turns, important plot developments, and gorgeous artwork on all fronts.
But yeah, I'm biased. Still, give it a go.
March 9, 2017
This was pretty OKAY. The artwork was amazing, cause it's Jimmy Cheung so it's gunna be, but the story was just Dan Slott looking for ways to bring back everyone from Spider-mans past without bringing them back back. It's not as good as Spider-Island or Spider-Verse, but it's better than Ends of the Earth.
I think the main problem was it was hard to feel emotionally invested, even though it's a story about Peter confronting a lot of his mistakes he's made as Spider-man.
The Peter/Gwen scenes never seemed to click as well as they should have (though SPIDER-Gwen is once again a star of the book).
But I didn't dislike it as much as some of Slotts other stuff, and it wasn't too boring.
Really want him to wrap up his Spider-man though.
I think the main problem was it was hard to feel emotionally invested, even though it's a story about Peter confronting a lot of his mistakes he's made as Spider-man.
The Peter/Gwen scenes never seemed to click as well as they should have (though SPIDER-Gwen is once again a star of the book).
But I didn't dislike it as much as some of Slotts other stuff, and it wasn't too boring.
Really want him to wrap up his Spider-man though.
July 11, 2022
The core limited series was pretty fun, with awesome art by Jim Cheung, everything else was sub-par, just skip the tie-ins, they're not worth it.
July 26, 2021
collects: Clone Conspiracy 1-5, Omega
Someone has been resurrecting the loved ones of enemies of Pete's and even some of his friends who were dead and Peter decides to look into it personally and when he finds who it is and that Gwen is back, they have to look into it and he sees the return of his old nemesis Dr Octopus and then the thing with Miles warren and the return of and the whole origin of him and his motives and what he is offering them and the final fight and can New U save others and what will be the cost and especially what will be the fallout and what traumatic event will Peter have to suffer and will he see his loved ones sacrifice themselves again?
The beginning was so good and you get to see through the story the emotional costs that Peter has to pay for having his loved ones back and I love the new twists with the Jackal and that clearly provides some great motives and plays into the title and the middle was solid as well but then the ending was a bit wonky but that was expected and I quite enjoyed it! The things with Gwen was wonderful and the inclusion of Kingpin and Kaine too and their mission and Pete gets a chance to say goodbye again. The ending could have been better and the fallout more consequential but then again. The art of Cheung was so good here and some scenes with Spidey and his techs looked so good. Really enjoyed them a lot. One of the best Spidey events for sure and sets some massive status quo.
Someone has been resurrecting the loved ones of enemies of Pete's and even some of his friends who were dead and Peter decides to look into it personally and when he finds who it is and that Gwen is back, they have to look into it and he sees the return of his old nemesis Dr Octopus and then the thing with Miles warren and the return of and the whole origin of him and his motives and what he is offering them and the final fight and can New U save others and what will be the cost and especially what will be the fallout and what traumatic event will Peter have to suffer and will he see his loved ones sacrifice themselves again?
The beginning was so good and you get to see through the story the emotional costs that Peter has to pay for having his loved ones back and I love the new twists with the Jackal and that clearly provides some great motives and plays into the title and the middle was solid as well but then the ending was a bit wonky but that was expected and I quite enjoyed it! The things with Gwen was wonderful and the inclusion of Kingpin and Kaine too and their mission and Pete gets a chance to say goodbye again. The ending could have been better and the fallout more consequential but then again. The art of Cheung was so good here and some scenes with Spidey and his techs looked so good. Really enjoyed them a lot. One of the best Spidey events for sure and sets some massive status quo.
April 2, 2017
Clone stories are to Spider-Man as Afghanistan is to the great powers. Many are the writers with dreams of conquering the plot that won't die and finally doing a good one. All, over the years, find their plans come to dust and ruin.
Dan Slott is the latest and to give him credit he comes closer than most - there's a strong set-up to The Clone Conspiracy, with Peter finding himself in a classic secret identity dilemma that ultimately earns him the wrath of a grieving JJJ. But having spent several issues of Amazing Spider-Man establishing this plot, it fizzles out in the main event series in favour of yet more nonsense with alternate timelines, a zombie apocalypse thread that feels tacked-on at best, and a resolution for the long-running Doctor Octopus plot which is welcome but puts even more strain on an overstuffed book. The urge to justify the story as an epic ends up squandering its emotional throughline and The Clone Conspiracy becomes a painful waste of potential. But what do you expect - it's s clone story.
Dan Slott is the latest and to give him credit he comes closer than most - there's a strong set-up to The Clone Conspiracy, with Peter finding himself in a classic secret identity dilemma that ultimately earns him the wrath of a grieving JJJ. But having spent several issues of Amazing Spider-Man establishing this plot, it fizzles out in the main event series in favour of yet more nonsense with alternate timelines, a zombie apocalypse thread that feels tacked-on at best, and a resolution for the long-running Doctor Octopus plot which is welcome but puts even more strain on an overstuffed book. The urge to justify the story as an epic ends up squandering its emotional throughline and The Clone Conspiracy becomes a painful waste of potential. But what do you expect - it's s clone story.
did-not-finish
July 16, 2017I haven't read a Spidey book in forever, so you know as soon as I do it's about how Parker is terrible at preventing his personal life from falling apart because he's too busy catching muggers and other nonsense. We've been telling that story for 50 years. Get a new one.
Add to the above that the plot is obviously going to rely on "your friends/associates are mind-controlled, but you're too stupid to notice" as a major device, and I didn't even make to any Spidey clones, if there are any, before putting it down in annoyance.
*yawn* On to other books.
Add to the above that the plot is obviously going to rely on "your friends/associates are mind-controlled, but you're too stupid to notice" as a major device, and I didn't even make to any Spidey clones, if there are any, before putting it down in annoyance.
*yawn* On to other books.
November 10, 2017
3,5*
Warning: this reviews covers the pure Spider-Man titles, the Silk and Prowler issues are not included.
As amazing that may sound I've never read a Clone Saga book before. I was a little anxious that past issues would be needed to get the plot but the various info dumps are enough to fill the blanks on who's who and what's what so no problem here.
A new company proposes experimental procedures that can cure anybody from anything. Peter suspects there's something fishy and starts to investigates. He's in for a surprise since he soon discovers long time dead people he knew are alive and kicking!
I think this a good Spidey event. Not mind-blowing, not on a cosmic scale, but a well plotted story to be read as a kind of medical thriller with suspense and drama and a few good action scenes.
The stakes start low key before going up. There are some decently handled emotional moments (can't say much without spoiling) and some pretty good dialogues like Slott can deliver.
My main remark would be a somewhat abrupt conclusion. It looks like the team was tied with 5 issues but actually needed more space. The Omega issue brings a better sense of closure without being entirely satisfying.
I'm also not too sure about the long-term consequences : real effect or simple flash in the pan?
The AMS regular series actually ties-in with the main plot, really adding something to it instead of treading water under the flag title.
The annual sucks. Period.
Jim Cheung on the main event and Giuseppe Camuncoli on ASM both do good jobs though a little mechanically for the latter. It misses this little spark that makes the difference.
Warning: this reviews covers the pure Spider-Man titles, the Silk and Prowler issues are not included.
As amazing that may sound I've never read a Clone Saga book before. I was a little anxious that past issues would be needed to get the plot but the various info dumps are enough to fill the blanks on who's who and what's what so no problem here.
A new company proposes experimental procedures that can cure anybody from anything. Peter suspects there's something fishy and starts to investigates. He's in for a surprise since he soon discovers long time dead people he knew are alive and kicking!
I think this a good Spidey event. Not mind-blowing, not on a cosmic scale, but a well plotted story to be read as a kind of medical thriller with suspense and drama and a few good action scenes.
The stakes start low key before going up. There are some decently handled emotional moments (can't say much without spoiling) and some pretty good dialogues like Slott can deliver.
My main remark would be a somewhat abrupt conclusion. It looks like the team was tied with 5 issues but actually needed more space. The Omega issue brings a better sense of closure without being entirely satisfying.
I'm also not too sure about the long-term consequences : real effect or simple flash in the pan?
The AMS regular series actually ties-in with the main plot, really adding something to it instead of treading water under the flag title.
The annual sucks. Period.
Jim Cheung on the main event and Giuseppe Camuncoli on ASM both do good jobs though a little mechanically for the latter. It misses this little spark that makes the difference.
March 29, 2022
So this is probably my first comic that seriously confused me to the point I re-read parts trying to understand. Keep in mind, I'm new at reading comics.
The main pro I want to get out of the way is the artwork, which seems to be by Jimmy Cheung. If it wasn't for the art work, I'm not sure how pleasing it would have been to go back and re-read pages to make it out.
Peter is confronted with all the "wrongs" he done as Spiderman by someone who resurrects the dead loves one hes lost as well as his enemies. Even with this though I had a hard time feeling emotionally invested.
For me as the reader I had a hard time following along with HOW and WHY this was being done in the first place. No spoilers but later it's found out and I still had more questions than answers.
I will probably pick up more with artwork by Jimmy Cheung but this whole thing was a big "eh" to me. I was tempted to just give it 2 but the artwork gave it a 3.
The main pro I want to get out of the way is the artwork, which seems to be by Jimmy Cheung. If it wasn't for the art work, I'm not sure how pleasing it would have been to go back and re-read pages to make it out.
Peter is confronted with all the "wrongs" he done as Spiderman by someone who resurrects the dead loves one hes lost as well as his enemies. Even with this though I had a hard time feeling emotionally invested.
For me as the reader I had a hard time following along with HOW and WHY this was being done in the first place. No spoilers but later it's found out and I still had more questions than answers.
I will probably pick up more with artwork by Jimmy Cheung but this whole thing was a big "eh" to me. I was tempted to just give it 2 but the artwork gave it a 3.
August 17, 2017
This covers a good chunk of material. As a stand alone story, the Clone Conspiracy is alright but not that gripping, and the reveals don't feel as shocking as they're intended. For the positive, the artwork is fantastic. Dan Slott also writes an excellent Spider-Man, but he writes an even better Doc Ock. The continuation of that story is very engaging as long as you know the back story.
What helps is the tie-in from ASM. Moments from the main story are better fleshed out and leads to some great character moments. The other stories from Silk and the Prowler aren't necessary and fluctuate between their highs and lows, but more additional content for the price ended up being a good deal.
What helps is the tie-in from ASM. Moments from the main story are better fleshed out and leads to some great character moments. The other stories from Silk and the Prowler aren't necessary and fluctuate between their highs and lows, but more additional content for the price ended up being a good deal.
Read
September 28, 2017“That’s it, isn’t it? You won’t let yourself be happy because Spider-Man can’t be happy. You’ve lived with the pain for so long, it’s comforting. You don’t know what you’d do without it.”
Somewhere in The Clone Conspiracy there’s a great story which, like much of Dan Slott’s run, hinges on everything that’s wrong with Peter Parker. As my dad said, watching Spider-Man 2: “Is his superpower kicking himself in the balls?” And so we get an antagonist who for once really can tell the hero that they’re not so very different, and who represents the endpoint of Spidey’s crazy insistence that nobody at all should die on his watch…because he’s brought them all back. Every friend, every villain, the lot (well, with one key exception…). To which Spidey’s response is tellingly inaccurate: "I’m used to the bad guys coming back…friends, loved ones…they never come back.” Which is plain bollocks, isn’t it? I mean, yes, plenty of his friends have turned villain at one point or another, but what about Harry Osborn, for starters, never mind pretty much the entire Avengers roster? And yet, it’s telling bollocks, exactly the sort of slanted version of events you’d expect from a self-pitying mope like Parker, who sets himself impossible goals and then still has to skew the accounting so he has sufficient reason to beat himself up. So a story about all that coming home to roost, about the absurdities of his code – I’m so up for that. Not to mention, plenty of great lines along the way: “Eh, remember when being a mad scientist was about science? Now it’s all meetings, meetings, meetings. This is what you get when you try to remake the world into a better place.”
Which makes it a real shame that all of that gets half-buried in an absolute mess of an event. To some extent this may be a result of too many cooks and too much rush; consider little telltale details like the early insistence that these revived characters are not clones, but something importantly different…which then disappears, perhaps because somebody pointed out how little sense it makes to have a book called Clone Conspiracy and then insist none of them are really clones (unless that was itself the conspiracy?). Though there remains an intermittently important detail about how some clones are created more equal than others… Or how about the botched reveal scene, where a clone character unmasks and the dialogue suggests we’re meant to see his face, hideously degenerating…but what we actually get is the face of his original, looking mildly perturbed. Because the clones are degenerating, you see. Apparently it’s not enough that bringing back the dead might have its own intrinsic consequences: we need a ticking clock whereby it’s going to turn into a zombie plague, sorry, ‘carrion epidemic’. But they are zombies, right down to it being contagious if they bite you once they’re going rotten, because apparently that’s how DNA works now. So of course everyone on both sides wants a cure for that bit…until aforementioned antagonist, in a development which makes neither character nor (pseudo)scientific sense, instead decides to reverse the polarity of the cure, thereby turning even the non-cloned living into degenerating clones too. I’m sorry, what? I mean, yes, this is after the already fairly depressing scene where they've thrown his motivation and agenda out of the window and he told his minions to start killing – because heavens forbid we allow a character with a variant yet coherent morality to consistently abide by that, rather than have him collapse into standard villainous cliches in the final act. But even compared to that, this is plain nonsense. A character who started off creepy in the way CEOs of disruptive companies tend to be creepy, an interesting foil and reflection for the protagonist, becomes just another boring supervillain whose powers and personality equally rely on lazy handwaving.
I’m not the first person to note that, when a Spider-Man writer is revisiting notorious nineties clusterfuck the Clone Saga - and for the second time, at that - it may be a sign that he’s had enough and needs to go home now. And the final tragedy is that, if this had been Slott’s exit, many of its sins could be forgiven. It would represent a wrapping-up of certain recurring themes, a suitable revisit for key notes (we even get an epilogue to the falls and rises of Otto Octavius). Even the resurrection of so many dead characters, with many of their statuses left unclear at the end, could then look like a charitable act for the next writer: here you go, mate, I’ve refilled the toybox for you. But no, Slott’s staying put. So all those characters brought back only to be bumped off again just feel like a pointless nostalgia exercise which, as in Judge Dredd: Helter Skelter, serves only to reduce characters who were once serious threats to goons and cannon fodder, and leave the reader feeling like – a few very powerful scenes aside – the whole enterprise was a colossal waste of time.
A curious aside: just as I was heading into the Underground last night, already planning to get started on this on my journey, people were handing out copies of a new magazine. Called, like the antagonist here, The Jackal. I bet none of their other potential recipients gave them quite such a startled look.
Somewhere in The Clone Conspiracy there’s a great story which, like much of Dan Slott’s run, hinges on everything that’s wrong with Peter Parker. As my dad said, watching Spider-Man 2: “Is his superpower kicking himself in the balls?” And so we get an antagonist who for once really can tell the hero that they’re not so very different, and who represents the endpoint of Spidey’s crazy insistence that nobody at all should die on his watch…because he’s brought them all back. Every friend, every villain, the lot (well, with one key exception…). To which Spidey’s response is tellingly inaccurate: "I’m used to the bad guys coming back…friends, loved ones…they never come back.” Which is plain bollocks, isn’t it? I mean, yes, plenty of his friends have turned villain at one point or another, but what about Harry Osborn, for starters, never mind pretty much the entire Avengers roster? And yet, it’s telling bollocks, exactly the sort of slanted version of events you’d expect from a self-pitying mope like Parker, who sets himself impossible goals and then still has to skew the accounting so he has sufficient reason to beat himself up. So a story about all that coming home to roost, about the absurdities of his code – I’m so up for that. Not to mention, plenty of great lines along the way: “Eh, remember when being a mad scientist was about science? Now it’s all meetings, meetings, meetings. This is what you get when you try to remake the world into a better place.”
Which makes it a real shame that all of that gets half-buried in an absolute mess of an event. To some extent this may be a result of too many cooks and too much rush; consider little telltale details like the early insistence that these revived characters are not clones, but something importantly different…which then disappears, perhaps because somebody pointed out how little sense it makes to have a book called Clone Conspiracy and then insist none of them are really clones (unless that was itself the conspiracy?). Though there remains an intermittently important detail about how some clones are created more equal than others… Or how about the botched reveal scene, where a clone character unmasks and the dialogue suggests we’re meant to see his face, hideously degenerating…but what we actually get is the face of his original, looking mildly perturbed. Because the clones are degenerating, you see. Apparently it’s not enough that bringing back the dead might have its own intrinsic consequences: we need a ticking clock whereby it’s going to turn into a zombie plague, sorry, ‘carrion epidemic’. But they are zombies, right down to it being contagious if they bite you once they’re going rotten, because apparently that’s how DNA works now. So of course everyone on both sides wants a cure for that bit…until aforementioned antagonist, in a development which makes neither character nor (pseudo)scientific sense, instead decides to reverse the polarity of the cure, thereby turning even the non-cloned living into degenerating clones too. I’m sorry, what? I mean, yes, this is after the already fairly depressing scene where they've thrown his motivation and agenda out of the window and he told his minions to start killing – because heavens forbid we allow a character with a variant yet coherent morality to consistently abide by that, rather than have him collapse into standard villainous cliches in the final act. But even compared to that, this is plain nonsense. A character who started off creepy in the way CEOs of disruptive companies tend to be creepy, an interesting foil and reflection for the protagonist, becomes just another boring supervillain whose powers and personality equally rely on lazy handwaving.
I’m not the first person to note that, when a Spider-Man writer is revisiting notorious nineties clusterfuck the Clone Saga - and for the second time, at that - it may be a sign that he’s had enough and needs to go home now. And the final tragedy is that, if this had been Slott’s exit, many of its sins could be forgiven. It would represent a wrapping-up of certain recurring themes, a suitable revisit for key notes (we even get an epilogue to the falls and rises of Otto Octavius). Even the resurrection of so many dead characters, with many of their statuses left unclear at the end, could then look like a charitable act for the next writer: here you go, mate, I’ve refilled the toybox for you. But no, Slott’s staying put. So all those characters brought back only to be bumped off again just feel like a pointless nostalgia exercise which, as in Judge Dredd: Helter Skelter, serves only to reduce characters who were once serious threats to goons and cannon fodder, and leave the reader feeling like – a few very powerful scenes aside – the whole enterprise was a colossal waste of time.
A curious aside: just as I was heading into the Underground last night, already planning to get started on this on my journey, people were handing out copies of a new magazine. Called, like the antagonist here, The Jackal. I bet none of their other potential recipients gave them quite such a startled look.
September 6, 2018
Really nice!
Was skeptical about the whole event, but Slott does NOT disappoint as always. Really liked it!
Every Doc Ock moment was so fucking good until the end. I want more Doc Oak by Slott, that's for sure.
And if the event or the ending is not good for some, it sure was fun to read and a real page-turner. Solid writing/ solid artwork!
Congrats to the whole team!
Was skeptical about the whole event, but Slott does NOT disappoint as always. Really liked it!
Every Doc Ock moment was so fucking good until the end. I want more Doc Oak by Slott, that's for sure.
And if the event or the ending is not good for some, it sure was fun to read and a real page-turner. Solid writing/ solid artwork!
Congrats to the whole team!
February 15, 2017
Was OK, but not sure where they are going to go with this and ending was very rushed.
Am abit annoyed about them keep teasing Doc Oc coming back
Am abit annoyed about them keep teasing Doc Oc coming back
May 28, 2017
One of the most famous classic Spider-Man stories was the Clone Saga. Since then the Jackal's been constantly cloning Peter Parker and Gwen Stacey. This time he's gone a step further, by using clone technology to bring back all of Spider-Man's dead friends, allies and enemies.
I'm not overly found of the whole clone plot. It's been done a lot in Amazing Spider-Man and beyond the initial shock of there being a clone running around the plot doesn't really go anywhere. We get the same problem here- we know the Jackal is involved and there's the initial shock of all these people being back but after that it turns into an odd zombie story.
There are a few good uses of Spider-Man continuity here. We see characters from past Clone adventures return here, one of which was a genuinely surprising moment. There's a fantastic few pages with Peter Parker talking with clone Gwen Stacey about their relationship. A few characters from Spider-verse pop up with a little bit of dimension-hopping going on.
Plus Otto Octavius finally gets a body again- for me this was the best part of this story. Of course Otto spent some time as the Superior Spider-Man but before he gave the body back to Peter Parker he made a copy of his mind which has since been inhabiting a robot. Through the clone tech Doc Ock is back but his motivations are different now- he wants a body so he can have a proper relationship with Anna Maria Marconi.
Another thing this did well was to bring back some Spidey villains. Spider-Man hasn't had to deal with much outside of the Jackal for a while. Now we've got both Doc Ock and the Lizard (and family) back in the game and a lead on Normon Osborn. It also sets up a new Scarlet Spider-Man series which might be interesting.
This was not my favourite Spider-Man event. As much as it throws emotions at Spider-Man and makes him deal with the loss of loved ones yet again, it all feels hollow when we know that it's just another clone saga.
I'm not overly found of the whole clone plot. It's been done a lot in Amazing Spider-Man and beyond the initial shock of there being a clone running around the plot doesn't really go anywhere. We get the same problem here- we know the Jackal is involved and there's the initial shock of all these people being back but after that it turns into an odd zombie story.
There are a few good uses of Spider-Man continuity here. We see characters from past Clone adventures return here, one of which was a genuinely surprising moment. There's a fantastic few pages with Peter Parker talking with clone Gwen Stacey about their relationship. A few characters from Spider-verse pop up with a little bit of dimension-hopping going on.
Plus Otto Octavius finally gets a body again- for me this was the best part of this story. Of course Otto spent some time as the Superior Spider-Man but before he gave the body back to Peter Parker he made a copy of his mind which has since been inhabiting a robot. Through the clone tech Doc Ock is back but his motivations are different now- he wants a body so he can have a proper relationship with Anna Maria Marconi.
Another thing this did well was to bring back some Spidey villains. Spider-Man hasn't had to deal with much outside of the Jackal for a while. Now we've got both Doc Ock and the Lizard (and family) back in the game and a lead on Normon Osborn. It also sets up a new Scarlet Spider-Man series which might be interesting.
This was not my favourite Spider-Man event. As much as it throws emotions at Spider-Man and makes him deal with the loss of loved ones yet again, it all feels hollow when we know that it's just another clone saga.
September 18, 2017
Slott's big crossover stories haven't been his strength, but this one is superior, in part because of its careful organization, and in part because of the fact that it focuses on just a few comics.
The core storyline, is actually found in The Clone Conspiracy comic, and it's everything you might hope from the prelude: a rather shocking menace, the return of many lost characters, and a few surprises. It's overall a great and memorably storyline.
Amazing Spider-Man follows the current Marvel trend of offering moments between the main storyline. The first few issues offer backstory on major characters, and are terrific. This is where Slott does some of his best work, in close characterization. The other issues, which are action between the action, are less successful, but still strong.
One of the flaws of The Clone Conspiracy is that it brings back many, many lost characters, but really doesn't have the time or space to examine the repercussions of that. Instead, many beloved characters appear on-panel for scant pages. Silk tries in part to remedy that by looking at Jameson's reaction to his lost loved ones returned, and it's a pretty great story as a result (while still dealing with Silk's own issues).
Finally, the Prowler comic deals with some of the returned villains and looks at things from the inside, but it's easily the weakest of the set, and also focuses on the one false note in the whole crossover, the final fate of Hobie. (Also, annoyingly, Marvel didn't collect the sixth and final issue of the Prowler comic, which is an epilogue to these events.)
Overall, The Clone Conspiracy is memorable, exciting, and fun. It earns at least 4.5 stars.
The core storyline, is actually found in The Clone Conspiracy comic, and it's everything you might hope from the prelude: a rather shocking menace, the return of many lost characters, and a few surprises. It's overall a great and memorably storyline.
Amazing Spider-Man follows the current Marvel trend of offering moments between the main storyline. The first few issues offer backstory on major characters, and are terrific. This is where Slott does some of his best work, in close characterization. The other issues, which are action between the action, are less successful, but still strong.
One of the flaws of The Clone Conspiracy is that it brings back many, many lost characters, but really doesn't have the time or space to examine the repercussions of that. Instead, many beloved characters appear on-panel for scant pages. Silk tries in part to remedy that by looking at Jameson's reaction to his lost loved ones returned, and it's a pretty great story as a result (while still dealing with Silk's own issues).
Finally, the Prowler comic deals with some of the returned villains and looks at things from the inside, but it's easily the weakest of the set, and also focuses on the one false note in the whole crossover, the final fate of Hobie. (Also, annoyingly, Marvel didn't collect the sixth and final issue of the Prowler comic, which is an epilogue to these events.)
Overall, The Clone Conspiracy is memorable, exciting, and fun. It earns at least 4.5 stars.
October 3, 2017
You know, i’ve never been a huge fan of the ‘event’ comic book tie-in extravaganza. Typically it starts out swell, gets the interest level raised but ends up sort of falling flat (see Secret Invasion). It also tries to get my fellow dweebs in the comic shop to shell out their meager earnings for sub-par tie-ins from ancillary players (in this case Silk and Prowler, who are cool characters in their own right). However, for Clone Conspiracy, it actually works out okay for the most part, even though some of the tie-ins didn’t exactly bold me over. still, i’ve gotta say, i enjoyed this little romp. while there’s of a whole lot of blast-from-the-past, alternate world, reality bending family feud going on here, Dan Slott & Co. do a nice job of moving the story forward, mitigating the jam-packed charade of old baddies and old buddies.
Also, it must be said that the art is absolutely amazing. Beautiful covers by Alex Ross; great pencils by Cheung and eventually Camoncoli; and a team of colorists who just really helped pull this story up to great heights. The art is what made this a five star read for me.
Also, it must be noted that i read this on Marvel Unlimited, so right there i got my money’s worth for the cost of the subscription. and i didn’t have to listen to any of my fellow dweebs argue about this event at the shop.
Also, it must be said that the art is absolutely amazing. Beautiful covers by Alex Ross; great pencils by Cheung and eventually Camoncoli; and a team of colorists who just really helped pull this story up to great heights. The art is what made this a five star read for me.
Also, it must be noted that i read this on Marvel Unlimited, so right there i got my money’s worth for the cost of the subscription. and i didn’t have to listen to any of my fellow dweebs argue about this event at the shop.
June 18, 2019
I was leery of more clone stories when this came out (I got the single issues) and didn't get around to reading it until recently and was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. [SPOLIERS] Crazy Ben Reilly is a great concept, and I look forward to catching up on his solo series by Peter David at some point. I really liked Prowler's solo series as well as Silk's, though with Silk's you need some backstory to be able to really appreciate it. My only issue is that the issues in the collection are grouped by series and not chronological, so you're going to get the story spoiled if you read straight through. I read it in Comixology and was able to jump around pretty easily and managed to read them in chronological order, which I highly recommend.
March 6, 2020
Some parts are 5-star material but there are some spinoffs included in the total package, that while informative to the story, aren't great overall. The main story, however, is full of twists and turns and great artwork. Honestly, I dreaded reading this as I had read the Graphic Novel leading up to this and saw Clones were back in the storyline. One of Spiderman's most annoying canon is the clone stuff. However, this was a smart take on a beaten-down idea. A great mix of action, story, and the dreaded Parker Luck.
June 3, 2018
The art was great but I'm always skeptical of cloning as its just an easy way of bringing bsck people who are dead.
December 5, 2023
Spider-Man'ın başı bir kez daha klonlarla belada. Sanıyorum dördüncü kez oluyor bu. The Amazing Spider-Man Vol.4 serisi başladığından beri ufak ufak okuyucuya çıtlatıyordu bir şeylerin döndüğünü. Kimse klon görmek istemiyordu ama Dan Slott bu seriyle halihazırda okuyucuların yüzünü pek güldürmüyordu zaten.
Bu kitap dört farklı seriden oluşuyor. Bu seriler Clone Conspiracy, The Amazing Spider-Man, Silk ve Prowler. Olaylar ve seriler çok içe içe geliştiği için Marvel okuma sırası olarak serileri peş peşe okumayı önermiş. Ben de öyle yaptım. Her birini tek tek ele almayı yeğledim:
Clone Conspiracy yani ana hikayenin anlatıldığı seri açılışta beni fikir olarak çok heyecanlandırsa da maalesef olayların çapının büyümesi sonucu Spider-Man hikayesi olmaktan çıkıp global salgın krizine dönüşmesiyle hayal kırıklığına uğrattı. Peter'ın ölümlerinden suçluluk duyduğu karakterlerle yüzleşmesi fikri daha iyi yazılabilirmiş. Ölümlerin ve karakterlerin ağırlığını o kadar veremedi. Octavius ile Anna Maria'nın karşı karşıya gelmesi ise görmeyi epeydir beklediğim bir andı. Jim Cheung inanılmaz bir çizer olduğunu burada da gözler önüne sermiş. Spider-Man külliyatından birçok ölü karakteri görme fırsatını Cheung'un kaleminden görmek büyük bir keyifti. Clone Conspiracy hikayesinin giriş-gelişme-sonuç bölümleri bu sayılarda olsa da bazı kopuk anlar mevcut. O anları doldurmak için diğer serileri okumak gerekiyor.
Ardından The Amazing Spider-Man sayıları geliyor. Bu sayıları The Amazing Spider-Man: Worldwide, Vol. 5 cildinden okuyan birisi epey hoşnutsuz olacaktır. Maalesef her bir bölüm Clone Conspiracy hikayesinin başka bir kısmını anlatıyor. Bölümler arası geçişler yok denecek kadar kopuk. Yine de ana hikayeye sıkı sıkıya bağlı kısımlardı çoğu. Anlatılmayan kısımlara verdiği yanıtlar çoğunlukla tatmin ediciydi. Spider-Gwen, Kaine, Dr. Octopus, Ben Reilly ve Jackal'ın ön planda olduğu bir hikaye dizisiydi.
Üçüncü seri Silk'e geldiğimde ne beklemem gerektiğini bilmiyordum çünkü Silk hikayede sadece bir sahnede gözükmüştü ve pek kayda değer bir şey yapmamıştı. Üç bölümlük hikayesini okuduğumda gördüm ki Silk'in bu hikayede yeri yok. Zorla dahil edilmiş olduğu çok belli hikayeye. Eski Spider-Woman'lardan Mattie Franklin'i görmek dışında güzel bir kısmı yoktu. Okumasaydım bir şey kaçırmazmışım.
Son olarak Prowler'ın serisine geliyoruz. Prowler bu klon hadisenin en başından beri işin içindeydi ve kimin tarafında olduğu belli değildi. Haliyle biraz aydınlatıcı olmasını bekliyordum ama düzgün bir açıklama bulamadım. Eski Spider-Woman Julia Carpenter'ı ve Madame Web'i görmek güzel olsa da onlar dışında beş bölümlük hikayede düzgün bir hikaye yok. Çoğunlukla Prowler'ın iç hesaplaşmaşmasını ve Electro'yla dövüşmesini görüyoruz. Silk'ten sonra düşen beklentimin dahi altında kaldı.
Günün sonunda Clone Conspiracy dağınık yazılmış, güzel başlayıp kötü bitmiş bir Spider-Man hikayesi. Dan Slott bu hikayeyi yazarken sanıyorum Spider-Man serilerindeki altıncı senesindeydi. Artık yaratıcılık anlamında zorlandığını, elinde malzeme kalmadığını hissediyorsunuz bu hikayeyle. Neyse ki bir yıl kadar daha yazıp Spider-Man yazmayı bırakıyor. Takip eden Spider-Man serileri ne kadar başarılı oldu, orası ayrı.
Bu kitap dört farklı seriden oluşuyor. Bu seriler Clone Conspiracy, The Amazing Spider-Man, Silk ve Prowler. Olaylar ve seriler çok içe içe geliştiği için Marvel okuma sırası olarak serileri peş peşe okumayı önermiş. Ben de öyle yaptım. Her birini tek tek ele almayı yeğledim:
Clone Conspiracy yani ana hikayenin anlatıldığı seri açılışta beni fikir olarak çok heyecanlandırsa da maalesef olayların çapının büyümesi sonucu Spider-Man hikayesi olmaktan çıkıp global salgın krizine dönüşmesiyle hayal kırıklığına uğrattı. Peter'ın ölümlerinden suçluluk duyduğu karakterlerle yüzleşmesi fikri daha iyi yazılabilirmiş. Ölümlerin ve karakterlerin ağırlığını o kadar veremedi. Octavius ile Anna Maria'nın karşı karşıya gelmesi ise görmeyi epeydir beklediğim bir andı. Jim Cheung inanılmaz bir çizer olduğunu burada da gözler önüne sermiş. Spider-Man külliyatından birçok ölü karakteri görme fırsatını Cheung'un kaleminden görmek büyük bir keyifti. Clone Conspiracy hikayesinin giriş-gelişme-sonuç bölümleri bu sayılarda olsa da bazı kopuk anlar mevcut. O anları doldurmak için diğer serileri okumak gerekiyor.
Ardından The Amazing Spider-Man sayıları geliyor. Bu sayıları The Amazing Spider-Man: Worldwide, Vol. 5 cildinden okuyan birisi epey hoşnutsuz olacaktır. Maalesef her bir bölüm Clone Conspiracy hikayesinin başka bir kısmını anlatıyor. Bölümler arası geçişler yok denecek kadar kopuk. Yine de ana hikayeye sıkı sıkıya bağlı kısımlardı çoğu. Anlatılmayan kısımlara verdiği yanıtlar çoğunlukla tatmin ediciydi. Spider-Gwen, Kaine, Dr. Octopus, Ben Reilly ve Jackal'ın ön planda olduğu bir hikaye dizisiydi.
Üçüncü seri Silk'e geldiğimde ne beklemem gerektiğini bilmiyordum çünkü Silk hikayede sadece bir sahnede gözükmüştü ve pek kayda değer bir şey yapmamıştı. Üç bölümlük hikayesini okuduğumda gördüm ki Silk'in bu hikayede yeri yok. Zorla dahil edilmiş olduğu çok belli hikayeye. Eski Spider-Woman'lardan Mattie Franklin'i görmek dışında güzel bir kısmı yoktu. Okumasaydım bir şey kaçırmazmışım.
Son olarak Prowler'ın serisine geliyoruz. Prowler bu klon hadisenin en başından beri işin içindeydi ve kimin tarafında olduğu belli değildi. Haliyle biraz aydınlatıcı olmasını bekliyordum ama düzgün bir açıklama bulamadım. Eski Spider-Woman Julia Carpenter'ı ve Madame Web'i görmek güzel olsa da onlar dışında beş bölümlük hikayede düzgün bir hikaye yok. Çoğunlukla Prowler'ın iç hesaplaşmaşmasını ve Electro'yla dövüşmesini görüyoruz. Silk'ten sonra düşen beklentimin dahi altında kaldı.
Günün sonunda Clone Conspiracy dağınık yazılmış, güzel başlayıp kötü bitmiş bir Spider-Man hikayesi. Dan Slott bu hikayeyi yazarken sanıyorum Spider-Man serilerindeki altıncı senesindeydi. Artık yaratıcılık anlamında zorlandığını, elinde malzeme kalmadığını hissediyorsunuz bu hikayeyle. Neyse ki bir yıl kadar daha yazıp Spider-Man yazmayı bırakıyor. Takip eden Spider-Man serileri ne kadar başarılı oldu, orası ayrı.
June 15, 2019
I'm reviewing only the parts of this massive tome that I actually read as I wasn't interested enough to read the tie-in issues from the Silk or The Prowler series.
The core story, the mini-series "Dead No More: The Clone Conspiracy" is nicely handled. The Clone thing is a big enough element of Spider-Man since J.M. Dematties first brought in Ben Reilly and Kaine back in the early nineties around Amazing #400, which eventually drug the readership through Maximum Clonage, the supposed retirement of Peter and his replacement by Ben Reilly, that it's almost impossible to escape at this point. I have to admit I mostly wish it would go away, because it long ago became way too much of an occasionally all right thing. That said, Spider-Man writers are occasionally going to resurrect these character elements as they are a key element of Spidey's backstory at this point.
Slott manages to do something new with the clones and Miles Warren (the Jackal) in this story, which is saying something in itself. The villain is well-handled. Warren was always kind of a literal mad scientist without a plan or goal that made him interesting in and of himself. He wasn't at all relatable as a character because his only "humanizing" element--his "love" for Gwen Stacy--was creepy and nearly pedophilic. Slott gets away from that presenting us a villain who truly believes that he is doing good, and so is thoroughly devoted to his own cause for that reason. This mold makes the best villains in nearly all instances. (The Joker perhaps being the one major exception.)
The art by Jim Cheung is fantastic. If we were to clone anyone we should clone him a few times so he can work on a bunch more books. His take on Spider-Man, his supporting cast, and well, the whole book is as consistently excellent as I've come to expect from him since first encountering him in Scion over at Crossgen years and years ago.
The story itself is more interesting than I would have thought any Spider-Man clone story has a right to be, but in the end it is a Spider-clone event story, and its changes to Spidey's status quo are tangentially small at best. Still, the main series was worth the read.
The collected issues of Amazing Spider-Man were also worth reading, although none of them was essential to the core storyline, and the decision to group them separately meant the story was already over when you read them and so they function as a series of choppy, separated flash-backs rather than a coherent whole.
The core story, the mini-series "Dead No More: The Clone Conspiracy" is nicely handled. The Clone thing is a big enough element of Spider-Man since J.M. Dematties first brought in Ben Reilly and Kaine back in the early nineties around Amazing #400, which eventually drug the readership through Maximum Clonage, the supposed retirement of Peter and his replacement by Ben Reilly, that it's almost impossible to escape at this point. I have to admit I mostly wish it would go away, because it long ago became way too much of an occasionally all right thing. That said, Spider-Man writers are occasionally going to resurrect these character elements as they are a key element of Spidey's backstory at this point.
Slott manages to do something new with the clones and Miles Warren (the Jackal) in this story, which is saying something in itself. The villain is well-handled. Warren was always kind of a literal mad scientist without a plan or goal that made him interesting in and of himself. He wasn't at all relatable as a character because his only "humanizing" element--his "love" for Gwen Stacy--was creepy and nearly pedophilic. Slott gets away from that presenting us a villain who truly believes that he is doing good, and so is thoroughly devoted to his own cause for that reason. This mold makes the best villains in nearly all instances. (The Joker perhaps being the one major exception.)
The art by Jim Cheung is fantastic. If we were to clone anyone we should clone him a few times so he can work on a bunch more books. His take on Spider-Man, his supporting cast, and well, the whole book is as consistently excellent as I've come to expect from him since first encountering him in Scion over at Crossgen years and years ago.
The story itself is more interesting than I would have thought any Spider-Man clone story has a right to be, but in the end it is a Spider-clone event story, and its changes to Spidey's status quo are tangentially small at best. Still, the main series was worth the read.
The collected issues of Amazing Spider-Man were also worth reading, although none of them was essential to the core storyline, and the decision to group them separately meant the story was already over when you read them and so they function as a series of choppy, separated flash-backs rather than a coherent whole.
June 6, 2017
The Clone Conspiracy has been the Spider-Man story that the last several Volumes have been building to.... and it's a wait well worth it. The Jackal is back on the scene, and Spidey fans know that means clones! It turns out that he is behind the New U company (seen in the previous Volume), which has gone beyond the whole idea of commercially helping clone organs and altering genetic code to save patients. The Jackal reveals that he is using it to cure death and rehabilitate many of Spider-Man's older (and deceased) enemies. The Rhino, Lizard, Electro and Doctor Octopus are back in action as well as Gwen Stacy and every other person that Peter has been responsible for their deaths... with one exception (obviously Uncle Ben). Beholden to a daily pill, lest they desolve and die, the clones follow the orders of Miles Warren specifically. (It is later revealed that the Jackal is currently Ben Reilly, Peter's clone from the 80's who became Scarlet Spider for bit.)
This story not only has some great fight scenes, but also makes the reader face the moral conundrum of "If you could bring back someone who died, should you?".
At the end, most of the "clones" are defeated and fade back into the afterlife, with the exception of Rhino, who Peter slightly bonds with over grief, AND Lizard, who has not only survived, but has been able to stablilize his family with the croc genes that keep him going. My question... with the insane amount of focus that has been on Otto Octavius since the beginning of Superior Spider-Man (pre-Marvel NOW!), are they really going to let him stay dead? He had some great scenes here, but was dead way too quickly. Perhaps we are to remember his touching scene at the end of Superior, where the original Ock went out like a hero/martyr, as his death scene.
(NOTE: This omnibus contained the main story, and the material from "Amazing Spider-Man Worldwide Vol. 5" and "Silk Vol. 3", both of which I will read at a later time, and "Prowler Vol. 1" which I'll skip for the time being. For purposes of this review, I only read the main "Clone Conspiracy" title.)
I'm curious to see where the Amazing Spider-Man title goes from here. Everything has been building to this event so far. Perhaps getting ready for Venom-verse? I guess we'll find out soon enough...
Recommend.
This story not only has some great fight scenes, but also makes the reader face the moral conundrum of "If you could bring back someone who died, should you?".
At the end, most of the "clones" are defeated and fade back into the afterlife, with the exception of Rhino, who Peter slightly bonds with over grief, AND Lizard, who has not only survived, but has been able to stablilize his family with the croc genes that keep him going. My question... with the insane amount of focus that has been on Otto Octavius since the beginning of Superior Spider-Man (pre-Marvel NOW!), are they really going to let him stay dead? He had some great scenes here, but was dead way too quickly. Perhaps we are to remember his touching scene at the end of Superior, where the original Ock went out like a hero/martyr, as his death scene.
(NOTE: This omnibus contained the main story, and the material from "Amazing Spider-Man Worldwide Vol. 5" and "Silk Vol. 3", both of which I will read at a later time, and "Prowler Vol. 1" which I'll skip for the time being. For purposes of this review, I only read the main "Clone Conspiracy" title.)
I'm curious to see where the Amazing Spider-Man title goes from here. Everything has been building to this event so far. Perhaps getting ready for Venom-verse? I guess we'll find out soon enough...
Recommend.
November 22, 2020
3.5 rating - Fun and Easy read
There was some issues, but as a whole, I liked this story arc. It was an easy read and I loved seeing certain people interacting with each other. I have not read any earlier comics that dealt with cloning arcs, so my rating is based on what I've read in the modern era of Spider-man. I did like some of the moments of interactions between people especially with Gwen Stacy, both of them. I don't like Doc Ock but he didn't annoy me in this story and we'll probably see more of him in future comics.
I did not like certain reveals about the clones, but it wasn't terrible, just okay.
The art was fantastic.
Silk is becoming one of my favorites and I hope we get to see more of her in the future. I've been reading the previous Silk comics before this, but you might need to read some of her stuff before this, to understand certain things. Even if you don't, I think it's easy to understand what's happening for the main clone story, just not Silk's personal journey.
I haven't read much about Prowler, but I loved the series included in this book and I'll be on the lookout for more comics on him.
I usually find reading orders online, since sometimes the book is put in the order of book numbers not reading order. In the beginning of book they put their preferred reading order, but it looked different from what I saw online. I stuck to the order I found, since it's a site I usually use and I trust it. The last Spider-man Graphic Novel event I read (Spider-verse) was in Book order and I was confused when I read the whole main Series (which was in the front of the book) and finished the event and after those in the book, were the tie-in novels.
Take my advice and find a reading order, it makes for a better reading experience.
The story ends but it also leaves things open, where you know there is going to be comics in the future that deal with the fallout of these events.
There was some issues, but as a whole, I liked this story arc. It was an easy read and I loved seeing certain people interacting with each other. I have not read any earlier comics that dealt with cloning arcs, so my rating is based on what I've read in the modern era of Spider-man. I did like some of the moments of interactions between people especially with Gwen Stacy, both of them. I don't like Doc Ock but he didn't annoy me in this story and we'll probably see more of him in future comics.
I did not like certain reveals about the clones, but it wasn't terrible, just okay.
The art was fantastic.
Silk is becoming one of my favorites and I hope we get to see more of her in the future. I've been reading the previous Silk comics before this, but you might need to read some of her stuff before this, to understand certain things. Even if you don't, I think it's easy to understand what's happening for the main clone story, just not Silk's personal journey.
I haven't read much about Prowler, but I loved the series included in this book and I'll be on the lookout for more comics on him.
I usually find reading orders online, since sometimes the book is put in the order of book numbers not reading order. In the beginning of book they put their preferred reading order, but it looked different from what I saw online. I stuck to the order I found, since it's a site I usually use and I trust it. The last Spider-man Graphic Novel event I read (Spider-verse) was in Book order and I was confused when I read the whole main Series (which was in the front of the book) and finished the event and after those in the book, were the tie-in novels.
Take my advice and find a reading order, it makes for a better reading experience.
The story ends but it also leaves things open, where you know there is going to be comics in the future that deal with the fallout of these events.
November 24, 2020
If you read Spidey in the 90's, then reading the title of this event probably had you rolling your eyes so hard they almost dislocated, like I did.
But to be honest... this was pretty good. I think part of what makes this better than the original event is that it plays with the morality of what the new Jackal is doing. And yes, I said new Jackal - because while Miles Warren is in the picture, he is regulated to more of a side player than the main villain.
Basically the Jackal has a way of bringing people back from the dead, memories and all. And while from the outside looking in, we know this is a bad idea to say the least (especially based on the original clone event) - to the people whose loved ones he is bringing back, it is amazing and inherently good. People like Jonah Jameson are absolutely convinced this is a good thing, because his wife is back. It's hard to turn down a "gift" like that after it has already been given, and you are seeing someone you loved literally back from the grave.
However, Peter knows this is a bad idea, no matter how many people from his past are brought back. And while initially being somewhat swayed by the new Jackal, ultimately his moral compass wins out to bring the whole operation down.
The revelation of who the Jacal was certainly took me by surprise as it is a person who is not only near and dear to the Spidey mythos, but who is very much aware of the negative repercussions of this cloning business. I think his turn was a bit forced to be honest, but it gave way for some interesting character moments. Also, things wrap up pretty conveniently towards the end, but I think the emotional fallout of what has happened in this arc will have Peter Parker thinking about what could have been for some time to come.
Overall, an enjoyable ride, much more so than the original clone saga. Recommended for fans of Spidey, especially if you have read the original clone fiasco.
But to be honest... this was pretty good. I think part of what makes this better than the original event is that it plays with the morality of what the new Jackal is doing. And yes, I said new Jackal - because while Miles Warren is in the picture, he is regulated to more of a side player than the main villain.
Basically the Jackal has a way of bringing people back from the dead, memories and all. And while from the outside looking in, we know this is a bad idea to say the least (especially based on the original clone event) - to the people whose loved ones he is bringing back, it is amazing and inherently good. People like Jonah Jameson are absolutely convinced this is a good thing, because his wife is back. It's hard to turn down a "gift" like that after it has already been given, and you are seeing someone you loved literally back from the grave.
However, Peter knows this is a bad idea, no matter how many people from his past are brought back. And while initially being somewhat swayed by the new Jackal, ultimately his moral compass wins out to bring the whole operation down.
The revelation of who the Jacal was certainly took me by surprise as it is a person who is not only near and dear to the Spidey mythos, but who is very much aware of the negative repercussions of this cloning business. I think his turn was a bit forced to be honest, but it gave way for some interesting character moments. Also, things wrap up pretty conveniently towards the end, but I think the emotional fallout of what has happened in this arc will have Peter Parker thinking about what could have been for some time to come.
Overall, an enjoyable ride, much more so than the original clone saga. Recommended for fans of Spidey, especially if you have read the original clone fiasco.
March 21, 2024
I genuinely don't know how I feel about this. Spoilers!!
Revisiting the clone saga is always going to be a loaded die with Spidey fans and while it was obvious the Jackal was not Miles Warren, I can't quite believe they went there and made him Ben?!?! I didn't buy the concept or his pivot to evil and while I can kind of see what Slott was going for, I don't feel it worked or made enough sense in the context of the story.
Spidey at least acted appropriately over it once he realised what was going on and the scenes with Gwen (who in her mind at least, is the same Gwen we knew and loved) were emotionally complex, making Peter's weary rejection brutal. And the art on the main story was uniformly great.
But, so many issues, not least of which was buying that all the villains were seemingly content to just mooch around due to the threat of not getting their daily pill. Just didn't feel likely.
I've never understood why these events need their own title (well, aside from extra money). This should have been in the pages of ASM, rather than as a separate Clone Conspiracy title, especially as the main ASM becomes an incoherent mess skipping through huge chunks to keep up.
I quite liked both the Silk and Prowler stories (even if Silk has clearly evolved since the first few appearances, probably for the better) and it's a handsome book.
But, at the end of it all, and the reason I gave 2 stars despite some positives, was the inconsequentiality of it all. Monumental events in Pete's world and a world ending threat and it's solved before you know it and by the end, everything has reverted back to the status quo. None of it meant anything.
I've liked a huge amount of Slott's run on ASM but the Worldwide era is not the strongest. I've got the remainder of the series so will close it out but I'm looking forward to a new voice.
Revisiting the clone saga is always going to be a loaded die with Spidey fans and while it was obvious the Jackal was not Miles Warren, I can't quite believe they went there and made him Ben?!?! I didn't buy the concept or his pivot to evil and while I can kind of see what Slott was going for, I don't feel it worked or made enough sense in the context of the story.
Spidey at least acted appropriately over it once he realised what was going on and the scenes with Gwen (who in her mind at least, is the same Gwen we knew and loved) were emotionally complex, making Peter's weary rejection brutal. And the art on the main story was uniformly great.
But, so many issues, not least of which was buying that all the villains were seemingly content to just mooch around due to the threat of not getting their daily pill. Just didn't feel likely.
I've never understood why these events need their own title (well, aside from extra money). This should have been in the pages of ASM, rather than as a separate Clone Conspiracy title, especially as the main ASM becomes an incoherent mess skipping through huge chunks to keep up.
I quite liked both the Silk and Prowler stories (even if Silk has clearly evolved since the first few appearances, probably for the better) and it's a handsome book.
But, at the end of it all, and the reason I gave 2 stars despite some positives, was the inconsequentiality of it all. Monumental events in Pete's world and a world ending threat and it's solved before you know it and by the end, everything has reverted back to the status quo. None of it meant anything.
I've liked a huge amount of Slott's run on ASM but the Worldwide era is not the strongest. I've got the remainder of the series so will close it out but I'm looking forward to a new voice.
June 22, 2017
Oh, Yeah! Loved it!
I'm a huge Dan Slott fan and I think he pulled off a really great event here. He even had assist by my favorite event artist himself, Mr. Jim Cheung! The main event was pretty much perfection. I am a big fan of Ben Reilly also so I was a bit surprised with how this story develops but I won't give away any plot details. Oh, maybe I just did. Well, no more than that then.
But this book collects all the parts which also ran through Amazing Spider-man, Silk and a Prowler mini-series. All three of these supporting series are written alright, though some of the same material overlaps at times. The art on Amazing is a bit sub-par, on Prowler it's workable.
But on Silk it's downright annoying. It's very jarring artwork compared to the rest of the book. It's like sticking a child's drawings in along side professional artists. The Silk artist can't seem to get the basics right. She can't even be bothered to draw backgrounds most of time. When she does, they are meager things. Her heavily manga influenced characters are only drawn one or two different profiles. She can't manage to move her camera's eye at all to create any visual interest or varying angles. The characters are shown in the same profiles time and time again. Static. Boring. I can't imagine Marvel of any other era's publishing this sort of artwork. It repels me but maybe it's what the kids like these days. *shrugs*
I'm a huge Dan Slott fan and I think he pulled off a really great event here. He even had assist by my favorite event artist himself, Mr. Jim Cheung! The main event was pretty much perfection. I am a big fan of Ben Reilly also so I was a bit surprised with how this story develops but I won't give away any plot details. Oh, maybe I just did. Well, no more than that then.
But this book collects all the parts which also ran through Amazing Spider-man, Silk and a Prowler mini-series. All three of these supporting series are written alright, though some of the same material overlaps at times. The art on Amazing is a bit sub-par, on Prowler it's workable.
But on Silk it's downright annoying. It's very jarring artwork compared to the rest of the book. It's like sticking a child's drawings in along side professional artists. The Silk artist can't seem to get the basics right. She can't even be bothered to draw backgrounds most of time. When she does, they are meager things. Her heavily manga influenced characters are only drawn one or two different profiles. She can't manage to move her camera's eye at all to create any visual interest or varying angles. The characters are shown in the same profiles time and time again. Static. Boring. I can't imagine Marvel of any other era's publishing this sort of artwork. It repels me but maybe it's what the kids like these days. *shrugs*
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 5, 2018
There have been many negative reviews on various bookseller websites based upon the order of this book. Many claimed that the book is out of order, and to understand the story you must frequently turn to different pages in the book. I disagree with this opinion, although I admit prior to purchase I was concerned about this decision. However, the table of contents page explains that this book is not in chronological printing order, but in the recommended reading order. If you are interested in the chronological printing order, then there is an outline in the table of contents to help you.
I choose to follow the format of the collected edition, the recommended reading order contains the majority of the story and delivers the event at a fast and action-packed pace. The remaining issues which mainly involve Silk and Prowler are entertaining but feel much like passable companions issues. Overall the recommended reading order is probably best, with other issues expanding upon events.
In terms of actual story this book is enjoyable and for the most part, can stand on its own. While mention is made to the infamous Clone Saga, it is not required reading. Spider-verse is also mentioned, prior knowledge helps explain a few things with certain characters, but not required. Overall a good story. The ending seems a little quick, where a "snap" essentially sends everything into high speed.
If you have enjoyed the recent Spider-man series give this a try.
I choose to follow the format of the collected edition, the recommended reading order contains the majority of the story and delivers the event at a fast and action-packed pace. The remaining issues which mainly involve Silk and Prowler are entertaining but feel much like passable companions issues. Overall the recommended reading order is probably best, with other issues expanding upon events.
In terms of actual story this book is enjoyable and for the most part, can stand on its own. While mention is made to the infamous Clone Saga, it is not required reading. Spider-verse is also mentioned, prior knowledge helps explain a few things with certain characters, but not required. Overall a good story. The ending seems a little quick, where a "snap" essentially sends everything into high speed.
If you have enjoyed the recent Spider-man series give this a try.
August 1, 2022
The hardback collects the five-issue Clone Conspiracy miniseries, the Omega issue aftermath, some prelude material from Amazing Spider-Man, the crossover issues of Amazing Spider-Man, Silk and Prowler. The editor chose to collect each series together rather than put them in internal chronology. Sure, there's a map for how to read them in internal chronology. But, if we're going to read by series, why not just collect the Clone Conspiracy issues, because the other issues are already in the other series' collections anyway?
The Jackal has returned, or possibly someone else under the mask, and has found a new way to clone somebody which includes their memories right up to the point of their death. He's brought back everyone who has died on Spider-Man's watch, the good and the bad. He's trying to convince Spider-Man that he can create a world with no more death. Will Spider-Man, who tries to save everyone, come around to the Jackal's way of thinking?
The main series moves like a freight train, with no time for the side drama a story like this would create. The Amazing Spider-Man stories are the best here, showing the emotions Spider-Man is having at interacting with some of these people. Silk meets Mattie Franklin. And the Prowler keeps having problems with the new Electro. The ideas here weren't bad, but the ending was too status quo for me to think this was worthwhile.
The Jackal has returned, or possibly someone else under the mask, and has found a new way to clone somebody which includes their memories right up to the point of their death. He's brought back everyone who has died on Spider-Man's watch, the good and the bad. He's trying to convince Spider-Man that he can create a world with no more death. Will Spider-Man, who tries to save everyone, come around to the Jackal's way of thinking?
The main series moves like a freight train, with no time for the side drama a story like this would create. The Amazing Spider-Man stories are the best here, showing the emotions Spider-Man is having at interacting with some of these people. Silk meets Mattie Franklin. And the Prowler keeps having problems with the new Electro. The ideas here weren't bad, but the ending was too status quo for me to think this was worthwhile.
February 14, 2023
Całościowo event bardzo dobry (Spisek klonów + Amazing Spider-Man), jak Egmont wyda Sagę klonów to na pewno sięgnę, żeby dowiedzieć się jak wyglądała geneza niektórych postaci.
Trochę mnie rozczarowała Silk, bo jest bardzo z boku głównego eventu i porusza kilka wątków których polscy czytelnicy nie znają (wcześniej Silk była w Spiderversum, a pomiędzy nim a Spiskiem miała 13 zeszytów swojej solowej historii). Ale kreska jest spoko, taka bardziej cartoonowa, przez co czytało się tę część bardzo przyjemnie.
Prowler, pomimo mojej początkowej niechęci to też kawałek dobrej historii, bardzo luźno związany z głównym eventem, ale dziejący się gdzieś pomiędzy. Ciekawie zagląda wewnątrz umysłu tej postaci. No i rysunki mega ładne.
Ogólnie, chyba najlepiej mi się czytało ten tom z dotychczasowych tej serii.
To jeszcze dodam swoje przemyślenia na temat kolejności (bo w polskim wydaniu jest ona spieprzona po całości) - czytałem według internetu, a ja bym jednak chyba polecał inaczej:
CC#1 > ASM#20 > CC#2 > ASM#21 > CC#3 > ASM#22 > CC#4 > ASM #23 > CC#5 > CC#Omega(A) > ASM#24 > CC#Omega(B) > CC#Omega(C)
(Omega, historia C to taki epilog, a może nawet prolog do dalszej części runu Slotta)
A dodatkowo już po głównym evencie jako uzupełnienie historii Silk:
Silk#14 > Silk#15 > Silk#16 > Silk#17
I Prowlera:
Prowler#1 > Prowler#2 > Prowler#3 > Prowler#4 > Prowler#5
Trochę mnie rozczarowała Silk, bo jest bardzo z boku głównego eventu i porusza kilka wątków których polscy czytelnicy nie znają (wcześniej Silk była w Spiderversum, a pomiędzy nim a Spiskiem miała 13 zeszytów swojej solowej historii). Ale kreska jest spoko, taka bardziej cartoonowa, przez co czytało się tę część bardzo przyjemnie.
Prowler, pomimo mojej początkowej niechęci to też kawałek dobrej historii, bardzo luźno związany z głównym eventem, ale dziejący się gdzieś pomiędzy. Ciekawie zagląda wewnątrz umysłu tej postaci. No i rysunki mega ładne.
Ogólnie, chyba najlepiej mi się czytało ten tom z dotychczasowych tej serii.
To jeszcze dodam swoje przemyślenia na temat kolejności (bo w polskim wydaniu jest ona spieprzona po całości) - czytałem według internetu, a ja bym jednak chyba polecał inaczej:
CC#1 > ASM#20 > CC#2 > ASM#21 > CC#3 > ASM#22 > CC#4 > ASM #23 > CC#5 > CC#Omega(A) > ASM#24 > CC#Omega(B) > CC#Omega(C)
(Omega, historia C to taki epilog, a może nawet prolog do dalszej części runu Slotta)
A dodatkowo już po głównym evencie jako uzupełnienie historii Silk:
Silk#14 > Silk#15 > Silk#16 > Silk#17
I Prowlera:
Prowler#1 > Prowler#2 > Prowler#3 > Prowler#4 > Prowler#5
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