The Amazing Spider-Man: Beyond, Vol. 2

The Amazing Spider-Man (2018) (Collected Editions)

by Saladin Ahmed, Patrick Gleason (Writer, Penciler), Cody Ziglar

Amazing creators unite for a brand new era of Spidey! Ben Reilly — the clone of Spider-Man — is back! He’s been through hell, but now with the support of a major corporation, Ben is thwipping once again and being the best Spider-Man he can be. And what does Peter think? Well, he’s just been through the Sinister War and he’s exhausted! But even if Peter is against Ben’s return to the limelight, does he have a choice? The webs that are about to be woven will take you to places you’ve never been…pit our spectacular heroes against classic villains reloaded, as well as brand-new foes…and make you rethink the whole concept of Spider-Man! But what will all this change and upheaval mean for Mary Jane, the Black Cat, Aunt May — and all of New York City?!

COLLECTING: Amazing Spider-Man (2018) 80 .BEY, 81-85

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Spider Man, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Comic Book, Fiction

152 pages, Paperback

First published March 8, 2022

About the author

Saladin Ahmed was born in Detroit and raised in a working-class, Arab American enclave in Dearborn, MI.

His short stories have been nominated for the Nebula and Campbell awards, and have appeared in Year's Best Fantasy and numerous other magazines, anthologies, and podcasts, as well as being translated into five foreign languages. He is represented by Jennifer Jackson of the Donald Maass Literary Agency. THRONE OF THE CRESCENT MOON is his first novel.

Saladin lives near Detroit with his wife and twin children.

Reviews

[Baba · Rating 3 out of 5]

Can a corporate built and run Spider-Man really do the job? Ben Reilly is the man that has to prove this. Meanwhile others such as Colleen Wing, Misty Knight and their mysterious ally seem to be on their own mission. All this, and Aunt May has allied with one of Spidey's most villainous foes, to help the comatose Parker! Not as good as the previous volume, but overall still an amazing series with the collaboration of so many creators, yet it has such a coherent feel, even the art! A 6 out of 12, Three Star jam, is this one.
2013 read

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spider-Man Beyond roars onwards as the tale of two Spider-Men spins off in two separate directions. When Aunt May approaches her old flame Doctor Octopus for help with Peter's rehabilitation, they discover that the Beyond Corporation aren't as squeaky clean as they pretend to be (shocker!). Peter meanwhile uncovers a conspiracy at the hospital that he can't help but try and solve even in his weakened condition, and Ben goes head to head with Miles Morales!

The cracks in the foundation are beginning to show in this second of four Beyond volumes. The Doc Ock plot that begins in the .BEY issue spins into the following issues and sets Ben on a collision course with the Beyond management, as well as giving him a chance to face off with a Spider-Man bad guy that he never had a chance to fight before (Ock died early on in the original Clone Saga). And the Peter plot, while a little off to the side, shows the dedication and drive that we've come to know and love from our OG Spidey.

The Miles issue at the beginning is also indicative of Ben working out that Beyond aren't all they're cracked up to be. I'm glad the Spidey Brain Trust took the time to pit the two against one another while this status quo lasts, and it's another one of those 'Ben comes off like an asshole until he realises that he's the bad guy' kind of deals as the early part of the first volume, and it's a theme that will continue to devastating effect into the rest of the story.

On art, we have contributions from Ivan Fiorelli (#80.BEY), Carlos Gomez (#81), Patrick Gleason (#83), Paco Medina (#84-85), and the incomparable Jorge Fornés on the dark hospital story in issue #82. It's a shame that we don't get the same artists as the first volume, nor the same artists in a row most of the time, but that's been Amazing Spider-Man's deal for a while now so I'm not overly surprised.

Beyond barrels on with the same excellent storytelling and artwork as it began. While the two Spider-Men don't get a lot of time together, this is very much a book with two headlining Spideys - something that we haven't had for a very long time.

[Brunò · Rating 3 out of 5]

English/Spanish review:

Floppier than first volume,here we follow both Spider-Men with Peter recovering and giving us funnier stories than Ben who was acting like an idiot not being a bit suss about how incredibly sketchy Beyond is and for some reason monologuing on Doc Ock. Dude,one of the greatest Spidey foes is taking that lightly not only by him,NORMAL CITIZENS don't worry a bit about his apparition,beyond (bam dum tss) stupid.
The best of this one is Pete and the ending of the volume. The rest of it,not so good.



Spanish:

Más flojo que el primer volumen,seguimos a los Spider-Men con Peter recuperándose y dándonos historias más divertidas que Ben,que estaba actuando como un pelotudo sin sospechar nada sobre lo increíblemente rara que es Beyond y,por alguna razón,monologuando a Doc Ock. Amigo,uno de los mas peligrosos enemigos de Spidey siendo tomando a la ligera no solo por él, CIUDADANOS NORMALES no se preocuparon ni un poco por su aparición,más allá(bam dum tss) de estúpido.
Lo mejor de esto es Pete y el final del volumen,el resto,medio pelo.

[Frédéric · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lots of not much-the hospital sewers issue with Pete being astonishingly bad-
to finally discover Beyond isn’t what it seems in the last 2 issues. Holly Molly, you dinna see that one comin’ didya?
Oh. You did.
Duh.

Art is good throughout though. At least, there’s that.

[Rory Wilding · Rating 4 out of 5]

Following the Nick Spencer run, which really started to overstay its welcome, Amazing Spider-Man went into a new direction by turning into a weekly series that had a rotating cast of writers. As Peter Parker falls ill and gives his clone Ben Reilly his blessing to carry on as the main Spider-Man, who is now backed by the Beyond Corporation, it felt like a fresh take on the mythos, which could’ve gone wrong, due to the group of writers and artists tackling that essentially one big narrative. However, the episodic nature of its storytelling has largely worked. Now I say largely, because though the episodic nature has been working for the most part, the whole thing can feel fragmented, especially when it comes to single issues that almost have nothing to do with the main narrative involving Ben and the Beyond Corporation.

The initial issue of this volume is a clear example, in which Aunt May approaches her former fiancé Doctor Octopus to help with Peter's rehabilitation, leading to discover the obvious sinister nature of Beyond. Considering that Aunt May has been somewhat a divisive character – certainly the movies don’t know what to do with her mostly – writers like Tom Taylor done interesting stuff with May and so does Cody Ziglar with issue #80.BEY. Given the history that May had with Doc Ock, I personally got on board with it, especially with this issue where he is constantly flirting with this elderly woman. Whatever the case, May is a compelling character, in how she will do anything to help her nephew.

From the front cover of the second volume, in which the two Spider-Men are fighting each other – none of which are Peter – we only get one issue that showcases that. Written by Saladin Ahmed and drawn by Carlos Gómez, #81 features Ben and Miles Morales confronting each other when both are pursuing a supervillain. Although the issue is mostly a well-drawn action sequence, there is enough time to showcase a dynamic between the Spider-Men, which starts off as antagonistic to then a brief team-up where they actually respect one another as both see each other as earning the Spider-Man title. It also allows Ben to suspect what are the true intentions behind the company he’s working for.

However, the best two issues from this volume have nothing to do with the Beyond storyline and centre on the OG wall-crawler. #82 by Ahmed and artist Jorge Fornés is not so much a Spider-Man story and really a haunted hospital one, as the hospitalised Peter suspects the disappearance by numerous patients is a creepy orderly. With an artistic sensibility that feels unique compared to everyone else who is drawing this run, Fornés uses the nine-panel grid to provide claustrophobia whilst colourist Dan Brown uses a subtle colour palette that feels moody, all of which achieving a horror short that is visually striking. The next issue is a change of pace as writer/artist Patrick Gleason tells a heroic story about Peter finding the motivation to heal himself mentally. With so much of the issue taking place in a dreamscape, it certainly messes with your head with what is reality, but along with Gleason’s elaborate art, it is about Peter has to confront his past sins and move forward.

The remaining issues go back to Ben’s Spider-Manning as despite wanting to maintain a relationship with his girlfriend Janine, things like his duty to Beyond get in the way, as Doc Ock begins his infiltration towards the corporation and seek out the dark secrets they are withholding. Doc Ock has always been a worthy foe, not just because of his mechanical arms, but also his pompous intellect, something that Ziglar and Paco Medina achieves. However, what is most exciting as the ongoing storyline is how it continues to develop the complexities of Ben's relationship with Janine and the Beyond Board.

By this point, there are two narratives going on, each of which regarding one Spider-Man and they are eventually going to collide. Whilst the overall package can feel fragmented, the storytelling has been excellent so far and the Beyond run is worth continuing.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was definitely more enjoyable than the first volume, and it didn't hurt that multiple classic Spidey characters were featured in opposition to Beyond.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Collects Amazing Spider-Man (2018) issues #81-85, and Amazing Spider-Man (2018) issue #80.BEY

For now, it doesn't matter what happens in this series. I'm going to give every one of these "Beyond" collections a five-star rating as long as Ben Reilly continues to be prominently featured. Luckily, the story is good, and I'm enjoying seeing my favorite character in the spotlight. The only thing that would make it better is if Ben Reilly were in the classic Scarlet Spider costume.

Doctor Octopus is another one of my favorite characters, and I like how he is used in this story as well.

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still not really a cohesive story. Too many cooks, etc. But there are definitely some high points that made this book at least worth reading for me. Miles Morales has a great guest turn, and I liked how the boringly expected fight is quickly brushed aside in favor of actually cooperating. I actually kind of liked the horror elements of Peter's hospital story, though it sort of fell apart in the last few pages. And the last issue ends with a turn that could be really interesting. That said, the May spotlight issue was a bore, and I'm still not convinced that Ben is a protagonist who's worth watching. This was going to be my last volume in the Beyond story, but the ending looked promising enough I'll give it one more.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25
This has been pretty good!

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

[Adam Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

The BEYOND story continues and it is getting very good! So glad that someone in the book (other than me screaming it at the page!)sees how wrong BEYOND, as a company, is.
Highlights:
- When Peter's condition isn't getting any better, Aunt May goes to Otto Octavius for his science knowledge and wants Otto to help find out what's wrong with Peter. (I had forgotten that May dated Otto briefly... and still can't remember if she knows he's Spider-Man or not... I think not). An encounter with the U-Men (who put Pete in the hospital) gets Otto enough evidence that helps diagnose Peter's condition.
- When a new villain Rhizome arrives on the scene, Ben teams up with Miles to defeat the monster. BEYOND is angry and wants Miles shut down, but Ben is grateful for the help, and is becoming increasingly aggravated with his bosses.
- A monster disguises himself as a very creepy looking orderly and is killing people at the hospital. When he takes Pete, it takes help from MJ to defeat the beast.
- Peter begins physical therapy, but also begins some light patrolling as Spidey. He definitely is not ready, and faces down his own internal issues.
- Doc Ock invades BEYOND headquarters and gains access to a drive that has many secrets on it. After a fight, Otto gives the drive to Ben so he can see how BEYOND really thinks of him.

Can't wait to start the next Volume. Maybe we can get a Peter/Ben/Miles team up to take down BEYOND.
Recommend.

[Blindzider · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll give my standard comments first: I'm very partial to Peter Parker being Spider-Man and not interested in anyone else (in the 616 universe) being Spider-Man either. I'm mainly reading this to see what happens to Peter.

I don't think they are doing enough to differentiate Ben from Peter as a character. Yes, he's still got the need to help others and his hair is kind of blond now but other than that? I mean, even his girlfriend is a redhead.

I don't like the idea of Spider-Man having a fully tech'ed out suit but I do like how they are showcasing how corporations can be so profit driven to where it gets in the way of Ben helping people.

Issue #80.BEY is a team-up by May and Dr. Octavius. It was excellent as it referenced their previous history, showed that May is not a doddering Aunt, and uses Otto's ego to bring him into the story. And the art is pretty good too.

Issue #81 has the obligatory team-up with the other other Spider-Man, Miles. The art is fantastic on this one.

Issues #82 and #83 finally focuses on Peter and does what I expected: give him a "mental" soul-searching adventure and tie in the obligatory D-level bad-guy even when he's in the hospital. It's lame and feels like filler. The only plus is that it shows the strength of his relationship with MJ.

Issues #84-85 continue with Ben, and the obligatory conflict with Doc Ock, although their meeting sets up what seems like the ending for this Beyond arc.

[Harrison Delahunty · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only real low points: Miles’s costume from this era is straight-up goofy. I can’t take it seriously. Cody Ziglar’s writing misses far, far more often than it hits. Beyond is again cartoonish, and Maxine’s design is (similarly to Miles) unbelievably difficult to take seriously.

All that aside, this is the best volume of Amazing Spider-Man I’ve read since the first one of Spencer’s run. Even at its worst the art is good. Aside from issue 80.BEY, it’s all paced really well. Saladin Ahmed’s writing was a highlight, and Jorge Fornés’s art especially stood out for being bold and classic-feeling. We get waaaaaay more Peter Parker in this one.

The biggest standout of all, though, is Gleason’s issue. He unsurprisingly knocks it out of the park on art duties, but his writing really took me by surprise. His issue may be the best ASM issue post-OMD. He really seems to get the character and have a great voice for him, and it makes me really bummed things didn’t shake out differently after Beyond.

Overall, this volume was a hugely pleasant surprise. I’m hoping the next volume is even close to as solid.

[Ashe Catlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was all over the place, we had issues about all sorts of things, heck one was solely focused on an Aunt May storyline for some reason. Thankfully that had Doc Ock in it though, so there was some saving grace and it goes throughout the whole volume, as he's investigating the Beyond Corporation. It's not quite clear what he's doing until the end, which will probably change Ben.

We had another story about a helpless Peter being saved by Mary Jane, my favorite one was when Miles and Ben met. As you expect this huge punch up, like the cover but they're very civil with each other, even goes as far as Ben refering to Miles as Spider-Man which I adored. With the stories all over the place, the art was as well we had the same art in the first and last issue but the rest of the volume was plagued with filler artists. Some down right hideous art, looking at you venerable Peter story.

Unlike the first volume, I'd actually describe this as a Frankenstein mess, although I've been quite hard on this, I'll admit that I quite enjoyed reading it.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Otto is back, sporting the bowl cut? What happened to him walking away from Superior with a clone copy of Peter’s body? Who would sully that masterpiece with Doritos and the anti-hairstyle?

Yep, a collection of loosely-coordinated stories centring around “Peter is ill, needs help”. And Otto is definitely a highlight, but then we get some weird trippy endorphin-driven introspection, which is always good for a laugh - and we get lots of the better-and-ballsy Aunt May - who is a nice median between “frail lady who’d have a heart attack at the slightest idea of Parker taking a punch” and “so hot and hot-headed that your mentor’s bodyguard would cry himself to sleep at the rejection”.

I’m a big fan of redeeming the threads left behind by Superior Spider-man + Worldwide - always felt like that whole saga ended because it had to, not because that was a necessary or satisfying direction for the story to evolve.

Award for the weirdest panel in the book goes to Ziglar and Medina with that sandwich gag. NEXTWAVE adjacent.

[Garrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the most hated comics storylines of all time was Peter Parker's Clone Saga, which was eventually revealed to be a book about Spider that Parker was writing in his sleep. It apparently even led to the end of the magical Appalling Spiderman, including the eponymous title Spiderman helmed by superstar writer and artist.

Marvel finally has the cojones to try and make this an effective toy and and in-continuity part of the lineup. I'm split on the the issue, but have tried to keep an open mind. Many an ex-character (due to incompetence in other storylines based upon the original vision. It seems composing a dying man's final visions, a 50-50 proposition. I'm willing to give up whatever they had originally for a HOME 'S FANS.

[Rocky Sunico · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, this book is still a bit tricky to appreciate. Peter is still out of commission. Ben Reilly is a corporate-sponsored Spider-Man. Things just don't fully make sense.

We have a bit more insight into how Ben got into this gig but there are still too many blanks and you'd think that his desire to be a hero would win out. I know this Ben is even more flawed after that Jackal business during the Clone Conspiracy arc, but one can't help but hope for the best.

It's weird to admit that Doctor Octopus has been the best part of this entire story arc thus far. but it's very true. He has been handled quite well and even Aunt May has made for a formidable partner (in crime?) for the Doc. But there's no question she's still in charge, which is AMAZING.

[Jamieson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second collection of the Amazing Spider-Man: Beyond series collects Amazing Spider-Man issues #81-85 and 80.BEY. In these issues, Aunt May goes to Doc Ock for help in curing Peter, Ben Reilly (the Spider-Man working for the Beyond Corporation) continues his work as a hero while his mind seems to fracture, we get a creepy side story about something going on in the hospital basement, and what Doc Ock finds while finding a cure for Peter sends him off the deep end while hinting that Beyond is much more sinister than we thought. The story's engaging and the art is pretty good for the most part. I'm intrigued to see what comes next.

[Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

Biggest takeaway from this TPB is that Beyond Corp holds not only the Spider-Man copyright, but also a large amount of Parker Industries tech. Lots of the 'new' tech Ben is wearing is Superior Spider-Man tech. This trade is pretty Doc Ock heavy, as he's digging deep into Beyond to find out just how much they've acquired.

We even get a classic Aunt May / Octavius team up.

Bonus: Parker's Spider-Sense keeps flaring up and pointing inward. This feels like something from, 'The Other'. Man-Spider much? Ick.

[Alex Sarll]

Much more than the disappointing first volume, this is the entertaining farrago of mad science and bad intentions which the temporary Spidey set-up promised. Even so, the highlight is once again the .BEY issue focused on the supporting cast. This time, Aunt May uses her feminine wiles to get her ex Doctor Octopus to look into what happened to Peter. And yes, sometimes her dialogue is a bit millennial even for Marvel's sliding timeline ("That's certainly a take"?), but the overall effect remains amusingly queasy.

[C.T. Phipps · Rating 4 out of 5]

SPIDER-MAN BEYOND is an interesting idea for a story arc where Ben Reilly has taken up the mantle of Spider-Man from an injured Peter Parker in order to work for the Beuond Corporation from NEXTWAVE. Ben gets the life of privilege for working for the man, including his girlfriend out of prison. Of course the Beyond Corporation is evil, we knew that from NEXTWAVE, but Peter is too injured to investigate. Ben is also drinking the company Kool-Aid. I love that Misty and Colleen are in there as well as Doc Ock. Good stuff. But it could be wackier with the Nextwave influences.

[Néstor Vargas · Rating 4 out of 5]

The art on this volume, by every artist, was excellent. I like Doc Ock and his relationship with May is fun. I just had the small issue of focusing everything in the 'superior' trope, even though he manages to help Ben, his arrogance can be bit tiring, but that just his personality I think. The story with Miles was good! And the Peter issue in the hospital was creepy and a nice twist of essence in the book, really liked it.

[j_ay · Rating 1 out of 5]

Amazing covers by Arthur Adams....and that's it. Chaotic mess(es) of story(s)....Peter tripping out from being poisoned? Great idea. Couple that with uninteresting stories and pretty poor art? No, please. And the abandoning this plot for 2 whole issues? No.
This is not Ben Reilly's book. But the editors seems to not be aware of this....

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 3 out of 5]

More extreme mediocrity.

This volume does have two good points, and they're the end points: the intro issue which is a May and Oct team-up; and the last issue where Oct tells Ben some hard truths.

But in between, it's as forgettable as the first volume. Dull punch-'em-ups, mediocre art, lifeless supporting characters.

This is going to soon be an entirely forgotten era of Spider-Man.

[Lou Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's not much to say on this review without spoiling the plot, but the arc for these comics is one of my favourite ones at the moment. I really love the beyond story arc, I think how they mess with emotions, psychology and identity is both fascinating in concept and theory as well as in the way the writers present this arc and the characters of this world?

[Ondra Král]

Ne, ne, ne. V komiksu se objeví velká korporace a je... zlá? To je panečku šok.

Spidey pokračuje v cestě žumpou. Ben je naprostej nýmand, vedlejší postavy jsou nezajímavý a celé to nikam nevede. Pochválit musím max kreslíře, scénář je klišé vedle klišé.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume was better than the first, as it's becoming apparent that the Beyond Corporation, like most corporations in Marvel Comics, is up to no good. We get more Peter Parker this time, too, though the focus does remain on Ben Reilly. The art is pretty good throughout.

[Darik · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cody Ziglar is an absolutely abysmal writer, and I am very, VERY glad this is the last volume of Amazing Spider-Man they let him work solo on.

... How does someone write Aunt May to sound like a flirty, terminally-online twenty-something...?

[Jim · Rating 1 out of 5]

return to the days of really bad ideas - spider- clone and doc ock w/aunt may. uncle ben is alive? catain america, misty night and miles morales are all wasted in these stories about a big bad corporation

[Rajit · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is actually less about Peter Parker, and more about Ben Reilly. I'm glad that he's a hero again, and not a villain anymore. It's also nice to see Otto in a role where he's not necessarily a villain (although he does become an antagonist). I'll probably get the next volume