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Dark Web
Dark Web
The worlds of Spider-Man and the X-Men collide! Marvel's two most famous and famously wronged clones - Chasm (Ben Reilly) and the Goblin Queen (Madelyne Pryor) - are back, they've had enough of being second best and they're going to claim what's rightfully theirs! The sun is setting, and it's going to be a long night for Spidey and the X-Men. But what role does the volatile Venom play in the clones' vengeful plot? And what will become of the young hero Ms. Marvel when she ends up trapped in Limbo?! The dark web that Madelyne and Ben will spin over Manhattan is going to change the NYC skyline forever! Collecting DARK WEB #1, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (2022) #15-18, VENOM (2021) #14-15, DARK X-MEN #1-3, DARK MS. MARVEL #1-2 and DARK WEB FINALE #1.
344 pages, Paperback
First published May 2, 2023
33 people are currently reading
129 people want to read
About the author
Zeb Wells
708 books71 followersZeb Wells is an American comic book writer known for his work at Marvel Comics, as well as his work on the animated TV series Robot Chicken.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
May 11, 2025
The revenge of the clones sees Ben Reilly and Madelyne Pryor team-up, alongsides Hallow's Eve and Venom(!) to get what they believe was taken from them from Spider-Man and the X-Men by bringing Limbo back to NY! Even with Venom and Ms Marvel cross-overs this lack-of-imagination rerun of Claremont's classic Inferno falls shockingly short of the original material with one exception the super Dark Web: X-Men:
For me one of the dark marks on X-lore is the franchises treatment of Madelyne Pryor by both writers and the ongoing cast over decades, so kudos to Gerry Duggan for opening that can of worms, and exploring that story, I never thought I'd see the day. However the rest of the event is worthless bar #4 of Mary Jane and Black Cat that has some key reveals for the main Amazing Spider-Man series. Marvel really failing in the events in 2023! A Two Star, 4 out of 12.
2025 read
For me one of the dark marks on X-lore is the franchises treatment of Madelyne Pryor by both writers and the ongoing cast over decades, so kudos to Gerry Duggan for opening that can of worms, and exploring that story, I never thought I'd see the day. However the rest of the event is worthless bar #4 of Mary Jane and Black Cat that has some key reveals for the main Amazing Spider-Man series. Marvel really failing in the events in 2023! A Two Star, 4 out of 12.
2025 read
October 17, 2023
As always, there's good and bad when it comes to sprawling Marvel Universe crossovers that require infinite foreknowledge just to have any idea what's going on. In last year's Dark Web, it's an X-Men and Spider-Man crossover which is mostly as fun as that sounds.
It's also a sequel to the excellent 1989 crossover Inferno, which personally I loved as a kid discovering old comics all those years ago. There's some nostalgia in revisiting Limbo and the complex Madelyne Pryor saga. But overall, the quality is not as high and doesn't feel like essential reading. Just not as a big a deal as the original, which is a common problem with legacy sequels.
The focus is more on Spidey and his cast of characters, which is limiting for me. I take it as a point of pride to keep up with X-Men. Peter Parker I've kind of grown out of. I've also heard a lot of bad thing about author Zeb Wells' current run, which "fans" online like to complain about at length. I do like Ed McGuiness
There's a lot to catch up, Peter works for Norman Osborne and I'm not sure but J. Jonah knows his secret identity now? But the biggest surprise is 90s nostalgia favorite clone Ben Reilly, who is now an evil villain called Chasm. It's very weird. I suppose it's rather clever that he teams up with Madelyne, as she's a rejected clone of Jean Grey so that's appropriate. She is of course the Goblin Queen and commands demons to take over New York and chaos ensues.
There are also chapters which star Venom, and that's even more to catch up. I know a bit about the King in Black sort of thing, and Al Ewing is a good writer with art by the legendary Bryan Hitch. I did however underestimate how cosmic Venom is now. Eddie Brock has a son too, who's another Venom. There's a lot going on.
There are also spinoffs to ignore, because it's a crossover. Sorry but don't read Ms. Marvel nor Mary Jane & Black Cat and especially not Gold Goblin.
Over on the X-Men side there's a miniseries written by the mainline title scribe Gerry Duggan, and it is excellent. It's funny, it utilizes continuity well (all the Summers family drama), and has character development. This is exactly why I always keep up with X-Men. I do so love the art by Rod Reis who is reminiscent of the very artsy Bill Sienkiewicz.
Lastly, I must mention that Spider-Man right away teams up with Iceman and Firestar which is a fun reference to the old Amazing Friends. In retrospect, just reading those chapters could have been enough, but if you want the whole story you got to read quite a bit more. It was worth a try to attempt to follow new Spider-Man, my curiosity is satiated, and now I'll go back to ignoring while I focus on a million X-Men titles. That being said, next on the list is the Sins of Sinister event...
It's also a sequel to the excellent 1989 crossover Inferno, which personally I loved as a kid discovering old comics all those years ago. There's some nostalgia in revisiting Limbo and the complex Madelyne Pryor saga. But overall, the quality is not as high and doesn't feel like essential reading. Just not as a big a deal as the original, which is a common problem with legacy sequels.
The focus is more on Spidey and his cast of characters, which is limiting for me. I take it as a point of pride to keep up with X-Men. Peter Parker I've kind of grown out of. I've also heard a lot of bad thing about author Zeb Wells' current run, which "fans" online like to complain about at length. I do like Ed McGuiness
There's a lot to catch up, Peter works for Norman Osborne and I'm not sure but J. Jonah knows his secret identity now? But the biggest surprise is 90s nostalgia favorite clone Ben Reilly, who is now an evil villain called Chasm. It's very weird. I suppose it's rather clever that he teams up with Madelyne, as she's a rejected clone of Jean Grey so that's appropriate. She is of course the Goblin Queen and commands demons to take over New York and chaos ensues.
There are also chapters which star Venom, and that's even more to catch up. I know a bit about the King in Black sort of thing, and Al Ewing is a good writer with art by the legendary Bryan Hitch. I did however underestimate how cosmic Venom is now. Eddie Brock has a son too, who's another Venom. There's a lot going on.
There are also spinoffs to ignore, because it's a crossover. Sorry but don't read Ms. Marvel nor Mary Jane & Black Cat and especially not Gold Goblin.
Over on the X-Men side there's a miniseries written by the mainline title scribe Gerry Duggan, and it is excellent. It's funny, it utilizes continuity well (all the Summers family drama), and has character development. This is exactly why I always keep up with X-Men. I do so love the art by Rod Reis who is reminiscent of the very artsy Bill Sienkiewicz.
Lastly, I must mention that Spider-Man right away teams up with Iceman and Firestar which is a fun reference to the old Amazing Friends. In retrospect, just reading those chapters could have been enough, but if you want the whole story you got to read quite a bit more. It was worth a try to attempt to follow new Spider-Man, my curiosity is satiated, and now I'll go back to ignoring while I focus on a million X-Men titles. That being said, next on the list is the Sins of Sinister event...
July 7, 2023
it wasn't nearly as bad as i expected it to be.
July 5, 2023
So this is ended up just being alright. I didn’t find it terrible but it’s definitely not winning any awards. So you have Madelyne Pryor wanting memories of her son, Cable, back form Jean and Ben Riley wants memories back from Peter Parker. Clones right? So of course they team up with help form Hallows Eve and Eddie Brock/Bedlam. However, Marvel Strikes again by not putting this book in proper order. I don’t know why they do that. Anyhoo, I redid the mapping with some paper book tabs. Peter is trying to deal with Ben with help from the Gold Goblin, and the X-Men are trying to deal with Pryor or Maddie as they call her, as she has unleashed all these demons on New York from Limbo. Then you have Dylan running up on Bedlam trying to get his dad back with Ms Marvel getting mixed up in that. Again, story was decent and the art was pretty good throughout the book. There even were some characters I actually found myself enjoying like Rek-Rap. All in all, I think 3 stars is a good fit.
June 9, 2023
If there are two things that have plagued Marvel Comics, and they are clones and mostly events storylines. And with Dark Web, you’ve got the best of two, centring on Marvel’s two infamous clones Ben Reilly and Madelyne Pryor, both of which having their own complicated histories, resulting in plenty of retconning. They have had enough of being second best and now as Chasm and the Goblin Queen, they're going to claim what's rightfully theirs by plaguing New York, which is going to be a long night for Spider-Man, Ms. Marvel and the X-Men.
Beginning with Dark Web #1, which functions like a continuation of Zeb Wells’ current Amazing Spider-Man run, the rest of the event is played out through numerous issues of Amazing, Venom, X-Men and Ms. Marvel.
As someone who has been reading Zeb Wells’ run, the Spidey issues fall into a recurring problem for the run, which is the character being detracted from his main story and is getting pulled into various event storylines. Although Dark Web technically follows the events from the Beyond era, where Ben Reilly has descended to the dark side, it never gives the character, the redemption he deserves. As for Peter himself, he finds himself trapped in Limbo, where he must save J. Jonah Jameson and Robbie Robertson from hordes of demons. Despite said demons, Wells plays for laughs, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing as you want levity from a Spidey story, but never do you get involved in the stakes.
And then we get to the Venom issues, focusing on a hero that I pretty much lost interest shortly after the initial issues from Donny Cates’ run. Co-written by Al Ewing and Ram V, with art by Bryan Hitch, I just couldn’t get into the symbiote mythology, especially if you haven’t kept with the current Venom comics. Sure, Venom himself returns with his villainous animalistic mind, and does get joked upon by Spidey, but it just ends up being a slugfest, like the rest of the book.
Next up, the Dark Web: X-Men issues by writer Gerry Duggan and artists Rod Reis and Phil Noto. As well as being the most visually striking issues of the lot, evoking the abstract style of Bill Sienkiewicz, they also feature the best character development, showing a Christmas night-out with the X-Men, which then goes awry, whilst having banter with Spider-Man. Unlike Ben Reilly, Madelyne Pryor has the redemption arc and how she learns to move on from her hatred of being Jean Grey’s clone.
We then arrive at the Dark Web: Ms. Marvel issues by Sabir Pirzada and Francesco Mortarino. These issues are purely cute and innocent adventures with Kamala Khan, despite being plunged into a hellish landscape. Even though I haven’t kept track of the current Ms. Marvel comics, Kamala remains a fun character and her few interactions with the likes of Miles Morales are heartwarming.
With Wells and artist Adam Kubert bookending the event, the whole thing felt like one big slugfest, which is the recurring problem of most event storylines and despite the nice character moments here and there, Dark Web isn’t essential Marvel reading.
Beginning with Dark Web #1, which functions like a continuation of Zeb Wells’ current Amazing Spider-Man run, the rest of the event is played out through numerous issues of Amazing, Venom, X-Men and Ms. Marvel.
As someone who has been reading Zeb Wells’ run, the Spidey issues fall into a recurring problem for the run, which is the character being detracted from his main story and is getting pulled into various event storylines. Although Dark Web technically follows the events from the Beyond era, where Ben Reilly has descended to the dark side, it never gives the character, the redemption he deserves. As for Peter himself, he finds himself trapped in Limbo, where he must save J. Jonah Jameson and Robbie Robertson from hordes of demons. Despite said demons, Wells plays for laughs, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing as you want levity from a Spidey story, but never do you get involved in the stakes.
And then we get to the Venom issues, focusing on a hero that I pretty much lost interest shortly after the initial issues from Donny Cates’ run. Co-written by Al Ewing and Ram V, with art by Bryan Hitch, I just couldn’t get into the symbiote mythology, especially if you haven’t kept with the current Venom comics. Sure, Venom himself returns with his villainous animalistic mind, and does get joked upon by Spidey, but it just ends up being a slugfest, like the rest of the book.
Next up, the Dark Web: X-Men issues by writer Gerry Duggan and artists Rod Reis and Phil Noto. As well as being the most visually striking issues of the lot, evoking the abstract style of Bill Sienkiewicz, they also feature the best character development, showing a Christmas night-out with the X-Men, which then goes awry, whilst having banter with Spider-Man. Unlike Ben Reilly, Madelyne Pryor has the redemption arc and how she learns to move on from her hatred of being Jean Grey’s clone.
We then arrive at the Dark Web: Ms. Marvel issues by Sabir Pirzada and Francesco Mortarino. These issues are purely cute and innocent adventures with Kamala Khan, despite being plunged into a hellish landscape. Even though I haven’t kept track of the current Ms. Marvel comics, Kamala remains a fun character and her few interactions with the likes of Miles Morales are heartwarming.
With Wells and artist Adam Kubert bookending the event, the whole thing felt like one big slugfest, which is the recurring problem of most event storylines and despite the nice character moments here and there, Dark Web isn’t essential Marvel reading.
September 21, 2023
Look how they massacred my boy, Ben Reilly.
1 star because the X-Men tie-in was OK, I guess.
1 star because the X-Men tie-in was OK, I guess.
July 24, 2023
I had very low expectations for this and it didn't disappoint from that aspect. Another forced event, although it does bring together probably the two most famous clones in Marvel Comics, Ben Reilly and Madelyne Pryor.
It's a better Maddie story who has a full character arc and finally puts her to rest in a satisfying way. Ben simply becomes an angry clone and forces a bunch of fighting.
The X-Men issues were actually funny, with a sort of "breaking the forth wall", self-deprecating, sarcastic attitude about itself. There's a really humorous moment between Scott Summers and Alex, where Alex comments on their relationship. The story actually puts him in a new place in his life which I assume will be reflected in the X books.
The Ms. Marvel books are well done with some very nice art, maybe even better than all the others. I haven't read any of her stories but it was a nice, simplistic story but one that seems to stick with her character from what I know of her.
I never cared for the original Inferno storyline, and reliving it didn't get me very excited. The original is looked back upon with a little bit of joking and the overall story does have some meat to it because it moves some of the pieces in new directions.
It's a better Maddie story who has a full character arc and finally puts her to rest in a satisfying way. Ben simply becomes an angry clone and forces a bunch of fighting.
The X-Men issues were actually funny, with a sort of "breaking the forth wall", self-deprecating, sarcastic attitude about itself. There's a really humorous moment between Scott Summers and Alex, where Alex comments on their relationship. The story actually puts him in a new place in his life which I assume will be reflected in the X books.
The Ms. Marvel books are well done with some very nice art, maybe even better than all the others. I haven't read any of her stories but it was a nice, simplistic story but one that seems to stick with her character from what I know of her.
I never cared for the original Inferno storyline, and reliving it didn't get me very excited. The original is looked back upon with a little bit of joking and the overall story does have some meat to it because it moves some of the pieces in new directions.
March 9, 2024
Ok so I just read from front to back, even though, honestly it probably was a bad idea since the issues should be organized by order of events and not by series. And for whatever reason they didn't include the MJ & Black Cat issues nor all of the Venom issues, which from what I could gather you didn't need them but if I'm buying a Omnibus of something, I'd prefer to have all the issues of the event and especially organized correctly in the book. I bought this one and at first the Amazing Spider-Man Dark Web Omnibus, before realizing that one didn't have the X-Men issues. So fail in that regard, although it gave me a bit more Maddie and current Spider-Man context and a surprising visit of Gwen Stacy I wasn't expected.
I bought this mainly for Madelyne Pryor, I love her and wanted her back for ages. And I know her a lot more than Ben, so I'm more interested/invested in her story. I haven't actually read anything on Ben or whatever is going on with his story and the Venom child stuff I have no clue what's going on there. However despite being a "Maddie and Ben" team up or whatever, it's mostly solely focused on Ben, which I do feel for, thanks to a recap from the Previously on X-Men podcast I got the gist of what happened to him. I do like his costume as Chasm and I do want to learn more about Janine/Hallows Eve.
I was expecting a lot more between Maddie and Jean and more between Maddie and Scott, or hell more between her and Magik or any of the X-Men honestly. Sadly not, but she was creative in torturing Scott that I absolutely loved. To be fair, I do need to catch up on back issues of her coming back. Also I want the picture framed of the 2 page panel of Madelyne returning to her Goblin Queen costume. Just chef's kiss at those pages.
Most of the art throughout the series was pretty damn good. Most of the writing was good as well, just again I wanted more Maddie.
I bought this mainly for Madelyne Pryor, I love her and wanted her back for ages. And I know her a lot more than Ben, so I'm more interested/invested in her story. I haven't actually read anything on Ben or whatever is going on with his story and the Venom child stuff I have no clue what's going on there. However despite being a "Maddie and Ben" team up or whatever, it's mostly solely focused on Ben, which I do feel for, thanks to a recap from the Previously on X-Men podcast I got the gist of what happened to him. I do like his costume as Chasm and I do want to learn more about Janine/Hallows Eve.
I was expecting a lot more between Maddie and Jean and more between Maddie and Scott, or hell more between her and Magik or any of the X-Men honestly. Sadly not, but she was creative in torturing Scott that I absolutely loved. To be fair, I do need to catch up on back issues of her coming back. Also I want the picture framed of the 2 page panel of Madelyne returning to her Goblin Queen costume. Just chef's kiss at those pages.
Most of the art throughout the series was pretty damn good. Most of the writing was good as well, just again I wanted more Maddie.
August 24, 2023
One of the few Marvel series I haven't been keeping up with is Spider-Man. Why that is, I don't know, though it might have something to do with the majority of the books being pretty low rated here on Goodreads. Dark Web continues that trend - and I guess I'm just going to be piling on because Dark Web wasn't particularly good.
The premise is that the clones of the Peter Parker and Jean Gray have decided it's time to reclaim their lost memories. Madelyne Pryor is now in control of Limbo (as seen in New Mutants Vol 3), so she unleashes her demonic hordes on New York City (that place is just always getting invaded!).
Naturally, Spider-Man and the X-Men take point on battling Maddie and Chasm, but Venom and Ms. Marvel also swing in from their respective series to help out. That's really where Dark Web goes wrong: the setup for the event is fine, if awfully contrived, but when you get into the non-Spider-Man issues, it all goes haywire. The Venom issues in particularly are a mess - if you haven't been keeping up with that Al Ewing mindfuck, you're not going to understand at all what is going on! Ms. Marvel also is totally tacked on and unnecessary, just an excuse to reintroduce her with a new author.
As always, the event concludes with a happy ending. I enjoyed Spider-Man's side of the story, which I suppose is good as this is his event. But everything else about Dark Web was confusing and overlong. It's safe to go back to forgetting about these random clones.
The premise is that the clones of the Peter Parker and Jean Gray have decided it's time to reclaim their lost memories. Madelyne Pryor is now in control of Limbo (as seen in New Mutants Vol 3), so she unleashes her demonic hordes on New York City (that place is just always getting invaded!).
Naturally, Spider-Man and the X-Men take point on battling Maddie and Chasm, but Venom and Ms. Marvel also swing in from their respective series to help out. That's really where Dark Web goes wrong: the setup for the event is fine, if awfully contrived, but when you get into the non-Spider-Man issues, it all goes haywire. The Venom issues in particularly are a mess - if you haven't been keeping up with that Al Ewing mindfuck, you're not going to understand at all what is going on! Ms. Marvel also is totally tacked on and unnecessary, just an excuse to reintroduce her with a new author.
As always, the event concludes with a happy ending. I enjoyed Spider-Man's side of the story, which I suppose is good as this is his event. But everything else about Dark Web was confusing and overlong. It's safe to go back to forgetting about these random clones.
May 25, 2024
This was…utterly ridiculous. Sure, sentient, carnivorous mail boxes are all good and amusing on page one, but come page 200, it’s a bit of a bore.
I picked this up, because I heard they turned my beloved Ben Reilly into a baddie named Chasm.
Let’s rewind to the year 1997 (or so). My friend had taken me to my first comic shop, where I was immediately drawn to Spider-Man comics. Lo and behold- the Clone Saga was running rampant and my first Spider-Man comic starred not Peter Parker- but, Ben Reilly. So, of course, from that moment on, Ben would hold a special place in my heart. This is why it absolutely PAINS me to see this atrocious reconstruction of him into this bafoonish villain. Ben is little more than a child throwing a tantrum- albeit a child whose tantrum includes overthrowing the Queen of limbo and raising demonic versions of everyday objects -remember that mailbox from page one? (along with actual demons)to terrorize New York.
It was funny at first, but never developed beyond just visual yuks. And this omnibus felt so disjointed. I felt the absence of all the volumes that had not been included.
I dunno, man. It turned into a slog to finish this- hence me getting to the last page in May when I started reading it in January.
I haven’t followed what’s happened since this story arc. Maybe Ben is still being written as an idiot. Maybe he and Peter reconciled. I just hope that whatever comes after this is actually worth the time it takes to read it.
I picked this up, because I heard they turned my beloved Ben Reilly into a baddie named Chasm.
Let’s rewind to the year 1997 (or so). My friend had taken me to my first comic shop, where I was immediately drawn to Spider-Man comics. Lo and behold- the Clone Saga was running rampant and my first Spider-Man comic starred not Peter Parker- but, Ben Reilly. So, of course, from that moment on, Ben would hold a special place in my heart. This is why it absolutely PAINS me to see this atrocious reconstruction of him into this bafoonish villain. Ben is little more than a child throwing a tantrum- albeit a child whose tantrum includes overthrowing the Queen of limbo and raising demonic versions of everyday objects -remember that mailbox from page one? (along with actual demons)to terrorize New York.
It was funny at first, but never developed beyond just visual yuks. And this omnibus felt so disjointed. I felt the absence of all the volumes that had not been included.
I dunno, man. It turned into a slog to finish this- hence me getting to the last page in May when I started reading it in January.
I haven’t followed what’s happened since this story arc. Maybe Ben is still being written as an idiot. Maybe he and Peter reconciled. I just hope that whatever comes after this is actually worth the time it takes to read it.
May 4, 2023
3/5 This one was a trip. We bring back Ben Reilly (Peter Parker's Clone) who is no longer the Scarlet Spider but is now the villain known as Chasm. Ben teams up with Madelyne Pryor (the clone of Jean Grey) who is also the villain The Goblin Queen and ruler of Limbo. Chasm and the Goblin Queen unleash hell (Limbo) on New York and are trying to reclaim their lost memories from the people they were cloned from.
The fights are fun and funny. Sentient objects eating people and a new Demon Spider-Man symbiote thing called Rek-Rap really had me going. However the story itself is a little all over the place. Though I have to admit I'm really only a comic dabbler and not always up to date on what's going on. Everything with Venom is new to me as I haven't read any of the Venomverse/King in Black stuff. Also Gold Goblin and Hallow's Eve were new to me as well though Hallow's Eve seems pretty dang cool. I was also a little disappointed in the wrap up.
So yeah while to story was weird and convoluted there is some fun to be had here if you take it as a goofy little X-Men/Spider-Man Arc.
Read 5/4/2023
The fights are fun and funny. Sentient objects eating people and a new Demon Spider-Man symbiote thing called Rek-Rap really had me going. However the story itself is a little all over the place. Though I have to admit I'm really only a comic dabbler and not always up to date on what's going on. Everything with Venom is new to me as I haven't read any of the Venomverse/King in Black stuff. Also Gold Goblin and Hallow's Eve were new to me as well though Hallow's Eve seems pretty dang cool. I was also a little disappointed in the wrap up.
So yeah while to story was weird and convoluted there is some fun to be had here if you take it as a goofy little X-Men/Spider-Man Arc.
Read 5/4/2023
April 11, 2024
I was interested in seeing two high profile clones get some pay back, and it was also interesting that one is super powerful and the other not, also that their aims were different... But honestly, animating mailboxes is not a threat, the X-Men literally walk around doing nothing, and Ms. Marvel shouldn't be in this at all. The changes in art were jarring too.
July 31, 2023
A waste of Madelyne Prior. This event felt more thrown together than planned out with minimal overlap of the characters.
May 19, 2023
I’ll admit I haven’t kept up on Venom lore, but every venom issue in this crossover was incomprehensible to me. The rest of this was fun, but it kind of loses steam by the end.
Read
October 9, 2023Spider-Man and the X-Men both have embittered clones running around, namely Ben Reilly and Madelyne Pryor, so having the two cast-offs team up to take back what they feel was stolen from them is a much more coherent premise than plenty of crossovers manage. Nevertheless, this starts off somewhat puzzling; there is a reading order diagram at the start, but even in so far as it's comprehensible, it's not the order the book uses, opting instead to have all of the issues of Amazing Spider-Man in order, then all the Venom issues, and so on - which means that by the last run-through (and to be fair, there is minimal repetition) you've got a decent handle on what's going on, but in those opening Spidey issues it can get a bit 'But why is he..? And what's with..?'
However, that matters less than you might fear because, perhaps faced with the ludicrous nineties X-Trem-ity of the title Dark Web, an awful lot of this is played for laughs. Some of that is built in; last time Madelyne unleashed her infernal powers on New York, in Inferno (which I've not read), it was already established that vehicles, street furniture &c would come to life, and yes that would be scary if it happened to you, but it's also quite funny, isn't it? Especially if you lean into it by unleashing armies of murderous loos, or giving a vanquished killer motorbike the last words "I just wanted to eat people. *Sob* is that so wrong?" On top of which, it's Christmas (and yes, obviously I would have waited to read this if I'd realised), so there's the opportunity for lampshaded Tim Burton steals, and the mutants accused of a war on Christmas after saving a puppy from the Rockefeller Plaza tree. Meanwhile, Spidey and Jonah are beset by demons obliging them to go through the motions of their lives in increasingly exhausted simulacrum, which is amusing as a sly comment on the eternal second act of superhero comics, but also as a source of dumb laughs, clueless fiends referring to them as Parker Parker Peteman and J. Johnnie John-Man before adopting off-brand villainous identities like Doctor Octoball. "Web-whanging" alone was good for a solid minute's giggling.
In amongst all that, there is room for some more serious stuff regarding Ben, Maddie and the shitty hands they've been dealt over the years, though for me the Maddie half of it worked better, both because she's played more sympathetically and because that side of the story still goes for heightened and a bit camp, while ASM sadly sticks with doing the over-serious reaching for drama that saw me drop Zeb Wells' run. In between, though, is Venom. Now, in the past I've always admired Al Ewing's ability to just keep doing his own thing while crossovers explode around him, but the problem here is that I enjoy the crossover more than his and Ram V's Venom, which here continues to feel like a very drawn-out exercise in daddy issues starring multiple iterations of two characters I don't much care about. There are still a few chuckles, largely from the sub-Zombo mutterings of a dumbed-down Eddie Brock, and a Ms Marvel exasperated at being called 'Grandma' by a character even younger than she is, but it's not enough to compensate for all the massive swords and pseudo-badass new looks.
The most jarring detail, though, is how Bryan Hitch's Kamala does look, if not exactly grandmaternal, then certainly older than she ought. Granted, the shakiness of superhero artists with kids is notorious, but this is a symptom of a wider issue with Hitch, who felt like the future when Ultimates launched, but sandwiched here by much livelier work, now feels very stiff and dated. ASM has Ed McGuinness, at the cartoonier end of standard superhero style; X-Men has Rod Reis and Phil Noto, both of whom bring a weird, luminous quality without losing the room for a lightness of touch. And then Hitch is just doing his same old thing, only slightly less so.
Fortunately, Kamala looks much more herself in her own two issues, which didn't really need to be included in the main event collection, and come from creators whose names I don't recognise at all, but are probably the best Ms Marvel comics I've read since co-creator Willow Wilson moved on from the character. Possibly their presence here was a gesture towards making her feel more tied to Spidey's world so that her subsequent brief merking in the pages of his book would feel less utterly out of the blue? Either way, all that remains after that is the finale issue, which feels a little anticlimactic, but less so than they often do, and puts the toys back in the box with just enough tweaking to avoid the whole exercise feeling entirely irrelevant. No classic, but given I half-expected this to be a hate-read, still a pleasant surprise.
However, that matters less than you might fear because, perhaps faced with the ludicrous nineties X-Trem-ity of the title Dark Web, an awful lot of this is played for laughs. Some of that is built in; last time Madelyne unleashed her infernal powers on New York, in Inferno (which I've not read), it was already established that vehicles, street furniture &c would come to life, and yes that would be scary if it happened to you, but it's also quite funny, isn't it? Especially if you lean into it by unleashing armies of murderous loos, or giving a vanquished killer motorbike the last words "I just wanted to eat people. *Sob* is that so wrong?" On top of which, it's Christmas (and yes, obviously I would have waited to read this if I'd realised), so there's the opportunity for lampshaded Tim Burton steals, and the mutants accused of a war on Christmas after saving a puppy from the Rockefeller Plaza tree. Meanwhile, Spidey and Jonah are beset by demons obliging them to go through the motions of their lives in increasingly exhausted simulacrum, which is amusing as a sly comment on the eternal second act of superhero comics, but also as a source of dumb laughs, clueless fiends referring to them as Parker Parker Peteman and J. Johnnie John-Man before adopting off-brand villainous identities like Doctor Octoball. "Web-whanging" alone was good for a solid minute's giggling.
In amongst all that, there is room for some more serious stuff regarding Ben, Maddie and the shitty hands they've been dealt over the years, though for me the Maddie half of it worked better, both because she's played more sympathetically and because that side of the story still goes for heightened and a bit camp, while ASM sadly sticks with doing the over-serious reaching for drama that saw me drop Zeb Wells' run. In between, though, is Venom. Now, in the past I've always admired Al Ewing's ability to just keep doing his own thing while crossovers explode around him, but the problem here is that I enjoy the crossover more than his and Ram V's Venom, which here continues to feel like a very drawn-out exercise in daddy issues starring multiple iterations of two characters I don't much care about. There are still a few chuckles, largely from the sub-Zombo mutterings of a dumbed-down Eddie Brock, and a Ms Marvel exasperated at being called 'Grandma' by a character even younger than she is, but it's not enough to compensate for all the massive swords and pseudo-badass new looks.
The most jarring detail, though, is how Bryan Hitch's Kamala does look, if not exactly grandmaternal, then certainly older than she ought. Granted, the shakiness of superhero artists with kids is notorious, but this is a symptom of a wider issue with Hitch, who felt like the future when Ultimates launched, but sandwiched here by much livelier work, now feels very stiff and dated. ASM has Ed McGuinness, at the cartoonier end of standard superhero style; X-Men has Rod Reis and Phil Noto, both of whom bring a weird, luminous quality without losing the room for a lightness of touch. And then Hitch is just doing his same old thing, only slightly less so.
Fortunately, Kamala looks much more herself in her own two issues, which didn't really need to be included in the main event collection, and come from creators whose names I don't recognise at all, but are probably the best Ms Marvel comics I've read since co-creator Willow Wilson moved on from the character. Possibly their presence here was a gesture towards making her feel more tied to Spidey's world so that her subsequent brief merking in the pages of his book would feel less utterly out of the blue? Either way, all that remains after that is the finale issue, which feels a little anticlimactic, but less so than they often do, and puts the toys back in the box with just enough tweaking to avoid the whole exercise feeling entirely irrelevant. No classic, but given I half-expected this to be a hate-read, still a pleasant surprise.
September 11, 2024
This was…pretty bad, honestly. On the surface, I love the idea. Ben Reilly, famous clone of Peter Parker, and Madelyne Pryor, famous clone of Jean Grey, both feel they’ve been wrongfully kept from some of their memories and want revenge. What ensues is essentially a sequel to Inferno from the 80s (despite there being a different recent Inferno book in the X-Men line that had significantly less to do with the original Inferno).
Unfortunately, the good stuff kind of runs out with the concept. Maddie and Ben don’t get much page space to explain what they want or how they got together in the first place. When they do, Spider-Man doesn’t give Ben the time of day. Surprisingly, Jean is really great about the whole thing and has some nice moments with Maddie. Which honestly just highlights what a jerk Peter was being.
This is truly a “crossover” versus an “event,” since it’s told with two bookend issues and then 4 separate plot lines across the 4 books included: Amazing Spider-Man, Venom, X-Men, and Ms. Marvel. I already said I don’t like Spidey’s plot. The jokes mostly fall flat and the whole thing is handled horribly. Venom was extremely dense and hard to follow (so I guess Eddie looks like Venom to start but is actually Bedlam, and his son Dylan is actually Venom, but also the Necrosword, and Eddie is also a King in Black which means he controls all symbiotes, but not the ones Dylan controls?). It ends up just being a bunch of punching and yelling until everyone goes their separate ways.
The X-Men issues are decent. They show growth and actually resolve some things within the story that allow the overall plot to progress. There are even some moments that further the plot of the main X-Men title without being too opaque to the non-X-Men reader. Namely, Alex doesn’t feel at home on the X-Men and is looking for another opportunity. I might be biased by reading the X-Men books, but I think it was more accessible than the Spidey stuff.
Ms. Marvel was surprisingly enjoyable. It’s a self contained story that doesn’t add much, but it was entertaining. Plus Kamala gets a few moments to be pretty badass, which I appreciate.
In the end, most events and crossovers are judged based on whatever new status quo they are meant to establish. Unfortunately, it seems like this was mostly set up for a new Dark X-Men book, which I think is already cancelled. Otherwise, I’m not very sure what the point was, except to bury some hatchets between Maddie and the X-Men (though they were already somewhat buried in the New Mutants issues where she inherits Limbo from Magik).
The art was all over the place. Mostly solid. Phil Noto on X-Men is, of course, a standout. I also really liked Francesco Mortarino on Ms. Marvel. The last issue had some of the worst art of the book, which really detracted from several of the scenes, including some really strange layout choices that made it extra hard to tell what was happening.
So it didn’t have a ton of heart, was only sometimes fun to look at, kind of hard to follow because of the multiple Marvel realms being thrown together, and didn’t have any meaningful or lasting impact on the Marvel universe. Unless you’re a die hard fan of one of these franchises, I’d recommend a pass l.
Unfortunately, the good stuff kind of runs out with the concept. Maddie and Ben don’t get much page space to explain what they want or how they got together in the first place. When they do, Spider-Man doesn’t give Ben the time of day. Surprisingly, Jean is really great about the whole thing and has some nice moments with Maddie. Which honestly just highlights what a jerk Peter was being.
This is truly a “crossover” versus an “event,” since it’s told with two bookend issues and then 4 separate plot lines across the 4 books included: Amazing Spider-Man, Venom, X-Men, and Ms. Marvel. I already said I don’t like Spidey’s plot. The jokes mostly fall flat and the whole thing is handled horribly. Venom was extremely dense and hard to follow (so I guess Eddie looks like Venom to start but is actually Bedlam, and his son Dylan is actually Venom, but also the Necrosword, and Eddie is also a King in Black which means he controls all symbiotes, but not the ones Dylan controls?). It ends up just being a bunch of punching and yelling until everyone goes their separate ways.
The X-Men issues are decent. They show growth and actually resolve some things within the story that allow the overall plot to progress. There are even some moments that further the plot of the main X-Men title without being too opaque to the non-X-Men reader. Namely, Alex doesn’t feel at home on the X-Men and is looking for another opportunity. I might be biased by reading the X-Men books, but I think it was more accessible than the Spidey stuff.
Ms. Marvel was surprisingly enjoyable. It’s a self contained story that doesn’t add much, but it was entertaining. Plus Kamala gets a few moments to be pretty badass, which I appreciate.
In the end, most events and crossovers are judged based on whatever new status quo they are meant to establish. Unfortunately, it seems like this was mostly set up for a new Dark X-Men book, which I think is already cancelled. Otherwise, I’m not very sure what the point was, except to bury some hatchets between Maddie and the X-Men (though they were already somewhat buried in the New Mutants issues where she inherits Limbo from Magik).
The art was all over the place. Mostly solid. Phil Noto on X-Men is, of course, a standout. I also really liked Francesco Mortarino on Ms. Marvel. The last issue had some of the worst art of the book, which really detracted from several of the scenes, including some really strange layout choices that made it extra hard to tell what was happening.
So it didn’t have a ton of heart, was only sometimes fun to look at, kind of hard to follow because of the multiple Marvel realms being thrown together, and didn’t have any meaningful or lasting impact on the Marvel universe. Unless you’re a die hard fan of one of these franchises, I’d recommend a pass l.
May 24, 2023
This event feels kinda... pointless.
The ASM issues feel extremely goofy and pointless, especially once the finale has come and gone. It really felt as though Wells was kinda just phoning it in here. The art is pretty good though.
Chasm/Ben Reilly is once again terribly misused. Following the worn-out plot of 'clone gone bad' in ASM: Beyond. Ben is unapologetically evil, and though Janine is meant to be his moral compass, she's as equally disillusioned. In fact, Ben ends up taking the fall for the whole event, which feels really unsatisying, considering Peter could have shared his memories with Ben in the same way Jean shared hers with Maddie. Pryor and Ben teamed up because they were in a very similar situation, yet they got different conclusions because... we don't know what to do with Ben, I guess.
The Venom issues are phenomenal, however, and I'm glad that though they're part of the Dark Web event, Ewing/Ram have used it to further the plot of their book in a coherent, satisfying way. It really is well written.
The X-Men side felt a bit... rushed. It is definitely better than the ASM side, but it definitely felt as though the characters were kinda 'railroaded' without much agency. There are a couple of good moments between Pryor and Jean, but it does make me wonder why Jean hadn't given Pryor the memories of her child much earlier.
Speaking of Pryor, following her resurrection and ascension in New Mutants, it had seemed she was on the path to recovery, similarly to Alex Summers. For this event, though, it seems like she'd always been looking to pry Jean's memories of her child, which wasn't the case. The resolution was nice, but it does feel like we're right were we were pryor (ha) to the event, with Pryor being a seemingly stable ruler of Limbo on the path to recovery.
The Ms. Marvel tie-ins were surprisingly good, and I'm glad they justify why Kamala was working for Osborn in a pretty human way. The return of the Inventor(s) was really fun to see, and though these two issues still don't justify Ms. Marvel's inclusion in this ASM run, I do hope we're able to see a new ongoing sometime soon, maybe even with this creative team.
Not the worst Spider-Man event ever, but half of it has a somewhat inconsequential resolution and the other feels kinda cruel given what happened to the other 'villain'.
60/100
The ASM issues feel extremely goofy and pointless, especially once the finale has come and gone. It really felt as though Wells was kinda just phoning it in here. The art is pretty good though.
Chasm/Ben Reilly is once again terribly misused. Following the worn-out plot of 'clone gone bad' in ASM: Beyond. Ben is unapologetically evil, and though Janine is meant to be his moral compass, she's as equally disillusioned. In fact, Ben ends up taking the fall for the whole event, which feels really unsatisying, considering Peter could have shared his memories with Ben in the same way Jean shared hers with Maddie. Pryor and Ben teamed up because they were in a very similar situation, yet they got different conclusions because... we don't know what to do with Ben, I guess.
The Venom issues are phenomenal, however, and I'm glad that though they're part of the Dark Web event, Ewing/Ram have used it to further the plot of their book in a coherent, satisfying way. It really is well written.
The X-Men side felt a bit... rushed. It is definitely better than the ASM side, but it definitely felt as though the characters were kinda 'railroaded' without much agency. There are a couple of good moments between Pryor and Jean, but it does make me wonder why Jean hadn't given Pryor the memories of her child much earlier.
Speaking of Pryor, following her resurrection and ascension in New Mutants, it had seemed she was on the path to recovery, similarly to Alex Summers. For this event, though, it seems like she'd always been looking to pry Jean's memories of her child, which wasn't the case. The resolution was nice, but it does feel like we're right were we were pryor (ha) to the event, with Pryor being a seemingly stable ruler of Limbo on the path to recovery.
The Ms. Marvel tie-ins were surprisingly good, and I'm glad they justify why Kamala was working for Osborn in a pretty human way. The return of the Inventor(s) was really fun to see, and though these two issues still don't justify Ms. Marvel's inclusion in this ASM run, I do hope we're able to see a new ongoing sometime soon, maybe even with this creative team.
Not the worst Spider-Man event ever, but half of it has a somewhat inconsequential resolution and the other feels kinda cruel given what happened to the other 'villain'.
60/100
August 11, 2023
An event that works, mostly. The short version is that Marvel's two most well-known clones, Ben Reilly and Madelynn Pryor, team up to try and get their due. Not a terrible place to start from. Unfortunately, this volume doesn't actually publish the issues in order, which I hate in general. An event book like this should print Spider-Man #1, Venom #1, X-Men #1, Spider-Man #2, etc, instead of Spider-Man 1-4, then Venom 1-4.
As a whole, the basic premise is decent. The X-Men issues are the most successful, at least for me. I've always felt a lot of compassion for Maddie, and this is one of the few times that I felt like she's been written compassionately. Her story is horrible and tragic, and it's even more tragic when you remember that nobody was more cruel to her than Scott Summers. And it's honestly refreshing to see that treated seriously. I'm seriously nervous for her going forward, because status quo is king, but I also hope that this is the start of her taking up a new, more grey space in the Marvel Universe.
Moving over to Ben Reilly in the Spider-Man issues... I don't know. I don't feel as attached to this character, or as convinced by his trip to the dark side. I also don't particularly care where he goes from here. The Spider-Man issues are the ones that also lean hardest into the deep silliness at the core of this entire event, a silliness that I found entirely boring.
I can't talk much about the Venom issues. I've not kept up with this character, and the issues here felt so deeply entwined with whatever the current status of that book is that I barely understood what was going on. Ms. Marvel's issues, on the other hand, were fun, light little things. Basically without weight in the overall event, but still a pleasure to read.
To sum it up, this is a relatively contained event that seems to have a real point about one of Marvel's best known clones. It's very silly, but there's some heart to be found here, especially with Maddie. Worth a read? Not unless you've been keeping up with at least Spider-Man or Venom, or are really attached to the concept of Maddie.
As a whole, the basic premise is decent. The X-Men issues are the most successful, at least for me. I've always felt a lot of compassion for Maddie, and this is one of the few times that I felt like she's been written compassionately. Her story is horrible and tragic, and it's even more tragic when you remember that nobody was more cruel to her than Scott Summers. And it's honestly refreshing to see that treated seriously. I'm seriously nervous for her going forward, because status quo is king, but I also hope that this is the start of her taking up a new, more grey space in the Marvel Universe.
Moving over to Ben Reilly in the Spider-Man issues... I don't know. I don't feel as attached to this character, or as convinced by his trip to the dark side. I also don't particularly care where he goes from here. The Spider-Man issues are the ones that also lean hardest into the deep silliness at the core of this entire event, a silliness that I found entirely boring.
I can't talk much about the Venom issues. I've not kept up with this character, and the issues here felt so deeply entwined with whatever the current status of that book is that I barely understood what was going on. Ms. Marvel's issues, on the other hand, were fun, light little things. Basically without weight in the overall event, but still a pleasure to read.
To sum it up, this is a relatively contained event that seems to have a real point about one of Marvel's best known clones. It's very silly, but there's some heart to be found here, especially with Maddie. Worth a read? Not unless you've been keeping up with at least Spider-Man or Venom, or are really attached to the concept of Maddie.
May 18, 2023
I actually read this as it was coming out but I could never find a collected edition on here but finally one has been posted. I enjoyed this event but I only read it because it connects with the X-Men, god knows I don’t care what’s happening in the Spider-Man side of Marvel. Very unfortunately I’m forced to care more than I would like, from this to the now controversial upcoming issue 26 of The Amazing Spider-Man. I was bamboozled by the X-Men involvement, they didn’t have much of an impact on this and I have yet to see much impact from how it ends either. But I do like the premise of two clones being mad at the world for treating them less than and taking it out on the world. It’s a fun read but definitely a skipable one if you’re just in it for the X-Men, I’m sure if you’re reading Spider-Man it’s much more important.
July 31, 2023
This was a fun crossover, but the biggest reason I put it at 3 was how the trade was compiled. First, it's missing 4 crossover issues (Gold Goblin #2-3, Mary Jane, and Black Cat #1-2). Second, instead of linear - which they actually show in a graph - it's grouped by book. So, very early on, you learn some key plot details of important events in other series.
The story itself works. Two pissed-off clones want their own identity. But Chasm is very underdeveloped. And the solution that works for Goblin Queen should also work for Chasm...but nobody seems to think of it. They have 3 highly powerful psychics, and not one of them could figure out how to help Ben Reily. Really?
But the art throughout is so good. From Rod Reis' creepy Limbo scenes to Ed McGuinness fun possessed NYC, the art is definitely the highlight of the crossover.
The story itself works. Two pissed-off clones want their own identity. But Chasm is very underdeveloped. And the solution that works for Goblin Queen should also work for Chasm...but nobody seems to think of it. They have 3 highly powerful psychics, and not one of them could figure out how to help Ben Reily. Really?
But the art throughout is so good. From Rod Reis' creepy Limbo scenes to Ed McGuinness fun possessed NYC, the art is definitely the highlight of the crossover.
August 22, 2024
"I JUST SAW A YELLOW CAB SHIV AN UBER OVER A PASSENGER. IT'S OFFICIAL... CHRISTMAS IS CANCELED! WE'RE WORKING LATE TONIGHT, PEOPLE! NEW YORK'S GONE TO HELL AND WE'RE GONNA OWN THE STORY!"
- J. Jonah Jameson taking advantage of a crossover event-level crisis to further exploit his employees on a holiday.
I've actually enjoyed most of Zeb Wells Spidey run thus far. The one exception here was the annoying sidekick Rek-Rap, a roided up version of Jar Jar Binks and Dobby, except his vacuous personality progresses the story in no way whatsoever.
This wasn't a bad event. I could've done without the tie-ins, though one of them contains a critical conversation that completes the overall story. I enjoyed the Spidey bits. I could've passed on most of the rest.
Two-and-a-half rounded up to three stars.
- J. Jonah Jameson taking advantage of a crossover event-level crisis to further exploit his employees on a holiday.
I've actually enjoyed most of Zeb Wells Spidey run thus far. The one exception here was the annoying sidekick Rek-Rap, a roided up version of Jar Jar Binks and Dobby, except his vacuous personality progresses the story in no way whatsoever.
This wasn't a bad event. I could've done without the tie-ins, though one of them contains a critical conversation that completes the overall story. I enjoyed the Spidey bits. I could've passed on most of the rest.
Two-and-a-half rounded up to three stars.
August 17, 2023
Just OK, kinda clunky but it has come cool moments. I liked Bedlam and the x-men stuff (cant help it) BUT it has one of the funniest panels I have seen in a long time in marvel. The whole panel with the rockefellar christmas tree/demon poop was damn right hilerious. How the editors let them do it, beyond me haha.
But mostly the story has forgettable characters and weak storylines. I am not hip on all the latest spidy stuff but I try to keep up. Chasm is just weak overall, Goblin queen also just flimsy and silly at times. I did really like the jean moments with her and cable, was cool. Bedlam is a mess but I liked it. the whole venom thing is just getting silly really.
Special note about Phil Noto's art, just gorgeous. I still love his expressions and just awesome skills.
But mostly the story has forgettable characters and weak storylines. I am not hip on all the latest spidy stuff but I try to keep up. Chasm is just weak overall, Goblin queen also just flimsy and silly at times. I did really like the jean moments with her and cable, was cool. Bedlam is a mess but I liked it. the whole venom thing is just getting silly really.
Special note about Phil Noto's art, just gorgeous. I still love his expressions and just awesome skills.
September 12, 2023
Collects DARK WEB #1, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (2022) #15-18, VENOM (2021) #14-15, DARK WEB: X-MEN #1-3, DARK WEB: MS. MARVEL #1-2 and DARK WEB FINALE #1
Growing up, Ben Reilly was my favorite Marvel character. The character took some dark turns a few years ago, but he was eventually redeemed, and changed back to the heroic, standard Ben Reilly. I was really excited about the potential of the (relatively) recent "Beyond" story starring Ben Reilly as Spider-Man, but the ending was extremely disappointing. This ill-conceived "event" is even worse than the end of "Beyond."
The only thing worse than reading this story in the "Amazing Spider-Man" book, is reading this collection that features all of the tie-ins.
Growing up, Ben Reilly was my favorite Marvel character. The character took some dark turns a few years ago, but he was eventually redeemed, and changed back to the heroic, standard Ben Reilly. I was really excited about the potential of the (relatively) recent "Beyond" story starring Ben Reilly as Spider-Man, but the ending was extremely disappointing. This ill-conceived "event" is even worse than the end of "Beyond."
The only thing worse than reading this story in the "Amazing Spider-Man" book, is reading this collection that features all of the tie-ins.
July 13, 2023
An awful mishmash of a story. The problem is that the X-Men plot is a pretty important story about who Madelyn Pryor is, and what her place in the X-Universe is. And then there's a Spider-Man plot that tries to be the same thing, but is largely a character assassination of Ben Reilly backed up by high farce that is tremendously at odds with the seriousness of the X-Men piece.
On top of that you have a Venom story that is utterly nonsensical torn from the context of the comic and a Ms. Marvel story that's also there.
I'd love to have the X-Men story removed from the rest of this mess, preferably in one of Duggan's volumes, and I could care less about the rest of this.
On top of that you have a Venom story that is utterly nonsensical torn from the context of the comic and a Ms. Marvel story that's also there.
I'd love to have the X-Men story removed from the rest of this mess, preferably in one of Duggan's volumes, and I could care less about the rest of this.
August 14, 2023
An absolute mess. The Spider-Man side of it is an entertaining enough read, but unfortunately that makes up only about a fourth of this TPB. The rest is a poorly written three-issue-long Venom fight, a two-issue inconsequential Ms Marvel story, a clunky three-issue X-Men bit of weirdness, and then it all “comes together” (?) in a rushed finale that’s little more than an extended battle scene.
Get Venom and Ms Marvel out of this thing, get a better creative team on the X-Men side of it, and build to a smarter ending. Then this might come close to being worth the $30+ it goes for right now. As it is, it’s the kind of project that gives comic books a bad name.
Get Venom and Ms Marvel out of this thing, get a better creative team on the X-Men side of it, and build to a smarter ending. Then this might come close to being worth the $30+ it goes for right now. As it is, it’s the kind of project that gives comic books a bad name.
October 22, 2023
As a follow-up to Inferno, Dark Web does a great job of expanding and complicating the Goblin Queen's story. The Spider-Man sections, as is the case with most of Zebb Wells current work, leaves much to be desired, with Ben Reilly's turn as Chasm being particularly disappointing in terms of characterization, serving the plot more than an understandable arc for one of the few worthwhile characters to emerge out from the mess that is the Clone Saga. Were this book only those Spider-Man elements, I would rate Dark Web far lower. Thankfully, there is far more to this book than a poorly written villain with an albeit worthwhile costume redesign.
June 4, 2023
Unpopular Opinion :
Despite the hate for this event, i really enjoyed it a lot. Fun, simple, easy to understand, action packed (seriously they fight a lot 😂) , so many cool characters and team involved. Great artwork too. The X-Men issues are my favourite & the Venom issues are really confusing like i don't have any idea what the hell is going on. Quite thick book but I managed to finish it in one day. It kept me going on which is always a good sign if the story is good.
Rating : 8/10
Despite the hate for this event, i really enjoyed it a lot. Fun, simple, easy to understand, action packed (seriously they fight a lot 😂) , so many cool characters and team involved. Great artwork too. The X-Men issues are my favourite & the Venom issues are really confusing like i don't have any idea what the hell is going on. Quite thick book but I managed to finish it in one day. It kept me going on which is always a good sign if the story is good.
Rating : 8/10
September 27, 2023
I read all of this crossover as part of the other books, except the 3 issues dedicated to the X-Men, so I read those here. Not exactly vital to the overall story, but did give funny moments for Cyclops and Havok and a very touching moment between Jean and Maddie, with the giving of the memories of raising Cable.
Overall the whole story was good, despite being stretched a tiny bit too long, but I read them as part of their original titles.
Recommend.
Overall the whole story was good, despite being stretched a tiny bit too long, but I read them as part of their original titles.
Recommend.
April 15, 2025
I didn't really like the original Inferno. I think the demon possessed garbage cans and park benches are too silly. I really didn't like how they put the issues in such a stupid order in the collection. You have to go to the beginning to find the story web order and flip around instead of organizing it in that order to begin with. I did really like the character of Hallow's Eve. I had never seen her before. Just barely good enough to have me want to finish it. 3/5
June 7, 2023
I enjoyed the look at the lives of the Maddie and Ben and their dealing with being forgotten/forced out. But the organization of this volume was a bit of a mess. Things jumped around so much in an effort to link the specific character issues back to back but it hurt the storytelling of the volume as a whole. Not my favorite event volume or anywhere close.
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