Spider-Man Needs to Leave Marvel's 90s Excess Where it Belongs
Warning: contains spoilers for Amazing Spider-Man #93!
The latest Spider-Man narrative from Marvel Comics brings back a story element that fans of the character never wished to see again: 90s angst. Peter Parker's perpetual popularity plummeted precipitously during the dark decade of decadence and despair, aptly remembered as the Dark Age of Comics, as past stories about a more nuanced Spider-Man took a backseat to edginess, aggression and shock-value moments during the infamous Clone Saga. With a single moment, Amazing Spider-Man #93 manages to bring the 90s back to Spider-Man comics in a way that will shock some fans and confuse most everyone else.
The current Spider-Man: Beyond story arc continues where it left off, with Peter Parker once again donning the Spider-Man mask after making an almost-full recovery from a deadly radiation-based attack. In his absence, Ben Reilly was courted by the Beyond Corporation to act as New York City's official new Spider-Man. But Beyond has seemingly edited Ben's memories, taking out certain elements of his past (including his knowledge that he was a clone of Peter); when he realized the truth, he sought out Peter and the two fought in the Beyond headquarters.
Related: Casting Spider-Man For Marvel's Sinister Six Movie
CEO Maxine, seeing the situation get out of hand, escapes while destroying the Beyond facility. Ben Reilly accepts that his life has been «stolen» and seemingly perishes as chemicals released by Maxine destroy all of Beyond's records...including the people. But somehow Reilly survives; in a short coda at the end of the issue, Reilly's girlfriend Janine seeks him out, but he's nowhere to be found. «Ben is gone. And where you were...there is only a Chasm.» thinks Ben.
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