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A fitting farewell: 'Spider-Man 2099 Vol. 7: Back to the Future, Shock!' review

Comic Books

A fitting farewell: ‘Spider-Man 2099 Vol. 7: Back to the Future, Shock!’ review

The final issues of Spider-Man 2099 are collected in this volume and they’re quite good!

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Peter David and Will Sliney’s 25 issue run on Spider-Man 2099 was incredibly fun and probably the most accessible version of this character ever. Miguel was sent to our present, but that messed up everything and would bring doom to his 2099. As the story progressed Will Sliney designed a new white costume, other characters from 2099 popped up, and Miguel even had adventures with characters like Elektra. It was a good run — one that is finishing up in its seventh volume this week.

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So what’s it about?

The official summary reads:

With the help of Sonny Frisco, the Iron Man of 2099, Miguel has finally developed a plan to prevent the disaster that left his future timeline in ruins! If all goes well, Spidey’s crusade against The Fist will finally come to an end, and the world of 2099 will be saved. Unfortunately, the entire plan hinges on Electro’s cooperation…and if he’s not in a helpful mood, Miguel and Sonny are going to find themselves in for one serious shock! Plus, look back at Spider-Man 2099’s first trip to the present day, even as Peter Parker finds himself in Miguel’s far-flung future! Can the wall-crawlers of two eras uncover the clues to their mutual predicaments and unite to restore history?

Why does this matter?

If you ever dug Spider-Man 2099 for the costume but found the 2099 setting hard to access you should definitely give this series a go. This volume is also jam-packed with story as it wraps up plot threads and has even more time traveling fun thrown in to mix things up.

Fine, you have my attention. What’s good about it?

A fitting farewell: 'Spider-Man 2099 Vol. 7: Back to the Future, Shock!' review
There’s certainly some funny moments too.

The first issue in this volume is basically a self-contained story about Miguel trying to get info out of Electro. That info leads to Miguel’s adventure in the next three issues, but writer Peter David does a good job focusing the story on Lyla and the rise of the machines. Electro is a machine and seems to think he convinced Lyla they should join forces. This leads to a few surprising twists and does well to keep the intensity of the situation up. A fantastic twist brings it all home, which then leads to Miguel jumping into the future, but only to the year 2019.

David mixes in a lot of social drama with the knowledge that Miguel needs to stop the beginning of the end of the future. Along the way, he meets familiar faces (like the classic Spider-Man 2099 you see on the cover) as well as new ones. This leads to a final confrontation that’s satisfying and suits the time-hopping story this book started with. In fact, if you read the first story arc in this series you’re going to like how this one turns out.

I said it way back when this series started, but dammit do I like Will Sliney’s art! Spider-Man always seems to strike poses that look very realistic, but are way too bendy to be such. The use of shadow and light always seem to be used effectively and artfully to bring the costumes to life. In a great fight sequence with Man Mountain Marko, Sliney draws some incredible poses as Spider-Man dodges his blows and it’s a hallmark of Sliney’s style. Anatomy is on point and Spider-Man always seems to be bending in impossible ways.

This volume also contains the Spider-Man 2099 Meets Spider-Man issue that’s also written by Peter David with art by Rick Leonardi. It’s a classic and it highlights one of the best moments for Spider-Man 2099 in his early years containing all the hallmarks of the 90’s, including Venom! It’s a fun story that holds up over time.

A fitting farewell: 'Spider-Man 2099 Vol. 7: Back to the Future, Shock!' review
But wait there’s two now?!

It can’t be perfect can it?

The final few pages might feel a smidgen rushed, which is quite possible given it may have been canceled at the last minute. That said, the previous issue sets it up even if it seems like a mad dash to the finish line.

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The addition of Spider-Man 2099 Meets Spider-Man is nice, but clearly, it’s a means to pad this volume out to make long enough to call it a trade paperback. Four issues of the main story and a backup issue seems a bit light, though to be honest, the story feels long enough for a 10 dollar purchase. It’s also a bit suspect to be collected here given the current Spider-Man doesn’t really factor into this volume at all!

Is It Good?

I enjoyed this volume immensely, especially since I didn’t catch it in the single issue format. Miguel makes his last stand in our time and gets quite a fitting end. The art is excellent and the story has enough twists and turns to make it very enjoyable.

A fitting farewell: 'Spider-Man 2099 Vol. 7: Back to the Future, Shock!' review
Spider-Man 2099 Vol. 7: Back to the Future, Shock!
Is it good?
A solid and fitting end to the series.
Great art, especially the poses of Spider-Man!
Fitting ending that's satisfying
Some interesting plot twists
The filler back issue is good, but doesn't even relate to the main story
Final few pages feel a tad rushed to get to the end
9
Great

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