It seems that most of the positive reviews of the new Ben Reilly: The Scarlet Spider series were from fans of the character since the 90s when he first appeared as a Spider-Man clone.
Not having read those earlier books, I cannot say the character does anything for me now. I believe he appeared in Spider-Verse a couple of years back but he's so forgettable that I don't recall. Now with a whole trade focused on him, I cannot see what there is to like. He seems more of a Deadpool to tell you the truth. Snarky comments, more anti-hero than hero, scarred face, Spider-Man infatuation— the only thing missing is the 4th wall breaking. Even the villains seem like knock-offs. Slate has unbreakable skin? Umm, isn't that Luke Cage's thing?
A plot about a dying sick girl is underdeveloped and if the point was to give the book some emotional gravitas, it sadly fails.
I can think of at least a dozen other characters I'd like to see get their own comic run before Ben Reilly. Tigra please! Or Echo! But, if we're going back for a Spider-Verse character, I'll take Spider-Punk!
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