Spider-Man: The "Real" Clone Saga
Writers: Tom DeFalco and Howard Mackie
Artist: Todd Nauck
This retelling of the infamous CLONE SAGA perfectly conveys the potential many of the original concepts and ideas possessed!
Ranking: 4 stars
I’ve reviewed many comics that have been subject to controversy among comic book fans, whether it be coming to the book’s defense and pointing out overlooked positive elements (SPIDER-MAN: MAXIMUM CARNAGE and SPIDER-MAN: SINS PAST), or criticizing them for being poorly written and insulting to the mythos of the characters (SPIDER-MAN: ONE MORE DAY). But out of all the controversial comics that I’ve encountered, there has probably been none more universally infamous than THE CLONE SAGA! Being the Spider-Man fan that I am, I had always heard about the Clone Saga and how it was considered by many to be the worst Spider-Man story ever made (some claim it’s even worse than ONE MORE DAY; and you guys know how much I hate that abomination). For awhile I had never understood the hate for the clone saga, as I was born in 1996, so I did not grow up when the stories were being published. However, I had read about the saga in guidebooks and online articles, and I felt that the entire concept behind Ben Reilly was interesting, and could not comprehend why the series was so infamous. That was before I had researched the full details about the saga from behind the scenes. For those who are unaware, THE CLONE SAGA was created during the early 90’s (considered by many to be the “Dark Age of Comics”) in response to financial trouble that Marvel was experiencing at the time. Billionaire Ron Perelman had purchased Marvel, seeing potential profit in the comic industry, and had the company place more emphasis on the collectibility value of comics rather than the quality of their stories. This, alongside several artists leaving to form Image Comics, and the success of stories like THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN and BATMAN: KNIGHTFALL (which I absolutely loved) from their rival DC, caused sales to decline heavily. This was particularly evident with Spider-Man comics at the time, as several unpopular decisions behind the scenes were causing readers to leave the book. To solve the crisis, Marvel decided to imitate the success found in the aforementioned stories from DC, where their biggest heroes were temporarily killed off and replaced before triumphantly returning. For Spidey, Marvel decided to resurrect a clone of Spider-Man from a story back from the 70’s, have people believe that the clone was the real Peter Parker for awhile, and then finally reveal that the original was the real Spider-Man all along. It was meant to be a simple three-act story that would get readers interested again, but instead, it complicated things even worse. I’ve complained on numerous occasions about editors interfering with the storytelling process (I’m looking at you Joe Quesada), but in this case, it was the marketing department that was to blame. Because Marvel was in such financial trouble at the time, the marketing department actually limited many of the creative decisions made by the writers, artists, and editors involved in the Clone Saga, and had the length of the story heavily extended. While the story was originally supposed to have lasted for just one year, it instead went on for three whole years, resulting in many convoluted story arcs, plot elements that were unpopular with readers, and overall just badly written stories in general. Because of this, THE CLONE SAGA has been regarded by many as the worst Spider-Man comic in history. While I haven’t actually read the original Clone Saga (though I have watched Linkara’s reviews of various story arcs from it) it saddens me that it failed as bad as it did as I feel that had the story not went on for way too long, or ignored some of the stupid elements like Judas Traveller, Scrier, or the Jackal’s idiotic plans, THE CLONE SAGA could have easily been highlighted as one of the greats. There were many elements of the original saga that myself and other fans felt had great potential, but were bogged down by the baggage that accompanied the story (heck, I’ve encountered many who hate the saga as a whole, but hold deep love for Ben Reilly). Many of the original creators have also commented on its potential, and in 2009 Tom DeFalco and Howard Mackie released a six-part miniseries that somewhat resembles how the Clone Saga was originally intended to be told before it went downhill. In my opinion this retelling (THE “REAL” CLONE SAGA) perfectly shows why many of the elements in the original story had great potential. The story opens with Spider-Man swinging across Queens, and the wall crawler has experienced numerous recent hardships and tragedies. His former best friend Harry Osborn (who had become the second Green Goblin) had just passed away, New York was nearly engulfed in the insanity of Carnage and his posse of psychos in the highly underrated MAXIMUM CARNAGE, and his long thought dead parents were revealed to have been alive, only to discover that they were robots programed to kill Peter as part of a plot orchestrated by Harry beyond the grave. Now Spidey is desperately swinging towards the hospital, as Aunt May has collapsed and is dying from a mysterious illness. Despite all of the horrible experiences that Peter has endured, the worst has yet to come. Unknown to Spider-Man, a mysterious figure has also come to visit the dying Aunt May, possessing an unknown connection to her and Peter. Spider-Man soon encounters the figure on the rooftop of the hospital, only to discover that he has the face of Peter Parker! After a brief scuffle, Spidey learns that the figure is actually his clone, who was genetically engineered by the Jackal to fight the web-slinger in mortal combat. Thought to have been killed, the clone had survived the battle, and had been roaming the country for years under the name Ben Reilly (after Peter’s Uncle Ben and Aunt May’s maiden name), but had returned to be by Aunt Mays side. But before the two can fully grasp the situation, they are interrupted by a masked individual known as Kaine, who attacks them from afar, threatening innocent civilians in the process. The two Spider-Men are forced to put aside their differences and keep the civilians out of harms way. Kaine escapes, and the two begin to slowly bond, with Ben eventually fighting crime alongside Peter as the Scarlet Spider. As the story progresses, Peter and Ben are confronted with the return of the Jackal (the man responsible for the creation of the clone in the first place), hints that Ben may actually be the original Spider-Man and that Peter is the clone, Mary Jane becoming pregnant, more secrets behind the man known as Kaine, all while an unknown antagonist is manipulating everything from behind the scenes. As I stated earlier, the ultimate downfall of the original Clone Saga was that it went on for way too long, introduced story elements that contradicted others, and many of the story arcs were simply poorly written. Many of the original creators have stated that it was originally meant to be a simple three-act story, and this reimagining is a perfect representation on how the story should have been told back in the 90’s. While THE “REAL” CLONE SAGA condenses the plot of the original storyline into six-issues, the writers are still able to take the various elements of the original story and simplify them enough to make the narrative move smoothly. Rather than encompassing all of the Clone Saga’s aspects, DeFaclo and Mackie instead choose to focus only on those that were necessary to tell the story that they wanted to tell. Elements such as the return of Ben Reilly into Spider-Man’s life, Aunt May’s illness, MJ’s pregnancy, Kaine’s vendetta against Peter and Ben, the return of the Jackal, and the reveal of the main antagonist are all intricately woven into the story structure, and serve to help the progression of the plot rather than weigh it down. The Writers also completely ignore the characters Judas Traveller and Scrier, as while both were major villains to the original Clone Saga, neither contributed anything to the overall plot and were out of place in Spidey’s mythos. The two were supposedly omnipotent beings with near-infinite magical powers and mysterious backstories, but they didn’t work as Spider-Man villains as most of the wall-crawler’s enemies were science-based (with the exceptions of the massively popular Venom and Carnage who were aliens, as well as Morlun who was a mystical energy vampire, and is one of my personal favorites). The other problem with Traveller and Scrier was that not even the writers knew what their purpose in the story was, and were just filler in the overall saga. While still containing some stupid elements (particularly the Jackal wanting to kill the entire human population and replace them with clones as he did in MAXIMUM CLONAGE; which is considered by many to be the lowest point in the entire Clone Saga) the writers ignore the ludicrous elements that led to the original story's downfall, and condense the plot into a simple three act structure. Because of this, DeFaclo and Mackie are able to create a more coherent version of the story that is able to flow naturally and is not bogged down by unnecessary padding. Another highlight of THE “REAL” CLONE SAGA is that it shows how several elements of the original story held massive potential, despite its setbacks. For instance, Spider-Man’s clone Ben Reilly still maintains a large fan base despite the infamy of the overall saga, and this book perfectly conveys why. One of the major aspects of Ben’s character was that because he is a clone, all of his memories are those of Peter Parker and not himself. This creates an interesting dilemma for his character as he attempts to create a life for himself, but is still held back by a life that he never had. He attempts to distance himself from Peter, which is why he traveled the country as Ben Reilly, but is unable to let go of parts of Peter’s life like his love for Aunt May. The identity crisis that Ben experiences gives his character depth, while also creating an interesting conflict for the overall plot. Another aspect of Ben’s character that felt was expertly explored was his reaction to the revelation that he was possibly the original Peter Parker, and that Spidey was actually. This notion angered many Spidey fans, as it made them believe that the Peter they had been following for years was an impostor. While I can understand that, I agree with Linkara's opinion that an easy way to resolve the issue would have been to never reveal who was actually the clone. Peter and Ben had both undergone massive character development since the cloning incident back in the 70’s, and were both unique in their own right. Despite their individual differences, the two still kept true to Uncle Ben’s legacy, and could both lead lives as Spider-Man. By leaving the answer ambiguous, both Peter and Ben are able to function as their own characters, while still being true to what Spider-Man stands for. The idea of the ambiguity of who was the clone was utilized here, as Peter and Ben are able to overcome the initial shock of Ben being the original, and come to the agreement that it doesn’t matter who is the original and who is the clone, as have both led great lives. Not only was this well executed, but to me, this perspective of Peter and Ben’s dilemma shows how the initial concept of the Clone Saga could have been successful. One final area of potential that I felt THE “REAL” CLONE SAGA conveyed was in the villain Kaine. Kaine is another character from the original Clone Saga that I felt had the potential to be a success. Shrouded in a tattered black costume, Kaine is actually another clone of Spider-Man, and was one of the first to be produced in the Jackal’s experiments. However, Kaine suffered from clone degeneration, as his genetic structure was weaker than that of the original Peter Parker. As a result, his face was heavily deformed, his spider powers were more unstable, and he was discarded by the Jackal as a failed experiment. Because of this Kaine held great contempt for Ben Reilly (who was a more successful clone of Peter), and hounded him for years while also operating as an assassin for various crime lords. What I found fascinating about Kaine’s character was how he served as a dark parallel for both Peter and Ben Reilly. Unlike Spider-Man, Kaine was willing to kill his enemies, which completely goes against the moral codes that Peter is bound to. Likewise where Ben Reilly was a successful clone, Kaine is a severely deformed, and is jealous of Ben for not being able to have the life that he does. I felt that Kaine’s parallels with Peter and Ben made him an interesting antagonist, and I could easily sympathize with him because of all the crap he went through. While some have complained about his name and costume being generic, I honestly felt they suited his character. The tattered black bodysuit and purple cape helped symbolize his state as a failed experiment and outcast (along with his long hair), and his name is a reference to the Biblical figure Cain, the son of Adam and the first murderer in history, and the character Kaine is not only a murderer, but also the first clone of Peter Parker to be produced. One thing that I didn't entirely grasp though was his "Mark of Kaine" ability, which is a physical scar that he leaves on his victims face that resembles his own facial scaring. I've read that the mark is a result of enhancement to Spidey's adhesive power due to his unstable genetic structure (allowing him to peel off flesh with his bare hand) and while I understand the concept behind it, it just feels a bit weird to me. Aside from that little nitpick, Kaine was a well developed and sympathetic villain in this story, with believable motivations and tragic dimension. Had the original clone saga not been the disaster that it was, I feel that Kaine could have easily earned a place among Spider-Man’s greatest enemies. Overall, I feel that THE “REAL” CLONE SAGA demonstrates how the original storyline could have succeeded as a great story. While the Clone Saga from the 90’s was weighed down by it’s extended length, plot holes, unnecessary elements like Judas Traveller and Scrier, self-contradictory stories, and overall just bad writing, this retelling does the Clone Saga justice by conveying how it should have been told. The story in this version is simple and easy to follow, has a well structured and flowing narrative, and most importantly conveys the untapped potential that individual elements that the original possessed. This is especially evident in the books portrayals of Ben Reilly and Kaine, whose backstories and conflicts are highly compelling here, and had they not been weighed down by the faults of the original Clone Saga, could have lived on as some of the greats in Spider-Man’s mythos. Reading this helped me realize that the worst sin of the original Clone Saga was that while it had potential in numerous areas, readers could not get into the overall story as it was just a mess. It saddens me that the good elements did not live up to their potential in the original storyline, but I’ll always have THE “REAL” CLONE SAGA to show why these elements were great ideas, and how they could have succeeded. So if you’re interested in learning about how one of the most infamous stories in comic book history could have been done right, then this is the place to look. THE “REAL” CLONE SAGA does the original justice! “Just because Fate doesn't deal you the right cards, it doesn't mean you should give up. It just means you have to play the cards you get to their maximum potential.” -Les Brown
