Scarlet Spider Vol. 1: Life After Death
Writer: Christopher Yost
Artists: Ryan Stegman and Neil Edwards
SCARLET SPIDER develops the failed-Spidey clone Kaine from a murderous villain into a man seeking redemption!
Ranking: 4 stars
In my review of SPIDER-MAN: THE REAL CLONE SAGA, I discussed how that story helped convey why several of the concepts introduced from the original Clone Saga in the 90’s (one of the most infamous comics ever published) had the potential to be excellent had the story not been so badly botched. Along with Peter Parker’s clone Ben Reilly, one of these concepts which caught my attention was the character Kaine. For those who are unaware, Kaine is actually another clone of Spider-Man and was the first to be produced in the Jackal’s experiments. Kaine suffered from clone degeneration however due to his weaker genetic structure, and was cast aside by the Jackal, who declared him a failed experiment. Cursed with hideous scars across his body and slowly dying, Kaine developed jealousy towards Ben Reilly, the more successful clone of Peter, and dedicated his life towards ruining Ben’s, becoming an cold-hearted serial killer and mob-assassin in the process. What drew me to Kaine’s character was how he acted as a parallel to both Peter and Ben Reilly simultaneously. Unlike Peter, Kaine is willing to kill in order to achieve his goals, and uses his powers for his own personal gain, and while Ben is a successful clone, Kaine suffers from clone degeneration and is therefore, imperfect. This made him an interesting antagonist in my eyes as it made his conflict with Peter and Ben more personal, and his dilemma could easily allow readers to feel sympathy for him. Had the CLONE SAGA not have been the colossal failure that it was, I believe that Kaine could have easily been acknowledged as one of Spider-Man’s greatest enemies. Unlike the other villains that were introduced during the saga such as Judas Traveller and Scrier, Kaine’s character possessed actual dimension and created tension due to his connections to Spidey personally. Writers have revived Kaine in recent years, and seeing potential on the character, writer Christopher Yost had Kaine star in his own solo-series SCARLET SPIDER in 2012. While the series only lasted for 25 issues, I’ve started collecting it on the comixology app, and I can safely say that from what I’ve read so far, SCARLET SPIDER is an excellent comic that explores Kaine’s attempts to become not a hero, but something better than a monster. Following the events of SPIDER-ISLAND, the first volume of SCARLET SPIDER, LIFE AFTER DEATH, focuses on Kaine fleeing towards the Mexican border in an attempt to start a new life. Although Kaine has now been cured of his clone degeneration, and is no longer dying or possesses physical scarring as a result, he understands that his former crimes will soon catch the attention of law enforcement and other superheroes at him. On his way to Mexico however, he runs into a trafficking cartel in Houston, TX, and decides takes out the criminals, stealing their money in the process to help fund his future plans. But before he can leave, Kaine discovers that trafficker’s were not dealing drugs, but humans, as he stumbles upon a crate containing the dead bodies of numerous women that were being sold into prostitution. Discovering that one person named Aracely is still alive, Kaine rushes the young woman the emergency room as he wants her to have the second chance at life that he himself has received. While attempting to continue his trip to the Mexico, Kaine grows tired of constantly running from the authorities and decides to return to Houston and settle down in a luxurious hotel. But escaping responsibility does not come easily for Kaine as the human trafficking cartel that he attacked soon sends a superhuman assassin to eliminate Aracely. Donning the costume he wore in SPIDER-ISLAND (now stained red), Kaine brutally defeats the hit-man, saving both her and several doctors in the process. Although Kaine was determined not to play the role of superhero, his actions lead to the city of Houston to praise him, giving him the name that was once used by Ben Reilly, the Scarlet Spider. Kaine decides to remain in Houston to fight crime while also taking Aracely under his wing. Although he believes he is not a hero, Kaine is determined to live his life not as a monster, but as something better. To quote the letters column page of the first issue, “there are no bad characters, just lost opportunities. And Kaine was certainly ripe for someone to bring him back on stage.” This quote perfectly emphasizes how LIFE AFTER DEATH utilizes the untapped potential that Kaine possessed in the original CLONE SAGA and gives his character to opportunity to shine and develop. As I stated in both the introduction to this review and in my review of THE “REAL” CLONE SAGA, several ideas and concepts that were introduced in the Clone Saga had great potential, but were weighed down by bad writing and poorly conceived stories. But just because the saga was bad as a whole does not mean that the potential that its good elements contained is lost. Christopher Yost proves this with SCARLET SPIDER, as he decides to have Kaine develop out of his former identity as a failed clone and relentless murderer, and into a man seeking a second chance at life. What I found particularly intriguing about Kaine’s attempts at redemption was how he doesn’t want to be a hero, yet simultaneously not be a monster. It shows that while he wants to make amends and become a better person, he also understands that the fact that he was once a killer will always remain with him and never be fully washed away. This is a prime of example of an anti-hero done right: an individual of ambiguous morality who struggles with the temptations of evil, yet attempts to do good by fighting against evil. Yost also makes this dilemma believable through both the reader’s knowledge of Kaine’s past, and the character’s inner monologues that help convey his feelings towards himself and current situations. The realistic portrayal of Kaine’s inner conflict allows the reader to not only feel sympathy for Kaine despite his past crimes, but also provides them a desire to see the character triumph in becoming a better person. I also found Kaine’s attempts at redemption to be unique from those of Otto Octavius in THE SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN (which ironically came out around the same time). In the reviews I’ve read of this series, a reoccurring trend that I’ve noticed is comparisons between both SCARLET SPIDER and THE SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN, as both are built around the same premise. Both comics involve a former super-villain seeking to redeem themselves and take on the mantle of Spider-Man as a result. While many would see this as a rip-off of one or the other, I feel that each story takes its premise in a different direction. With Otto Octavius, Dan portrays him attempting to absolve himself of his crimes through becoming a better Spider-Man than Peter Parker was. This causes Octavius to become arrogant and abuse his power to rid New York City of crime, causing him to eventually learn that true heroes do not continuously plan ahead, but do whatever they can to save lives. Because of this, Octavius redeems himself when he sacrifices his own consciousness to allow Peter Parker to return, acknowledging him as the superior Spider-Man. With Kaine however, he acknowledges that he is at heart a monster, but feels that he doesn’t need to live his life as one. As such, he is determined to become a better person by fighting crime in Houston and forming bonds with others, but is not afraid to acknowledge his past. Kaine and Octavius’ attempts at redemption are different as Otto is blinded by pursuits of heroism, whereas Kaine simply wants to be something other than a monster. Both interpretations of villains seeking redemption are unique and create excellent stories that I feel are worthwhile to the characters’ development. A final aspect that I found intriguing about SCARLET SPIDER was how its setting was different from those found in other stories by Marvel, which helps creates a very diverse atmosphere. With most superhero comics, their stories often take place in New York City or some other major metropolitan area along the east coast. This was intentionally done by Stan Lee when he created the Marvel superheroes back in the 60’s, as he did not want to create fictional cities like Metropolis or Gotham, and he wanted opportunities for the characters to interact with each other. With SCARLET SPIDER however, Christopher Yost decides to have Kaine’s adventures take place in Houston, TX. This is a unique setting for a superhero comic to take place in as I stated that most take place along the east coast, and those that don’t are often set in the west coast. Houston however, is located in the state of Texas, which is set in the southern United States, and rests alongside both the Gulf and Mexican border. This may be the first time that I have seen a southern metropolitan city be the setting of a comic book storyline (with the possible exception of THE WALKING DEAD taking place in Atlanta, though that’s a zombie rather than superhero comic). The choice of Houston as the book’s setting also provides diversity not only for the environment, but also for the cast of characters. Apart from Kaine, who is a clone of Peter Parker (native to New York), the primary cast includes Aracely, the girl he saved from the trafficking ring who is Mexican, Anabelle who is a member of a Christian rock band and a bartender at Kaine’s hotel, and Dr. Donald Meland and Officer Wally Layton who are a homosexual couple. Not only are these very unique backgrounds, but each of these characters are given realistic and positive portrayals, making them feel real and believable to the reader. I feel that providing such diversity to the cast not only opens potential interesting stories and characters, but also conveys Marvel’s efforts to appeal to a variety of demographics and groups other than white male adolescents. Overall, the diversity of both the location and cast help serve to make SCARLET SPIDER a unique and worthwhile read. SCARLET SPIDER VOL. 1: LIFE AFTER DEATH is an astounding beginning to a great series revolving around Kaine’s attempts at redemption. The main character’s dilemma is unique and interesting as it utilizes the untapped potential of a character from one of comic’s most infamous stories, and the interpretation of his dilemma is made fresh despite having a similar premise to THE SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN. The comic is made more worthwhile due to the originality of it’s setting, as well as the diversity of its cast. Overall, SCARLET SPIDER helps convey that despite the CLONE SAGA’s bad reputation and stories, concepts such as Kaine’s character should not be cast aside because of original failures. Instead those concepts should be redeemed by writers and artists who are willing to explore their untapped potential. “Seeking to forget makes exile all the longer; the secret of redemption lies in remembrance.” -Richard von Weizsaecker
