by Lindsay Young, CMRO Contributing Writer
Scarlet Spider
Issue #1
Written by Christopher Yost, Art by Ryan Stegman
Published: March 2012
It’s not immediately obvious that Kaine is an imperfect clone of Peter Parker. Sure, if you’re up on your comics canon, you know, but visually the character comes complete with long hair and a scruffy beard – a long way from Peter Parker’s youthful, geeky personae. He’s also gruff, damaged, and more than a little wild. It’s a little surreal to see him with Peter’s powers, because the first issue of Scarlet Spider really sets itself apart from a Spiderman comic. Same powers, yes – but the character’s use of them makes it a totally different experience. I like that.
There’s one scene early on that is the most unexpectedly grotesque image I’ve come across in a comic in a while. From there, the issue is just as unpredictable – I’m not quite sure where this character and his conflicts are going, but the first issue does a great job setting up is complex with failure, his thirst for life, his lack of control and his gratitude for what he has. The writing gets across a lot of information about who Kaine is and why we should care about him – he is, after all, very rough around the edges.
On top of that, it LOOKS good. Kaine’s design (both of them) is unique from Peter’s, almost thug-ish, which makes for an interesting contrast when he performs both good and not-so-good deeds. One excellent feature of the art is that all the background and side characters look distinct. It’s a small detail, but one that really makes the pages pop. The style has a cartoonish edge, allowing for a great range of expressions.
I liked Scarlet Spider #1 far more than I anticipated I would. It’s already cultivating a unique little identity, separate from Spiderman’s.
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