The Clone Conspiracy continues as Spider-Man is on the run with Gwen Stacy/Spider-Gwen from his newly resurrected rogues. But, the bigger thing about the issue is the ending reveal which while I’m sure will be shocking for some, feels pretty obvious based on the story and its title.

So far The Clone Conspiracy‘s first two issues and its tie-ins have mostly been building up what’s to come and “the big reveal” which happens here. For those that don’t know the main story, the Jackal is bringing back dead individuals from Spider-Man’s past through cloning, but with a twist these individuals are back from the moment of their death including their memories.

So, Spider-Mans rogues, as well as other individuals from his world, are back as if no time has passed at all. It’s an interesting concept and a way to get some of the classic back with Spider-Man. And for the most part the storyline has been a fun ride in a turn your brain off sort of way. Sit back and just enjoy it. Just don’t think too much about it and the implications of it all.

Up to this point the Jackal has talked about how his reasons have been altruistic. These aren’t villains back to plunder, they are here to do good and have been acting in a restrained manner. That part is the most interesting to me as I’m still not convinced the Jackal has a positive bent when it comes to it all. Here we get a better sense of his plan, but things are still very open in many ways.

And there is a big reveal at the end. I’m not going to discuss that here in this review. It’s easy to figure out though (at least I predicted something of the sort in many ways). Writer Dan Slott is mining classic characters and stories and this reveal is an example of that (good or bad). So while it was a “big” moment I found myself generally just nodding, saying “huh,” and then moving on to the next comic to read.

The art by Jim Cheung is fantastic. There’s lots of action, lots of characters, and every single panel on every single page looks amazing. Inks by John Dell and colors by Justin Ponsor all come together for a visual feast. Slott has had some solid writing when it comes to Spider-Man, but the artists he’s gotten to work with are some of the best and this issue is an example. Things pop and look great adding to the fun sense of it all.

The reveal didn’t do a whole lot for me, but the issue is entertaining fun. Events don’t always have to shake things up or make us say “holy shit,” sometimes they can be mindless summer blockbusters that feel more like a ride to strap ourselves in to. The Clone Conspiracy to me is exactly that and I’ve been enjoying the ride and looking forward to see where it takes us.

Story: Dan Slott Art: Jim Cheung Cover Art: Gabriele Dell’Otto
Inks: John Dell Colors: Justin Ponsor
Story: 7.4 Art: 8.15 Overall: 7.45 Recommendation: Read