>For months now, Spider-Man comics have been building up to something big. Actually, it goes back longer than that. For almost as long as Dan Slott has been writing the character, he’s been dropping hints and arranging pieces for something major. Spider-Man fans have certainly started seeing hints pop up over the last few months, mostly involving a mysterious man in a red mask and the banner “Dead No More.” Certain recognizable dead characters from Spider-Man’s history have even started appearing in the flesh, from The Rhino’s wife Oksana to Gwen Stacy herself, at the end of Spider-Man’s recent Free Comic Book Day story. Fans have been misled about one aspect, however; “Dead No More” is not the real title of this story. EW can now reveal the true name of this major story: The Clone Conspiracy.
>“Clone” is obviously a loaded word for Spider-Man fans, dating back to the original Clone Saga in the mid-’90s, which began by replacing Peter Parker with a younger clone of himself and ended in tangled plot lines and a total reset. It left a strange legacy of complicated baggage, but Slott likes to think of that stuff as “scar tissue.”
>“I think more than any character in the Marvel Universe, Spider-Man is about heart,” Slott says. “And ever since Amazing Fantasy #15, for him it’s also been about loss. ‘With great power comes great responsibility.’ He learns that lesson at the life of Uncle Ben. And then, years later, Captain Stacy dies in front of him, and it’s almost the exact opposite. He did everything he possibly could! He did try to live up to his responsibility and use his power, and still he lost someone very dear to him. So loss surrounds Spider-Man. We live in a day and age of comics where you’re always seeing another important death. ‘Here’s someone who dies!’ We’re subverting all of that. Here’s people coming back.”
>The Clone Conspiracy will feature the return of The Jackal, a Spider-Man villain who has closely been involved in past cloning storylines. Although Slott and editor Nick Lowe are coy about exact story details at this point, they promise that this time The Jackal’s plan is different, in both style and scope - one that will possibly go beyond cloning, to questioning the very boundary between life and death.
>“The Jackal has always seemed to be obsessed with cloning Spider Man and Gwen. He’s had a very narrow focus,” Slott says. “That’s led to very interesting stories in the past, but you have to stop and think, if you’re The Jackal and you take science to the next level, what’s more important to you than just cloning Gwens and Peters? What does this character want, and what’s he going to do with this awesome science?”
>“This is not your normal super villain plan,” Lowe says. “That’s what makes his evolution even more interesting.”
>The Clone Conspiracy will be a standalone five-issue miniseries, written by Slott and illustrated by Jim Cheung, with the first issue hitting stands in October. Slott will be walking up to it with Amazing Spider-Man issues 16 through 18, in which, he teases, “some big, primal things happen that will have a long-standing effect.” Slott will also be writing concurrent stories with the main event, alongside co-writer Christos Gage, in Amazing Spider-Man #19-23. There will also be a few other tie-ins, including Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1 (check out the beautiful cover by Alex Ross below). If that sounds like a massive event, that’s because it needed to be.
>“As we were building it, the story got bigger than the container we were able to hold it in, and there was material for some of these major characters that just couldn’t be contained,” Lowe says.
Connor Russell
>But despite the large amount of books involved and the years-long build-up, Slott wants to make clear that the story will also be accessible to new readers, or long-time Spider-Man fans intrigued by this new clone saga.
>“As much as there’s all these touchstones for people who have been reading the book for a long time, there’ll also be great jumping-on points for people who have been Spider-Man fans their whole lives who want to come back and see what we’re doing,” Slott says. “When you jump in to the prelude issues, or the series proper, it will take you by the hand and lead you into this fresh hell.” The miniseries' connecting variants are the "Dead No More" teaser images by Alexander Lozano.
>clone event >art by one of the biggest sameface offenders
Lucas Lewis
...
Xavier Mitchell
>more clone shit
Brody Gomez
>More Clones Enough stalling! Where is Otto? We just want closure!
Caleb Price
...
Ethan Turner
>is a "writer bring back a concept that everyone hates and tries to make it cool/good" When has this worked before ?
Nolan Hill
I hate Slott and I know this event is gonna be bad, but I can't help but still be a little bit interested because of Kaine.
Blake Ramirez
I reckon Aunt May will die in the annual, her being fatally ill happened in the previous clone saga, might as well kill her again in this one
Easton Cruz
Someone put me out of my misery, please
Nicholas Miller
Pretty much this. I only got interested when I saw the teaser and Kaine was back.
Chase Watson
muhh Reilly!!!
Liam James
What if is not kaine but Ben ?
What if Kaine is planned to appear in web warriors ?
Nathaniel Ward
>Told 'ya. Congratulations on figuring out water is wet.
Camden Phillips
>THE FUCKING CLONE SAGA
AHAHAHAHAHA BRAVO MARVEL
Thomas Harris
We already knew it was the Jackal and everybody guessed it was clones. The only surprise here is that they changed the title from "Dead no more" to "The Clone Conspiracy". I prefer the original title.
Gavin Taylor
When will you retards stop buying Slott's shit so he can be fired
Cameron Bailey
Does that mean we're getting Judas Traveller back too? They might as well at this point.
Benjamin Hall
>Spider-Man comics have been building up to something big See this? This is part of the reason why Spider-Man comics are shit now. They're always trying to do something big, while forgetting that there are more good Spider-Man stories that are more focused on character development/interactions than big world-changing events.
Nolan Roberts
He's going to download into a clone. Probably his own, maybe one of Peter's.
Benjamin Garcia
Normies will always buy Spidey books user. Slott's staying there for a long, long time
Liam Myers
Literally who the fuck on Sup Forums is buying Slotts shit?
Nathaniel Bennett
So how long until we retread "No Peter, YOU are the clone!"?
Jeremiah Richardson
>The Jackal is just another villain in a suit now Please, stop. I mean, Jackal is not a stalwart design for the ages, but do you really need to squeeze out every drop of originality in comics?
Nathan Richardson
>implying there will be two ASM books on the top ten comic books list for at least a month starting this October >it may get a preview in the upcoming Marvel NOW! [2.0] free magazine
Alexander Watson
But nobody remembers the issue where Peter was stuck in the suburbs, they remember Otto stealing his body.
Jack Long
But user he has a mask now! A jackal mask! An EGYPTIAN jackal mask!
William Thompson
I disagree, I like his new design more. Especially the Anubis mask. Makes his whole "Jackal" theme make more sense.
Adrian Phillips
What about the Kid who collects Spider-Man?
Evan Jenkins
So have they explained why that stupid spider glows on his new costume yet? They've joked about it in numerous books, but have yet to actually explain why it glows.
I realize Pete and Tony have switched places but I refuse to accept the pacemaker/arc reactor spider symbol...
Liam Reed
Hopefully one of Peters. Then Slott can continue to write the Adventures of Superior Doctor Octopus long after he's left writing Spider-Man.
Landon Hughes
Damn when is Slott gonna be off Spider-Man? He is absolute trash
Lincoln Ross
So if the actual story is happening in a miniseries, what will ASM be doing?
Jayden Cooper
I will only begin to care if they use this to bring SpOck back.
I mean he'll probably just got back to being Doc Ock because he got cucked, but it would be nice if he jacked a Peter clone and helped Peter fight a clone Doc Ock or something.
Charles Phillips
...
Samuel Lopez
nasty
Dylan Brooks
My wacky, crummy fanfiction theory...Peter, MJ and May are all clones. Peter and MJ have been since 2007, May since she was brought back in 1998. The real Peter and MJ were the ones from Renew Your Vows and Marvel will pull a Pre-Flashpoint Superman in time for the marriage's 30th anniversary in June 2017.
Bentley Scott
Yeah, no fucking shit. Everyone knew it was Clone Saga 2 the second Jackal was the villain.
Andrew Morgan
But the character never had anything to do with Egyptian mythology, he called himself The Jackal because both the animal and himself were cowardly predators, and it later got retconned that his first successful experiment was a werejackal he made while working with the High Evolutionary. It's just cool for the sake of cool.
Eli Gomez
Thank goodness Pete's savoir is currently in Deadpool/Spider-Man to bail him out again. What will it cost Pete this time? First time was his marriage?
Nathaniel Ross
HA That would be the only positive thing marvel could do that could compete with Rebirth/Wally/Pre 52 Superman
Adam Wilson
aunt may was a clone all along
Parker Phillips
>he called himself The Jackal because both the animal and himself were cowardly predators And that's a stupid reason. And it was never cool. The Egyptian mythology fits because the jackal represents Anubis, God of the Dead. Since the Jackal's cloning is pretty much bringing people back to life, I think it's quite clever.
Connor Jackson
so whats the best thing we can get out of this? the return of kaine, ben and spock?
Michael James
Yeah, as much as I hate Slott, this seems like a good re-imagining for Jackal. I always hated the way the Jackal looked. Freaky looking green dude was already taken by Green Goblin and Jackals aren't green, give him something better.
David Green
Yeah, sure, I suppose so. I just wish he didn't go for the "man in suit", even a fucking labcoat would've been better.
Owen Adams
>retcon Sins Past by having it have been a clone of Gwen Stacy all along >Peter actually was the clone this whole time, bring back Ben as the one true Spider-man As much as I love Spock, he would only really work as a villain at this point and where's the fun in that?
Oliver Bell
It's all I want out of this. Just bring Ben and Kaine back and because new series always spin out of crap like this, give them a Scarlet Spiders series for clone bro adventures
Liam Jones
But we already had a great book about clones during a different shitty Slott event.
Dominic Williams
>We already knew it was the Jackal and everybody guessed it was clones. This. I don't know why everyone is bitching moaning and groaning. We knew this all weeks ago
Hunter Thompson
>tfw Ultimate Jessica Drew will probably never be in a book again end my life
Connor Sullivan
sady he won't as that version of Otto is probably before the failing to stop the Goblin arc and admitting Peter is right.
Nicholas Anderson
I've seen a lot of people sour on Costa after that with Web Warriors, and I don't get why. The guy is a pretty good hand, has great ideas and he makes it a fun book. I reckon it's just some people are butthurt he does nothing with Mayday and glorifies Gwen (I don't like Gwen all that much, but I think his take on her is just about the best there's been)
Hunter Moore
Oh, right. Forgot that Marvel would tell EARTH-SHATTERING WILL CHANGE THE UNIVERSE FOREVER garbage like Superior Spider-Man instead of good stories. Silly me.
Sure you can, that wasn't actually Ben, it was a clone of Ben.
Dominic Ward
Someone please wake me up when Dan Slott's reign of shit is finally over.
Easton Clark
Ben and Peter were out for a little bit when Osborn had them. Plenty of time to swap in another clone.
Julian Collins
But user, Superior Spider-man was one of the all-time best Spider-man stories.
Jackson Reyes
his company, including all the good it did
John Bennett
Will it be better than Spider-Girl's Clone Saga though? Mayhem was chill. Pity it kind of ended on a wet note.
Kayden Bennett
I'd rather read OMD than that.
Ryder Flores
Huh. Can't tell if this is a serious attempt at writing or if it's just baiting angry comic book nerds into >buying it so that they can complain.
Sebastian Ramirez
...
Jaxon Sanchez
> Even more SpOck Aw lahdy.
Mason Cox
it's not even the best thing Slott has written. Big Time, Spider-Island, Spider-Man & Human Torch, and his She-Hulk were all better
Thomas Jenkins
it's a serious attempt at baiting comic nerds
Luke Howard
Also I'd say the issue about Marla's death was the best thing Slott has written.
Benjamin Kelly
>More Clones HE CAN'T KEEP GETTING AWAY WITH THIS!
Henry Mitchell
I just find it boring.
Austin Morales
Depends. But everything is automatically better than the 90's clone saga mess.
Jordan Parker
You know, I actually would have preferred my original expectations that a villain was using magic to bring people back to life again, and not fucking clones.
Jack Clark
This better be the finale of the slott run
Gabriel Mitchell
Whenever Slott says something like "that's not a cliche, that's a new view" or similar, I just stop reading.
Brody Collins
Seven more years, apparently.
John Peterson
I love No One Dies, but I give most of the credit to Marcos Martin. Their collaborations are always great - that Shocker issue was pure fanservice for me.
I find as a general rule, especially with Slott, that artists seem to have the power to really bring out the best or the worst in a writer.
Liam Perry
The book seems to just be Gwen and Ham with some other people. Coasta seems to not care about anyone buy Gwen and Ham.
Adrian Torres
It's only the beginning.
Brody Parker
More proof that this are the new 90's, it's the marvelution all over again
Blake Thomas
As someone who started reading comics in the early 90s, I for one welcome all these appeals to my nostalgia.
Isaiah Richardson
Welp, see you in 2023 guys
Connor Ward
Will any of us live till 2099? Or will Stan claim us all?
Kevin Taylor
Didn't JMS do the same with Peter & MJ?
Juan Smith
You know, between Civil War II and this, it genuinely feels like Marvel has run out of ideas. Like, it's as if Marvel is so confident that what they put out sells that they don't even get the faults people see in them. Where Civil War II has a plot so full of holes that everyone is pointing it out, this Clone story feels like Dan Slott going "Oh, you guys hated the Clone Saga? Well, I'm trying to make a checklist of all the Spider-Man cliches, so deal with it. You'll like it cause I'm writing it"
It reeks of hubris.
Wyatt Howard
>that suit Unf my dick
Luis Perez
>it genuinely feels like Marvel has run out of ideas The same can be said of the upcoming Death of X storyline and Marvel NOW! 2.0. How sad.
Aiden Ward
I don't think I'll ever understand the half-boots.
Blake Bennett
>a great book Lets not be too hasty... it was OK. It was the best thing released as part of Spider-Verse, yes. But in the grand scheme of comics its like 6/10. Its not great.
Isaiah Perry
Marvel has been recycling its ideas since the 80's
Nathan Jenkins
Clever on like, a Highschool softmore level.
Marvel already has an Anubis. THE Anubis. Why make this guy Anubis too?
