>We’re introducing some new characters, such as Cassandra Mercury. In this information age, she has the ultimate power: blackmail. She knows everything about everybody and she is not remotely afraid to use it. But there is one thing that she has a huge vulnerability about, and she needs Ben’s help in order to achieve it. As for other [Marvel Universe] characters, I’m still working on that.
>He’s kind of nuts. I mean, I’ve been reading the new coverage of the title thus far and everyone seems to be saying, “Well, Ben’s decided he’s going to be a hero again.” No, he’s not. He has no idea what he is.
>Ben Reilly is someone who has undergone a horrific punishment in that he’s died over and over and over again. It’s like the ultimate form of PTSD. Think about shellshock and what happens to people who are threatened with death even once, and how that can disrupt them mentally. Ben has died countless times. To my mind, the poor devil is unhinged. He doesn’t know if he’s a hero, a villain, or something in between.
>Ben is our protagonist, yes, but I wouldn’t be so quick to peg him as a hero. This series will be unique in the vast legion of Spider books out there. It is not about a hero just trying to take down the bad guys and do good. It’s about a tortured individual who is trying to figure out exactly what is good and what is bad, what is right and what is wrong.
>The truth is that we now live in a world where facts don’t even seem to matter anymore. People embrace what they believe and are quick to shrug off anything that doesn’t fit into their worldview. To some degree, Ben has no worldview. It’s as if he’s seeing it for the first time and trying to figure out his place in it, or even if he has one. So if fans are eager to read about, not just a series of adventures, but a journey in personal exploration, this is the book for them.
It would have been a decent pitch for a Kaine book twenty years ago. Going in this direction for Ben though makes no sense
Ayden Rodriguez
People said the opposite when they were making Kaine a good guy.
Lucas Lewis
>We’re introducing some new characters And then what? Forget about their existence? Kill them off?
Bentley Kelly
Not me, Spider-Girl made Kaine as a good guy interedting and very possible for me.
Ben as a bad guy is just wrong but I'll see how it goes.
Hope it turns out to be Spidercide tho.
James Ortiz
I'm a bit disappointed it seemed to set up Kaine with an antagonistic relationship to Ben. "Kaine wants to be hardcore but his nagging feeling of responsibility towards hardcore Ben Reilly won't let him" would be a GREAT book.
Benjamin Davis
Have you not been reading Clone conspiracy?
Nathaniel Stewart
So Marvel found a way to rip-off Jason Todd coming back, eh?
Thomas Hall
Let's see how it comes in the end. How it starts is a thing, but a good writer knows how to make a plot development into another course of story.
I say, let's wait for at least 8 issues.
David Nelson
>Ben is our protagonist, yes, but I wouldn’t be so quick to peg him as a hero. This series will be unique in the vast legion of Spider books out there. It is not about a hero just trying to take down the bad guys and do good. It’s about a tortured individual who is trying to figure out exactly what is good and what is bad, what is right and what is wrong.
So the Scarlet Spider title has literally turned into the "tortured spider" mantle?
Christopher Foster
>a Scarlet Spider thread Thanks OP, it's just what I needed
Sebastian Wood
Basically Red Hod.
Luke Hill
...
Justin Parker
*hood*
Austin Gomez
...
Julian Scott
...
Jordan Morris
If this book doesn't have a Kaine guest appearance every three arcs then it's doing it wrong. Unless they're going to kill him at the end of the arc.
Alexander Ross
>Think about shellshock and what happens to people who are threatened with death even once, and how that can disrupt them mentally. >To my mind, the poor devil is unhinged. He doesn’t know if he’s a hero, a villain, or something in between. we already had this in 2013 with Yost's Kaine book
Aaron Edwards
What do you expect? PAD's donut steels are the most throwaway characters in the business.
Brandon Diaz
of his recent batch, Tempest sure seems that way to me
Jaxon Clark
Kaine was totally a hero in that book. But yeah, I'd rather have that back.
Asher Morris
we need more of this
Gabriel Scott
This is about where I am for the time being. I wanted to just post when I had about the same number of pages, but hey, happy to oblige, really.
Jaxon Morgan
THAT'S NOT ARACELLY YOU FUCKERS
Henry Wood
She's ain't no Squirrelgirl
Evan Perez
...
Josiah Hughes
So...what the hell is Kaine gonna call himself now?
Jacob Flores
Maybe Dark Spider, since he said he liked that name.
Haha, nevermind. That would imply they'd have dug deep into Yost's run.
