Review: Ben Reilly: The Scarlet Spider #25, one last dance
The finale for Ben Reilly: The Scarlet Spider is here, and it is as controversial as you could expect. Read our spoiler-free review ahead!
Everything has been leading up to this. The Scarlet Spider comes face to face with his biggest challenge yet: trying to save his soul. This is especially difficult considering Ben is not really a hero, even when he’s trying his best to be one. His past as a super villain still haunts him to this day, and it continues to affects his mindset and behavior. So when Ben comes face to face with death (following the events of issue #24) what will happen? Will he turn good? Or he’ll prove why he was a bad guy in the first place?
The good
Think of this issue as The Dark Knight Rises. It’s the last chapter of a saga with an overall darker tone. There is some comic relief along the way, and it’s perfectly timed. You can count the jokes made with just one hand, but that’s fine as it doesn’t interfere with the essence of the series. The ending may be a little divisive for fans, just like the last entry in Christopher Nolan’s take on Batman. I think you’re either gonna love it or hate it depending on what this character means to you and what’s your perspective of him.
But overall, this is a satisfying conclusion for the series. It wraps up things in a nice way and leaving almost no loose ends. The story manages not only to resolve the shocking ending from the previous issue but also to bring to an end the Abigail story arc. That’s something nice, considering it is the one thing Ben Reilly has been fighting for this whole time. Whether his plan succeeded or not is a different thing, but there definitely wasn’t an open ending. The complete story of the Scarlet Spider was told, and that made this issue feel much more satisfying.
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The ending itself may lead to some controversy over fans of the series. And while I initially was a bit let down by it, I now understand there couldn’t have been a better conclusion for The Scarlet Spider. He’s always been a controversial superhero, and the ending perfectly captures his essence and true nature. I applaud the writer, Peter David, for coming up with such a bold final story for the character.
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Finally, the illustrations look great this time around. Bruno Oliveira had mixed results in drawing Ben Reilly: The Scarlet Spider #24 but you can see he definitely paid more attention to detail here. The facial expressions look much better, and the villain is brilliantly brought to life in every panel. His movements and body language are all crafted to suit that specific character, and it paid off really well.
The bad
There isn’t too much to say here. The only complain I had after reading this issue was that there wasn’t almost any action at all. When you think of a superhero story ending, you may think of a grand finale when the hero faces the villain in an epic battle. Well, that’s not the case here. Of course, it isn’t a huge deal as this issue makes a whole lot of other things great. But considering almost all of the last issue played like one big and entertaining chase scene, readers may be a little disappointed at the action. Especially if you read both issue #24 and #25 side by side.
Next. Review: Superior Octopus #1, will Otto get redemption?. dark
Overall this was one great ending for the series. It definitely won’t disappoint true fans of the Scarlet Spider. The illustrations, story, jokes, and ending are all great, even if the later may be a bit divisive for some readers. And while we would’ve loved a little bit more of action, there’s nothing really bad about this amazing issue.
. Peter David, Bruno Oliveira, Rachelle Rosenberg, VC’s Joe Caramagna, Khary Randolph and Emilio Lopez. . Ben Reilly: The Scarlet Spider #25. A
What do you think about the series finale? Let us know in the comments below! And be sure to stick around with Whatever A Spider Can for everything Spider-Man related.