The Clone Conspiracy was met with something of a mixed response from fans, but one thing many are grateful for is the return of Ben Reilly. The clone of Spider-Man wasn’t portrayed in a way that a lot of people thought worked, but he’s back in the Marvel Universe and ready to take the spotlight in his own solo series.
Ben Reilly: The Scarlet Spider launches from writer Peter David and artist Mark Bagley this month and will likely delve into how he goes from villain back to hero. That’s going to include a brand new costume, which is thankfully being quickly replaced with his classic version after widespread negative backlash on social media.
Now, Marvel has released an amazing variant cover by artist extraordinaire J. Scott Campbell. Featuring Ben in his original Scarlet Spider suit, he’s joined by Spider-Man, though it remains to be seen whether the two will actually cross paths at any point in the series. As of right now, Peter believes Ben’s dead, but that could quickly change if he notices another wall-crawler swinging his way around New York City.
Marvel has such a spotty track record with titles like this that it’s hard to say just how much longevity the Scarlet Spider’s series will have before it’s relaunched with a new #1 and fans become too confused or uninterested to stick around. For now, though, here’s hoping it does this Spider-Man justice.
