Thursday, March 02, 2017
Dead No More: Clone Conspiracy Omega #1
Dr. Rita Clarkson leads Spider-man, Kaine Parker (Earth-616), Spider-Woman (Gwen Stacy of Earth-65), and Anna Maria Marconi (Earth-616) to a vault as terminally ill New U patients awaken from their cold sleep chambers. When Anna Maria tells Spider-man not blame himself since there was no way of knowing what could have been done to prevent the tragic loss of lives, Spider-man turns on Kaine and questions why he wouldn't reveal what he knew would happen. Max Modell and S.H.I.E.L.D. arrive on the scene to assess the biohazard risk and transfer everyone to Horizon Labs for medical aid. Dr. Clarkson cooperates by relinquishing a list of New U clients and explains that she thought New U was doing something good.
Spider-man leads S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to the room where the Jackal kept the remains of dead people he cloned and takes time to reflect upon Reilly's offer to clone Uncle Ben. Peter's attention turns to the Rhino, who goes on a rampage dealing with the death of his wife's clone. Spider-man manages to talk Rhino down by reminding him that even though people we love are gone, we move forward and honor their memory by remaining true to the person they would want you to be.
Later, at Horizon University, S.H.I.E.L.D. agents escort a shackled Rhino to a secured location and Max tells Spider-man that tests reveal that nobody is contagious. Meanwhile, beneath San Francisco, Dr. Kurt Conners has managed to sequester his cloned family who have received the Connor reptile treatment to save their cloned lives!
It is surprising to find that so many characters actually are supportive of what the Jackal was doing. It is an exploration of the ambivalence and transitory nature of whether characters are purely good or bad, most recently reminiscent of themes in Civil War. If the clone has all the memories up to original person's death, is the clone still the same person? As they begin their new life in a cloned body, should they be viewed as an inferior version of the original person, and should contempt for the violation of ethics and morals surrounding death translate to a rationale and justification for discrimination?
This special issue's second story, "Give Us a Wink" is written by Peter David with art by Mark Bagley and inks by John Dell. In a set-up for the upcoming Ben Reilly: Scarlet Spider series, Ben meets with Dr. Rita Clarkson at a pub and explains how he made his escape. They debate the ethics of New U's endeavor as Rita contends they were playing god, while Ben counters that god is inhumane too. As they speak, Dr. Clarkson is approached by two hostile men who lost a loved one in the New U fiasco. Ben steps up and puts a quick stop to their malicious intentions, and when they hear Ben's voice they realize he was the Jackal. The story ends with Rita giving Ben money, presumably to start his new career as the Scarlet Spider. The creative team seems well suited for the upcoming series, with both PAD and Bagley closely connected to the 1990s comics that brought about the initial Scarlet Spider storyline. I'm curious to find out how prominently Kaine Parker will figure into the new series.
Finally, the last story, "King's Favor" by Don Slott and new Amazing Spider-man artist Stuart Immonen is a prelude to to next issue of Amazing Spider-man with Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin, tantalizing Spider-man with a thumb drive containing information about Spidey's greatest enemy.
