Meanwhile... Back at the Comic Book Blog

I’ve got a real soft spot for the 2099 universe. I think for the most part it was well realized and it had some pretty cool characters and stuff in it. I got all of these issue ones out of 50 cent bins when I was a kid I think. Something about the shinyness maybe, or maybe I just liked the future, who knows. However, I recently picked up a bunch of issues of Spider-Man 2099 out of a 25 cent bin. Good purchase. I love cheap comics. It was also fun reading all those old Marvel Bullpen pages. Holy shit Marvel put out so many comics (so many of them terrible) and some of the stuff lets you into the zeitgeist of the early nineties.

Doom 2099 #1, 29
Writers: John Francis Moore, Warren Ellis
Penciller: Pat Broderick

Issue one had someone thinking they’re Doom, and maybe being Doom, showing up in the future and trying to take control of Latveria. It’s awesome. I love Dr. Doom. I’m going to go find more issues. It’ll fill the Super-Villain Team-Up void in my life. There’s also a pretty neat scene where we hear part of a conversation that’s continued in another 2099 title. You don’t need to read both parts to understand it, but it adds to the universe. Neato.

Issue 29 is by Ellis and has Doom taking over America. Hardcore! I need more Doom! It has an incredibly stupid clear plastic cover though.

Hulk 2099 #1
Writer: Gerard Jones
Penciller: Malcolm Davis

This was probably the worst out of the comics I read. It’s set in California, which allows you to find out about more of the 2099 universe, but it’s just sort of stupid. Retelling the origin already told in 2099 unlimited, some random stupidity about movie studios. I just didn’t care. I thought the art was pretty ugly too. It’s too bad cause I liked the story about Hulk 2099 I read in 2099 Unlimited #3.

Punisher 2099 #1, 13
Writer: Pat Mills and Tony Skinner
Penciller: Tom Morgan

How many Punisher comics were coming out from Marvel at this time? 4? 5? It was a lot at any rate. This is basically just the Punisher in the future. Shooting up criminals who got past the law somehow. Issue 13 (a “The Fall of the Hammer” crossover) has an awesome bit where Jake Gallows (the punisher) has a crisis of faith because he was raised a Thorist and has to fight Baldur, one of the Norse gods. Awesome!

Ravage 2099 #1
Writer: Stan Lee
Penciller: Paul Ryan

This was written by Stan Lee! Stan! Lee! Anyway, it’s about a guy who thinks he’s working for a company that tries to protect the environment, but is actually polluting it. He finds out and his bosses try to kill him, he runs off and gets armour from a junk yard. And lets his hair down. I’ve heard this was the worst 2099 title there was, and while it’s by no means great it’s not horrible either. I am however amazed at how corporations like Marvel assume that corporations will be big and horrible in the future.

Spider-Man 2099 #1-7, 9-12, 14-16, 18-20, 28
Writer: Peter David
Penciller: Rick Leonardi (with a few fill-ins and backups)

I actually had seven issues of this series already, and I’m sort of wondering why I didn’t buy more. I’ve discovered recently that Peter David is a pretty good writer of superhero stuff. It’s not amazing, but it’s good.

Spider-Man 2099 is Miguel O’Hara, a scientist at Alchemax working on splicing animal genes. His bosses make him experiment on a human and he wonders if maybe they’re not that great… Then they hook him on rapture, a highly addictive, legal drug they manufacture. To try and beat the drug Miguel attempts to overprint his genes with his old genes that he has on record. However one of his coworkers, who hates him, sabotages it and Miguel gets imprinted with spider genes. He gains spider powers, which in this case means light sensitivity, the ability to shoot web from his arms and talons on his fingers and toes that allow him to climb walls and rip stuff to shreds.

The comic follows Miguel as he fights evil corporations, thugs, gods, samurai and other things you expect to see at the end of the 21^st century. David’s managed to create a future that is, um, I won’t say believable, but at least consistent with some really awesome ideas. One of my favourites bit is the Thorists, people that worship Thor and the other Norse gods.

The cast is filled out by Miguel’s fiancé, his brother, his brother’s girlfriend, his holographic house keeper, his boss and a number of other characters that are actually developed. Shocking really. There’s also backup stories that tell tales of young Miguel O’Hara and how he grew up.

Leonardi’s art is good for the most part, and I think he does a really good job with the costume (which features a sort of skull/spider thing on the front), the fill in artists are decent too.

I like this title, it’s fun. I want to read all of David’s run on the title. I won’t read the issues Ben Raab did though. I hate Raab’s writing so much.

2099 Unlimited #3, 10

This is an anthology title with (I think) three different stories per issue. The first two are just superhero ones. Both have Spider-Man stories that aren’t that great. Issue three has a pretty cool Hulk 2099 story though. It does feature, um, Guerrilla Ecologists who, uhm, set off a massive bomb to save the environment? I’m not really sure, they blow up the fault line in California and make it an island. Weirdoes. There’s bizarre backup stories that aren’t that good (haha, you’re view of the internet is stupid!), and issue 10 has a neat Machina Jones story.

I can’t seem to find a good 2099 page, maybe I’ll have to start one. But first I’ll have to track down those issues I don’t have…

Oh, here’s one, sort of: http://marvunapp.com/Appendix/app2099.htm

Labels: comics

# posted by tomorrowboy 2.9 @ 1:57 pm