‘Scarlet Spider’ #8 closed on our hero and his newfound pals the Rangers as they prepared to face a giant energy monster. The Roxxon corporation has uncovered the creature while digging for oil and had been keeping it a secret until Kaine uncovered it by accident following a series of events that began with him saving a girl from an explosion. See my previous reviews to catch up on the whole crazy scenario. Either way, here we are…
The issue opens on total chaos as Scarlet Spider and the Rangers try to stop the creature, dubbed Mammon (after the Biblical demon of greed) by the Roxxon crew. The creature has no real physical form of its own so it must attach itself to a human host, with the downside being that each host degrades and eventually dies. That process leaves Mammon more powerful each time and burns out the hosts faster and faster.
Scarlet Spider ends up discovering a way to contain the creature (at least temporarily). The downside is that not everyone escapes the event unscathed. I won’t give away that major plot point but it’s sure to give us an origin to one or two villains in Scarlet Spider’s future.
In the end, Scarlet Spider wonders where along the way he turned into a hero in a town where he’d fled to escape the likes of Spider-Man, and the Fantastic Four.
Chris Yost has given us the close to a fun tale that sets the stage for some future plotlines for the character. I really hope Yost sticks around because his Kaine and the struggle he’s having to find himself makes this one of the more unique superhero comics on the shelves.
The art from Khoi Pham is a perfect fit for the team-up tale between Scarlet Spider and the Rangers. It has a very cartoon-like feel to it while keeping the lines realistic enough for some of the darker scenes that occur.
Join me in just three weeks when Scarlet Spider teams up (or at least crosses over) with Agent Venom as they face off against one of Spider-Man’s deadliest foes… Carnage!
Final Score:
SCARLET SPIDER #9
Story by Chris Yost
Art by Khoi Pham
Cover by Ryan Stegman and Marte Gracia
