So  Todd Nauck is the artist? Not Bad. Although I'd've loved to see Dan Jurgens or John Romita Jr back on the storyline for the repeat.

Too bad Howard couldn't blackmail JB  into doing it. If given some notice I'm sure there are artists on this board who could have dummied up some fake photographs for blackmail. I think JB cavorting naked in a rose garden with Todd McFarlane and Rob Liefeld (or worse - reading Spawn and Youngblood) might do the trick. Anyone?

Left to the creative teams, the Clone Saga probably would have been an enjoyable comic book story. But it got dragged out far too long and crossed over into way too many books.

But I don't blame Howard & company for that - massive crossovers were just how things were done in the mid-90s. I'm sure the size and scope of the project were largely dictated from on high.

JT, I agree about Ben Reilly's revamped costume - it's great. And I love that Spider-Girl wears it now.

Re:  thought that he should have remained the Scarlet Spider, rather than taking on the mantle of Spider-Man.

Exactly, and having him come back to the Spidey Universe from time to time woulda been great and an honor too.

Do you think the end of this new mini will be different from the original one? Could they dare bring back Ben from the dead???

I'd love to have him back??

Whattasay Clone lovers?

I've had a soft spot for the Scarlet Spider's costume since they debuted it.  It fit the character.

QUOTE: Exactly, and having him come back to the Spidey Universe from time to time woulda been great and an honor too. Do you think the end of this new mini will be different from the original one? Could they dare bring back Ben from the dead??? I'd love to have him back?? Whattasay Clone lovers?

I'm very curious about the ending to the new mini. In the solicits they sort of tease that there is a shocking, twist ending. Now a shocking twist would be that Ben stays as the real deal and faux Peter and MJ leave for Portland happily ever after w their baby. But I thought that it was common knowledge that Ben was supposed to stay the real deal and take back the Parker name and ID unless my brain is scrambled from working on Life of Reilly for so long. I think a decent sized shock would be to show at the end that the story is in continuity after all and Ben survives the events of Osborn's return.

And absolutely, I'd love to have Ben back. Establish proof positive (as best you can in a super hero comic, anyway) that Ben is the clone and Peter is real so no one is worried about a repeat of Maximum Cloneage and have him being a supporting member in the main title or even his own book.

Howard, Tom and company created a fascinating character with a nice gap in his history ripe for investigation as well as a possibility to be a great co-hort of Peter's. I really can't see Marvel publishing so many Reilly/Clone Saga related stories over the next 6 months if they aren't at least thinking of doing something with the character after the Amazing Spider-Man arc and Clone Saga mini wrap up.

And even if I'm completely wrong (as I tend to be) and this is all we get, it's still 6 more issues about Ben and Peter written by Tom and Howard and some bonus possbile flashback stuff by Marc Guggenheim in the Amazing arc so I can't complain.

Yet :)

QUOTE: Funny thing about "The Clone Saga". Many a time I have heard fans moan and wail about how awful it was, yet to this day I have really not been able to get a straight answer as to why. I think the "Saga" has become much like the "Bad Byrne Stories". Dissing it has become a way of gaining "shop cred". Once that happened, the whole thing took on a life of its own, quite divorced from such petty considerations as reality!

Wizard told them it was bad. And I remember Bill Jemas making many references to how it killed sales on Spider-Man while promoting JMS' run. I don't know how much of that was theatrics to get people hyped about the JMS run and how much he really believed it but it seemed like there was a second wave of anti-Clone stuff around the early days of Jemas' Marvel run