LOOKING BACK: SPIDER-MAN 2099

[MattBrady]

<img src="http://classic.newsarama.com/Marvel/SM20991.jpg" width="175" height="269" hspace="2" border="0" align="right">by Alex Segura Jr.

Unlike Mae West, when Marvel’s 2099 line was good, it was really, really good, but when it was bad, it was beyond horrid. While the line itself was a noble experiment at establishing the Marvel Universe nearly 100 years hence, all of the titles of this mid ‘90s experiment are generally forgotten now, save one, Spider-Man 2099 written by Peter David.

Joined by artist Rick Leonardi for roughly half of its 46-issue run, the series started off with a buzz as one of the hippest and smartest books in the line. Still on the Hulk at the time, the book was seen as another feather in David’s cap – a cool expansion on an established franchise that made sense, worked in the context in which it was set, and didn’t feel forced. Heck, the character even had his own action figure. Okay, okay, so even a loser like Adam X from the X-Men had an action figure back then, so that’s no real measure of popularity…but still, Spider-Man 2099 felt cool.

The world of 2099 was your basic near-dystopian future, with corporations exerting their will on the populace unchecked, and the government running the country as a virtual police-state.

<img src="http://classic.newsarama.com/Marvel/SM20993.jpg" width="175" height="269" hspace="2" border="0" align="left">As corporate espionage is a regular and accepted practice, Miguel O’Hara, an employee of Alchemax, was assigned the task of creating a super-human corporate “raider” (in all sense of the word) modeled after the hero called Spider-Man. Incensed at the use of human guinea pigs in a genetic experiment, O' Hara quit Alchemax. But, unbeknownst to him, Alchemax head honcho Tyler Stone, slipped a bit of the drug called Rapture into his goodbye drink. Highly addictive and highly deadly, Rapture is only sold by one provider - Alchemax. As Stone figured, while O’Hara may want to quit, he had to stay with Alchemax to get his fix on a regular basis.

Angered by the treachery and determined to not succumb to Stone's trickery, Miguel returned to his lab and tried to replace his genetic structure with an older, saved version.

Unfortunately, thanks to some sabotage from an embittered Alchemax employee, Miguel's genetic structure is mixed with that of an arachnid. Spider + man= Spider-Man, the date = 2099, all told, you’ve got Spider-Man 2099.

When setting up the origin for Spider-Man 2099, David tried his best to make him different from the original. "Basically, I inverted the modern day Spider-Man wherever I could," David said. "Current Spidey is chatty in costume, and reserved as Peter Parker. So I had Spider-Man 2099 be fairly mute in costume and a wiseacre as Miguel. Peter's webspinners were mechanical; Miguel's biological. Peter's wall-crawling abilities were never really explained; he just kind of stuck to the wall. Miguel had talons. Peter's 'spider-sense' was nearly mystical in nature. Miguel had accelerated vision that enabled him to see things from great distances and practically 360 degrees around him. Actually, when you think about it, Spider-Man 2099 is more or less exactly what they did in the movie Spider-Man, although Miguel glided with the webbing on his back rather than swing on weblines."

<img src="http://classic.newsarama.com/Marvel/SM20994.jpg" width="175" height="269" hspace="2" border="0" align="right">David found the experience somewhat liberating and even made sure the new hero's family structure was opposite to that of the original Spider-Man, but at the same time, had a ring af familiarity or two. "I was looking to create a family structure unlike Peter Parker's," David said. "The female in his life was his mother, not his aunt, and she was a loon. I gave him a fiancée and a brother. In short, I worked to make him far less of a loner."

Still, Spider-Man is part of a franchise, so it was impossible to completely avoid some things from the previous era. Namely, Spider-Man's villains…at least in name. David admits there were times older villains were recreated in the 2099 universe to help out with sales. Specifically, Venom 2099.

"We were looking to boost sales and Venom was the number one villain that fans wanted to see a 2099 version of," David admitted. "So it was more or less, Okay, fine, you want it? You got it. Now buy the damned book."

Many things about the series clicked with the fans in the early issues, but for the writer, the high point for the book, at least as far as the title's quality, was working with Leonardi. “Rick is an exceptionally talented artist with a very strong point of view, and is very much responsible for much of the book's early success," David remembered. "No knock intended on those artists who came after him, but it wasn't nearly as strong a title without him."

O'Hara may have even been a bit more genuine than Parker, David said, because his reasons for donning the spider-suit grew over time, as opposed to being motivated by one singular event. "He was more "realistic' in that Peter Parker does what he does out of a sense of guilt," David notes. "That's a lot of guilt. Most of us would have gotten over it by now. Not Peter. To a degree, Peter's 'hero's journey' was completed in Amazing Fantasy #15. Everything after that has been follow-up to the lesson he already learned. Miguel, on the other hand, had no single defining moment that made him say, 'Yes, I must do this.' His was a far more detailed realization of the type of world he truly lived in and what he could do to improve it. In real life, epiphanies and overnight change rarely happen. Change is much more a gradual process, and on that basis, Miguel's journey seemed more grounded in reality."

Despite the criticism the line takes nowadays, the title proved to be a success for most of its run. Though David admits there were areas he would have liked to explore more fully. "Hey, Spider-Man 2099 #1 is the highest selling single issue of any comic I've ever written, ever," David pointed out. "Overall I did what I wanted to do with it. I would have liked more opportunity to explore other aspects of the 2099 world, but for the most part, I was pleased with the series."

<img src="http://classic.newsarama.com/Marvel/SM20992.jpg" width="175" height="269" hspace="2" border="0" align="left">One of the more interesting events in the life of Spider-Man 2099 was his crossover with the “regular” Spider-Man. At the time however, Spider-Man was mired in the clone saga.

"That was interesting, actually," David said. "At the time we were doing the crossover, we were told we could have Miguel meet either Peter Parker or Ben Reilly. We were strongly advised to use Ben, because we were assured that he was the new and future Spider-Man. I refused to believe it. My attitude was that he would never, ever last. And if we did go with Ben, then when Peter Parker returned to the fold as the one and only Spider-Man, then the crossover would just be this bizarre footnote rather than the definitive meeting I wanted it to be. So Joey [Cavalieri, 2099 editor] and I mutually decided, to hell with Ben, Miguel is meeting Peter Parker. Sure glad I did it that way."

Being that the 2099 line occurred in the day when Marvel’s finances and possible future changed daily, and sudden firings were the rule more than the exception, Cavalieri was unexpectedly fired from the company in early 1996. Like virtually all of the other writers in the line, David chose to show solidarity with his editor, and resigned from the book.

"I was always grateful to Marvel for contacting me when they did the big 2099 wrap-up," David said. "I think it was Tom Brevoort - I hope I'm right; if not, I apologize - who said, 'Tell us what you hated about what was done on Spider-Man 2099 after you left, and we'll fix it.' So I did. And in two or three panels in the wrap-up they fixed everything, which was pretty amazing.

"I think there were two issues after I left. In those issues, they killed off Miguel's mother and established that Miggy's brother, Gabe, was the Goblin rather than Father Jennifer, as I'd intended, and even changed dialogue in my last issue so that an entire sequence made no sense. Marvel wound up doing some sort of big one-shot some months later, and in the course of the story casually undid the things done in those last couple of issues that torqued me."

While the series may be long gone, and the current Marvel regime means its doubtful that they’ll ever return, David’s fans know that the characters aren’t too far from his heart – Miguel did make a guest appearance in Captain Marvel. As for a full-on return for the character, David’s up for it, but is very, very skeptical that O’Hara will ever be seen again. "Sure, but it'll never happen," David said when asked if he was up for another return to the world of 2099. "Look at all the grief I got from Marvel just for guest starring him in Captain Marvel."

[Starpilot]

First post! I swore to myself I'd never do that. :rolleyes:

I bought the first 30 or so issues of SPIDER-MAN 2099 and generally enjoyed the book. It was the best thing going with the Spider-Man line at the time considering that the main line titles were mired in the clone saga.

Any chance of a revival? Probably not, but this series is a good back-issue pickup to be sure.

[Absalom]

Spider-Man 2099 was one of the two only good-read series from 2099 label (with Doom 2099).
But the others were really, really crap.

[samnoir]

Let's not forget Warren Ellis' aborted run on Doom 2099. The takeover of America was quite gripping. I think Doom 2099 overall was quite a unique title and it was the anti-hero element that made the title interesting for the reader.

It's funny how history repeats itself, with Ultimate Venom showing up in the Ultimate title. Some things are inevitable I guess.

I had not noticed the similarities between the movie version's genetic origin and organic web shooters before! That is really interesting.
________________________

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[Taylor Porter]

For some reason, I never picked up Spider-Man 2099. It's not that I thought it looked bad, I just never picked it up. For some other mysterious reason I did pick up X-Men 2099. It was actually pretty good. It wasn't a typical team book (not for the time, anyway). Of the charactes featured on the first issue cover, by issue 10 or so, one was dead, one was deformed, one was transformed, one was long gone, and one was insane. Considering how static the core X-titles were during the 90s, this was kind of an interesting title.

[Reloaded]

I was a fan of this book for its entire run. Really good stuff. I loved Xina, Gabe [after we found out about his net alter-ego] and even, hey, Tyler. It was an incredibly smart book. I wish it were still around.

No knock on Warren Ellis' Doom run, but I found the guerrilla activist Doom of John Francis Moore, the more interesting one. I mean, it was only a matter of time before Doom regains his power. That's a given. It was fun watching him do it.

I miss the 2099 line.

I enjoyed Moore's and PAD'S work above all others.

Too bad X-Men ended with a cliffhanger...

X-Nation, btw, was one of the worse ideas they had. Daredevil 2099 could have been cool, though...

[Hunter]

[quote]Originally posted by Matt Brady:
<strong> Miguel did make a guest appearance in Captain Marvel. As for a full-on return for the character, David’s up for it, but is very, very skeptical that O’Hara will ever be seen again. "Sure, but it'll never happen," David said when asked if he was up for another return to the world of 2099. "Look at all the grief I got from Marvel just for guest starring him in Captain Marvel."</strong><hr></blockquote>

Gah! I missed this entirely -- when did that happen? Loved Spider-man 2099, must. . . find. . . other. . . appearance. . .

[quote]Originally posted by Hunter:
<strong>

Gah! I missed this entirely -- when did that happen? Loved Spider-man 2099, must. . . find. . . other. . . appearance. . .</strong><hr></blockquote>

Captain Marvel #28.... which I don't have because I dropped Cap with issue 20 and didn't start getting again till issue 30 :(

[Chris Partin]

One thing that wasn't mention is the religion in 2099 - the Thorites. Even now it seems that Jurgens is bringing this little bit of 2099 to the present day Marvel with the current followers of Thor.

Interesting how Marvel said 2099 just wasn't cutting it but people still talk about it today, and talk about it in a very positive way. I'd love the chance to see another one-shot or miniseries about the characters in 2099.

[northern soul daz]

Spiderman 2099 was a great read, but Warren Ellis' Doom and the big crossover event were fantastic.

Cap America as a baddie....pure brilliance !

[saiyanspider]

what grief did peter david get for guest starring spider-man 2099?

[quote]Originally posted by Chris Partin:
<strong>One thing that wasn't mention is the religion in 2099 - the Thorites. Even now it seems that Jurgens is bringing this little bit of 2099 to the present day Marvel with the current followers of Thor.

Interesting how Marvel said 2099 just wasn't cutting it but people still talk about it today, and talk about it in a very positive way. I'd love the chance to see another one-shot or miniseries about the characters in 2099.</strong><hr></blockquote>

Religion isn't the only connection to 2099. Ty Stone's ancestor appeared in Iron Man last year and last time I looked (which was last year) Stark-Fujikawa was still there...

[pmpknface]

[quote]Originally posted by Hunter:
<strong>

Gah! I missed this entirely -- when did that happen? Loved Spider-man 2099, must. . . find. . . other. . . appearance. . .</strong><hr></blockquote>

He appearred in a 4 issue story arc that had connecting covers. It was damn good!

[RDFozz]

[quote]Originally posted by saiyanspider:
<strong>what grief did peter david get for guest starring spider-man 2099?</strong><hr></blockquote>

It goes back to the origins of the U-DECIDE event/farce(/fiasco?):

When Jemas and Quesada annouced that CAPTAIN MARVEL, SPIDER-GIRL and BLACK PANTHER were going up in price by $0.25 and being given a year or so to turn around their sales, Peter had the temerity to question the logic of the decision. He felt that, perhaps more than any other single factor, high prices were driving comics fans away from the hobby, and that a price increase on these titles was a death knell in disguise. He understood that the books weren't selling well, and stated that he was willing to write CAPTAIN MARVEL almost for free, rather than raising the price.

During the hullabaloo, CAPTAIN MARVEL was criticized; it may have been and be one of the critics' darlings, but many people seemed to find it too in-jokey and insular - too reliant on knowledge of Marvel/Rick Jones comic history. The TIME FLIES arc (CAPTAIN MARVEL #27-30? (maybe 26-29)) was considered an example of this, as it involved characters from Peter's FUTURE IMPERFECT (Hulk in the future as the Maestro) mini and from SPIDER-MAN 2099.

[American Caesar]

I echo the cheers for Doom 2099, one of the most progressive mainstream books of the last 15 years. Moore's Doom was a techno-guerilla, and Ellis's was an insurgent revolutionary, making for 60 issues of solid reading with few slow spots. The Moore-era art was by the brilliant Pat Broderick and then, in the Ellis days, by fellow Brit Steve Pugh. When it came time to tell the story of Doom Over America (something Marvel would probably still like to toy with to this day in the "big" universe), you had to have a Brit skewering our American politics. This was the making of Ellis as we know him today.

Sorry to digress from SM2099...

[Pariah]

I got the first 12 issues of the series, and I'm surprised it lasted as long as 46 issues. This was a nice nostalgic article for the mid-90's, but I am soooo glad this series is gone. It was about as cheap as Magna Spider-Man reprints. In fact, now that I think about it, both these series got me to never pick up another Spidey issue again.

[SpaceMonkey]

I guess I'm the minority...I really dug Ghost Rider 2099...So sue me.

[THOMAS]

Why Rick leonardi is not getting regular work at Marvel is beyound me.I loved the work he and Al williamson do on any book.

[bob_at_york]

My favourite was X-Men 2099. The art and story were solid. I found the characters interesting and I have always wished they would bring them back.

[The Spider]

The best ones were PAD's SPIDER-MAN 2099 and Ellis' DOOM 2099.

[EMeadow]

[quote]Originally posted by SpaceMonkey:
<strong>I guess I'm the minority...I really dug Ghost Rider 2099...So sue me.</strong><hr></blockquote>

You're not in the minority in this case. I was a huge Ghost Rider 2099 fan (and of all the 2099 books). Bachalo, Buckingham, and Kyle Hotz made that book for me with spectacular art.

Then the whole thing got flushed when Ashley Wood showed up. Never seen a faster book killer. (With the possible exception of whoever did the last few issues of Doom 2099 when Moore came back. Don't know who he was but I'm sure people know exactly what I'm talking bout. The worst stuff I ever saw.)

But Ellis on Doom 2099 was the first time I really focused on what this crazy writer was doing on this book. And I've been a fan of his ever since.

[Burke 0011]

Great article.
SPIDEY 2099 was an excellent book.
I have ALWAYS loved Rick Leonardi's art (That Cloak and Dagger four issue limited series from WAY back <83?> was my first exposure to his art and it blew me away) and thought he and David made a great creative pairing.

Funny how this book was a perfect example of how a great writer could 'reinvent' a character in his own brand new book and universe.... kind of foreshadowing Bendis and Ultimate Spidey actually.

[MindTricked]

[quote]Originally posted by THOMAS:
<strong>Why Rick leonardi is not getting regular work at Marvel is beyound me.I loved the work he and Al williamson do on any book.</strong><hr></blockquote>

Well, I think it might be too late - I believe ol' Rick's working for CrossGen now....

[KingStalin]

Spider-Man 2099 is one of my favorite series of all time. Peter's best work is ther ein my opinion. I really wish marvel would retunr the character to a book. 2099 was a great idea that became a joke in the end (FF2099, the phalanx flooding the earth, etc). Though it did publish the best villian series ever Doom and featured my favorite group of X-Men (I strongly recommend the mutants of 2099, it wa the best work of John Francis Moore and Ron Lim.)

[San]

I never liked any version of the X-Men more than those in 2099. Damn shame how that book ended (and the latest issues by Jan Duuresma were very blah too look at too...)

Picked up the odd Spidey 2099 issue, and I kinda liked it, but didn't have the budget for it back then.

I liked the 2099 idea. Shame it had to go.

San

[Graeme McMillan]

[quote]Originally posted by MindTricked:
<strong>

Well, I think it might be too late - I believe ol' Rick's working for CrossGen now....</strong><hr></blockquote>

I thought he was the regular penciller of DC's Nightwing these days?

[Justin M. Campbell]

This was one of the few titles of the time that was consistently a good read. Of course, I liked pretty much all of the 2099 books I've read over the years I won't blow for anybody but there's a little connection between Spidey and Punisher 2099(read Spidey 2099 #26 and Punisher 2099 #1 to get it.) I've thought lately could those books sustain a revival. And then I think if they could some of the talent who did them to them again, HELL YES!
mousekateer roll call:
Spider-Man 2099: Peter David, Rick Leonardi
X-Men 2099: Mark Waid, Humberto Ramos
Doom 2099: Warren Ellis, Pat Broderick
Ghost Rider 2099: Ashley Wood, Sam Keith
Ravage 2099: Stan Lee, John Byrne
(Interesting Story: I saw a Stan's Soapbox from like 1990 talking about the 2099 line. It was initially called "The World of Tommorrow" and at the beginning there was only supposed to be one hero[Ravage] and one villain[Deathstryke] and John Byrne was supposed to draw. By all accounts there are still a ton of JB pages for 2099 out there somewhere. Just a little tidbit).
P.S. For those who say that pretty much the entire line was no good, some recommended reading
Ravage 2099 # 1-8 or 9(?): written by stan lee. To be fair, all issues after, feel free to skip.
Fall of the Hammer X-over (refering to above: except the one involved in this
Doom 2099 # 24-39
All 2099 Unlimited issues w/ metalscream story (by Warren Ellis).

Of course, I could just be a blithering idiot(offscreen a chorus yells "YES!")
JMC

[Justin M. Campbell]

P.S. for those interested, Rick Leonardi is Devin Grayson's artist on Nightwing (start w/ #71, and go forward). He's also done some birds of prey issues lately (Bruce Wayne: Murderer/Fugitive tie-ins and issues from around that period)

[ComicPooka]

I quite liked the X-men 2099 line. I tried digging up all the backissues. Still trying actually.

Some groovy ideas. Shame they tried getting Wolverine in there somehow.

Bloodhawk was a GREAT character!

[Slangword]

Due to the huge number of titles out at the time, I never bought all the 2099 books, but would sample them every so often. In addition to Spider-Man 2099, I enjoyed the Stan Lee/Paul Ryan issues of Ravage 2099, and the Karl Kesel issues of Fantastic Four 2099.

I'm still wondering about whether the FF 2099 was supposed to be the reall FF. I recall some stories that had some genetic info being stolen that may have been used to duplicate the FF. Does anyone know if this subplot was ever resolved? If it was, was the resolution the same intended by Kesel and Joey Cavalieri?

--Scott

[Vodak]

I had thought I was the only to remember this title. I strayed away from comics not soon after finding this 2099 comic. When I rejoined the “scene” less then a year ago I became aware that a lot of the stuff I enjoyed in the 90s was crap. I thought I was the only one that remember Spiderman2099 and acutely liked the title. I mean I couldn’t admit to it because everyone in community only used the 2099 for jokes.

[Alex Segura Jr.]

[quote]Originally posted by MindTricked:
<strong>

Well, I think it might be too late - I believe ol' Rick's working for CrossGen now....</strong><hr></blockquote>

If I'm not mistaken, he's the regular penciller on Nightwing, no?

Alex

[enabler]

[quote]He felt that, perhaps more than any other single factor, high prices were driving comics fans away from the hobby<hr></blockquote>

Totally agreed... I buy a mere fraction of of what I did 10 or even 5 years ago. It's just way too damn expensive a hobby now, and I don't see how such prices will ever help bring in any young readers. I know that the overall quality of most books is leagues beyond what we got in past years, but still...

[Hdefined]

Damn, I'm sorry but I loved all those chromium covers to stuff like Doom 2099 #29, 2099 genesis, 2099 Apocalypse, etc. And those cool bumpy covers to the 25th issues. Yeah, I was such a sucker, I know

[mauer]

You know, I also felt like I was one of the few who really liked Spiderman 2099. I remember that I read all of the titles when they first came out, but I slowly went to just Spiderman and X-Men. It's funny that Quesada pointed out Spiderman 2099 (and other Peter David in-jokes) as a reason that people were flocking away from Captain Marvel, because when I heard that he was going to be in that book, even for a cameo, it was the first time I'd ever considered buying it. Unfortunately, I did not and now I have really gotten into this new storyline with the U-Decide gimmick. Anyway, I have no idea how 2099 ended. If I bought the books, I don't remember reading them. Anyone want to fill me in?

m.

[jagtech13]

[quote]Originally posted by Slangword:
<strong>Due to the huge number of titles out at the time, I never bought all the 2099 books, but would sample them every so often. In addition to Spider-Man 2099, I enjoyed the Stan Lee/Paul Ryan issues of Ravage 2099, and the Karl Kesel issues of Fantastic Four 2099.

I'm still wondering about whether the FF 2099 was supposed to be the reall FF. I recall some stories that had some genetic info being stolen that may have been used to duplicate the FF. Does anyone know if this subplot was ever resolved? If it was, was the resolution the same intended by Kesel and Joey Cavalieri?

--Scott</strong><hr></blockquote>

Met Ben Raab (Fantastic Four 2099, Excalibur), a co-writer for the series like a year or so ago. His response was that he believed it was the "real" FF of Marvel proper, just in a future, here-to-be told story. Translation: No clones. No imposters. Real Reed, Sue, Johnny, and Ben. Hope that helps some.

[EMeadow]

[quote]Originally posted by Hdefined:
<strong>Damn, I'm sorry but I loved all those chromium covers to stuff like Doom 2099 #29, 2099 genesis, 2099 Apocalypse, etc. And those cool bumpy covers to the 25th issues. Yeah, I was such a sucker, I know</strong><hr></blockquote>

LOL if you're a sucker, then so am I. Personally I thought chromium covers were the best gimmick the industry ever came up with. Those I'd love to see come back. They just always looked so cool.

And to the gentleman who mentioned Byrne originally having a hand in 2099. You're right. Although when he and Marvel didn't get along with the production, he later turned the work he had already done into 2112, which in turn started his Next Men.

[EMeadow]

[quote]Originally posted by Slangword:

I'm still wondering about whether the FF 2099 was supposed to be the reall FF. I recall some stories that had some genetic info being stolen that may have been used to duplicate the FF. Does anyone know if this subplot was ever resolved? If it was, was the resolution the same intended by Kesel and Joey Cavalieri?

--Scott[/QB]<hr></blockquote>

Yeah I think they were always supposed to be the original ones but then when they did that lousy World of Tomorrow series (no offense to the writers. We know you tried Joe Kelly!) they shoehorned in an idea that the Watcher created clones of the FF out of some remorse of guilt that he missed them or something like that. It's been too long for me to remember this stuff.

[Dasbender]

[quote]Originally posted by MindTricked:
<strong>

Well, I think it might be too late - I believe ol' Rick's working for CrossGen now....</strong><hr></blockquote>


Rick's actually doing a wonderful job as the "new" regular artist on Nightwing. It's the best work I've seen from him (and from Nightwing) yet.

[Knightmare10880]

I loved the 2099 stuff, I've got most of the entire runs of Spider-Man 2099 and X-Men 2099 and I've the entire run of Fantastic Four 2099, plus going thru the old back issue bins I've collected the alot issue to the other 2099 series. In my opinion the origin stories for Spider-Man and X-Men 2099 are incredible reads, I wsh they'd get released in tpb form, but it'll probably never happen.

[pupaboy]

I wish Marvel would bring back the 2099 line of books. If you asked me the writing and the artwork of those books was excellent! I thought it was a refreshing take on the future of Marvel Comics. Although it was a grim future ruled by huge mega corps, the heroes of 2099 carried on the tradition of the original Marvel characters. It is too bad that the series had to end. I highly doubt that Joe Quesada would ever let a 2099 book be published no matter how much us fans would like it. Joe's ego would not permit it. Face it, Joe Quesada had nothing to do with the 2099 Universe. The Ultimate Marvel Universe is Joe's creation and as such gets his full support. So until Joe Quesada is replaced as Editor in Chief, we will have to wait and hope the next one will be more responsive to desires of the readers.

[Mike Tyler]

Personally, I always enjoyed Spidey 2099! Out of all the 2099 books it was the only one I really liked! I feel no shame in admitting this! If something's good, it's good! 'Nuff said! ;)

[Vodak]

[quote]Originally posted by pupaboy:
<strong>I wish Marvel would bring back the 2099 line</strong><hr></blockquote>

I loved the title to but I think it'd be spidy overkill.

[paulski]

[quote]Originally posted by EMeadow:
<strong>You're not in the minority in this case. I was a huge Ghost Rider 2099 fan (and of all the 2099 books). Bachalo, Buckingham, and Kyle Hotz made that book for me with spectacular art.

Then the whole thing got flushed when Ashley Wood showed up. Never seen a faster book killer. </strong><hr></blockquote>

Couldn't agree more. I thought the exact same thing. I know Ashley Wood has his fans out there but I couldn't have imagined a worse choice by the editors to follow the guys you listed in your post. Book killer indeed. I think I lasted about 2 more issues...

[Hdefined]

You know, another 2099 series could work if it was something along the lines of "Marvel 2099 Team-up", you know, have Spidey 2099 team up with random characters from the future marvel U. And hey, have Bendis write it and no one will think twice about it.

or not.

But, eh, it could only really last as a single title, and it would be hard to focus the whole future universe into one monthly gig

[Dakion]

[quote]Originally posted by American Caesar:
<strong>The Moore-era art {for Doom 2099} was by the brilliant Pat Broderick...</strong><hr></blockquote>

GAH! ICK! I've been made to endure Broderick's crap on countless titles I liked (Captain Atom, Firestorm, Green Lantern, etc.)...

Brilliant? I think not!!!!

But that's just my opinion....

[BoyWonder]

Sorry to disagree with everyone, but I don't see the point in the 2099 universe. Looks into the future are fun, but a whole line of comics??? Look at the poor sales of Spidergirl to judge how much interest there is in this theme. Occassional stories in the regular titles are better ways of looking at future versions of characters.

[Warren V. Wind]

[quote]Originally posted by Knightmare10880:
<strong>I wish they'd get released in TPB form, but it'll probably never happen.</strong><hr></blockquote>

I think the powers that be at Marvel would be surprised at the large amount of sales they could get out of a Marvel 2099 TPB line.
I would buy just about everyone of them!!

Loved the whole 2099 line.
Most times the 2099 titles were more enjoyable than most of the titles Marvel proper was publishing.

I don't think they will bring any of them back, which is a shame!
I think that in the current climate at Marvel, a 2099 line could be very successful, both critically and financially.
Bring in some independant types and let them loose. Think of the possibilities!!!!

[Exlepper]

:cool: My personal favorite was always Ghost Rider 2099. I enjoyed the 'Ghost-In-The-Machine' concept. The story-telling was phenomenal at its best and passable at its worst. The untimate treat on the title though was the offbeat and gritty art suppied by such talent as Chris Bachalo, Mark Buckingham, and Ashley Wood, throughout the course of its run. Even when the stories were just okay, the art was darn impressive.

[American Caesar]

Was there ever an explanation of who Doom 2099 was? Was it Victor? Kristof? In ish 1, he just blinks into existence and gets cromulated by Tyger Wylde. I don't think there was ever a real answer... right?

[some_bloke]

[quote]Originally posted by mauer:
<strong> Anyway, I have no idea how 2099 ended. If I bought the books, I don't remember reading them. Anyone want to fill me in?

m.</strong><hr></blockquote>

The Earth got flooded.
Half the survivors went to live in the savage land. The rest went to Mars. Eventually everyone took off in a big old ship and found Captain America's frozen body floating in space, and he became the new Thor and saved the human race.

Remember it now?

[some_bloke]

[quote]Originally posted by American Caesar:
<strong>Was there ever an explanation of who Doom 2099 was? Was it Victor? Kristof? </strong><hr></blockquote>

it was... hmm. well it was whoever was Doom in the 20thC when he came back in time. Because he tortured his younger self, even though he remembered the pain he was inflicting from when he suffered at the hands of himself the first time. Quite a nice touch, I thought.

[spiderbert]

[quote]Originally posted by MindTricked:
<strong>

Well, I think it might be too late - I believe ol' Rick's working for CrossGen now....</strong><hr></blockquote>

He is the regular penciler on Nightwing. I think he doing the best work of his career on that title.

[Slangword]

[quote]Originally posted by jagtech13:
<strong>

Met Ben Raab (Fantastic Four 2099, Excalibur), a co-writer for the series like a year or so ago. His response was that he believed it was the "real" FF of Marvel proper, just in a future, here-to-be told story. Translation: No clones. No imposters. Real Reed, Sue, Johnny, and Ben. Hope that helps some.</strong><hr></blockquote>

My thanks to you and Emeadow!

--Scott

[beta-ray]

Ack! In other threat concerning my favorite Peter David titles, I forgot to mention Spidey 2099. One of those comics I looked forward to every month.

I also liked Ghost Rider 2099 (yes also under Ashley Wood, who I thought took it in a refreshing direction visually)...

Liked Doom 2099, but did not like the artist on the last few issues at all. Totally ruined the story for me.

Just my .2 credits

[Kevin Street]

Very interesting article! :cool:

I liked the idea behind 2099, but never much cared for the execution.

Real Science Fiction comics with updated versions of today's superheroes are a good idea that could still work. But the Marvel 2099 universe was a cliched dystopia that read too much like bad 80s cyberpunk. It never seemed like much fun, so it didn't interest me.

If Marvel or some other company were to do a similiar project today, with updated superheroes in a carefully extrapolated world set 100 years in the future, a world based on their own ideas and not some warmed over fiction from the previous decade, that would be a comic worth reading. It might be very cool indeed.

[Graeme McMillan]

Starting with me...

[quote]Originally posted by The Grim of Earth 2:
<strong>I thought he was the regular penciller of DC's Nightwing these days?</strong><hr></blockquote>

...continuing with this...

[quote]Originally posted by Justin M. Campbell:
<strong>P.S. for those interested, Rick Leonardi is Devin Grayson's artist on Nightwing (start w/ #71, and go forward). He's also done some birds of prey issues lately (Bruce Wayne: Murderer/Fugitive tie-ins and issues from around that period)</strong><hr></blockquote>

...and this...

[quote]Originally posted by Alex Segura Jr.:
<strong>If I'm not mistaken, he's the regular penciller on Nightwing, no?

Alex</strong><hr></blockquote>


...and this...

[quote]Originally posted by Dasbender:
<strong>Rick's actually doing a wonderful job as the "new" regular artist on Nightwing. It's the best work I've seen from him (and from Nightwing) yet.</strong><hr></blockquote>

... and finally this...

[quote]Originally posted by spiderbert:
<strong>He is the regular penciler on Nightwing. I think he doing the best work of his career on that title.</strong><hr></blockquote>

... I have to ask: Is this the most answered question on Newsarama?

[Alex Segura Jr.]

[quote]Originally posted by The Grim of Earth 2:
<strong>Starting with me...



... I have to ask: Is this the most answered question on Newsarama?</strong><hr></blockquote>

Hey, 1,433 answers are better than none ;)

Alex

[Graeme McMillan]

[quote]Originally posted by Alex Segura Jr.:
<strong>

Hey, 1,433 answers are better than none ;)

Alex</strong><hr></blockquote>

True.

Meanwhile, I'd like another one. Are you coming on as Matt's new Newsarama partner, Mr. Segura? I'm sure this isn't the first article on the site that's been written by your good self. Are you stepping into the late Mr. Doran's shoes?

[Dave_Garcia]

[quote]Originally posted by MindTricked:
<strong>

Well, I think it might be too late - I believe ol' Rick's working for CrossGen now....</strong><hr></blockquote>

Actually, he's been drawing Nightwing since Devin Grayson took over. The current Previews still lists him as the book's penciler, so unless I've overlooked an announcement somewhere, that's where Leonardi can be found.

[Graeme McMillan]

[quote]Originally posted by Dave_Garcia:
<strong>

Actually, he's been drawing Nightwing since Devin Grayson took over. The current Previews still lists him as the book's penciler, so unless I've overlooked an announcement somewhere, that's where Leonardi can be found.</strong><hr></blockquote>

Hey, never mind THAT. What I want to know is, whatever happened to the guy who pencilled Spider-Man 2099? You know, Rick someone?

[Donnie Darko]

Me like Spidey 2099 and Ghost Rider 2099. Seriously, I thought Ghostie 2099 would kick the old one's brimstone behind. I especially liked the techno-profanity, which predates the Metabarons' own "paleo-profanities."

"Son of a glitch!"

[Jeffbot]

I thought Fantastic Four 2099 started out really well with Karl Kesel at the helm. Of course, he only lasted for four or five issues, then the series really went down the crapper. No direction whatsoever.

I don't understand why there was such a line-wide plummet in quality. Did ALL the writers resign at once because of Marvel firing the editor?

[Spikey_Jim]

I agree that there's no chance of Spidey 2099 ever having a title again (at least for a fair few years), but why not let him be in Tangled Web? Quesada can put his money where his mouth is, and we'll see how popular it is.

Spikey_Jim

[Iron Maiden]

Wow...It sure is nice to see that there are still a lot of 2099 fans out there despite what Joe Quesada may think. The Doom 2099 comic was the only Marvel comic I bought for a while, since I did not care for DeFalco's FF. In fact, for a while many fans speculated that Doom ended up in the future after he gave Reed the joy buzzer of death in FF #381.

As to the mystery of Doom's identity, this question recently came up on the FF message boards a few days ago.

<center><A HREF = "http://www.comicboards.com/fantasticfour/view.php?rpl=021125150643">Who was Doom 2099?</A></center>

[Monster X]

Ya know I never read spidey 2099 but X-men was good & Doom was fantastic.

[MattFreakinLittle]

With all this talk of 2099, SOMEONE'S gotta know where a history of...uhm...the future universe is on the 'net...

[quote]Originally posted by Jeffbot:
<strong>I thought Fantastic Four 2099 started out really well with Karl Kesel at the helm. Of course, he only lasted for four or five issues, then the series really went down the crapper. No direction whatsoever.

I don't understand why there was such a line-wide plummet in quality. Did ALL the writers resign at once because of Marvel firing the editor?</strong><hr></blockquote>

Yep, and some of the pencilers too.

Karl Kesel had come up with an idea to move the line from 2099 to 2104 (or something like that). It was even hinted at in some of the late issues (or maybe it's something I was told. Don't remember)

[Jeffbot]

Heh...just stumbled on this topic. 2099 was cool.

[Christian Otte]

Originally posted by Jeffbot
Heh...just stumbled on this topic. 2099 was cool. Okay...?

[Taylor Porter]

Hey, whatever happened to Alex Segura Jr, anyway?

[OM]

Originally posted by Taylor Porter
Hey, whatever happened to Alex Segura Jr, anyway? ...He agreed with one of my posts, and the Four Horsemen of the Apokolips descended and sent him to Granny's Orphanage outside of Armaghetto.

[OM]

Originally posted by Jeffbot
I thought Fantastic Four 2099 started out really well with Karl Kesel at the helm. Of course, he only lasted for four or five issues, then the series really went down the crapper. No direction whatsoever. ...The sad part is that we never did really find out just who that FF were. All the hints led to four Alchemax plunderers getting "converted" to the FF thanks to some Negative Zone foulup, but again the -true- origin was never fully revealed. If anything, it was left more vague than Doom's 2099 origin.

[Taylor Porter]

Originally posted by OM
...He agreed with one of my posts, and the Four Horsemen of the Apokolips descended and sent him to Granny's Orphanage outside of Armaghetto.

Oh, yeah, now I remember.

[Aquaboy]

i fondly remember spidey 2099. no one quite draws tech as wonderful as leonardi. i think my favorite villian was the 2099 vulture who was basically a hells angel style big wings and claws villain who was this scavenger/defender of 'lowtown' if i remember correctly. very sharp writing....
2099 fans must've enjoyed the little surprise when miguel guested on captain marvel. granted, it was something that everybody forgot but still very fun to see alchemaz, tyler stone, and miggy back in action.

[KyleThoreau]

man am I downer


over the last few years I've grown weary of all of these Marvel comics of the mid 90's

although I still buy them and read, I just find it hard to believe I once thought they were pure gold

then again I'm the one who's currently hunting down the clone saga...

[KSChris]

Spider-Man 2099 was pure gold. Great writing and art.

[chonk34]

Doom 2099 #1 was the first comic I ever bought. That shiny cover just pulled me in.