Operation: Zero Tolerance - 25 Years Later Part 11: The Secret Files

So what's up with those Xavier files that Bastion retrieved from the mansion? You know...the ones that may or may not have been secured and/or deleted before "Operation: Zero Tolerance" began? Readers who only followed the main thrust in X-Men and Wolverine never really got resolution for that plot point--which is somewhat unfortunate given how big a deal Lobdell makes about them. It would take following Cable's tie-ins to find out what, if anything, came of them. And readers not following Cable would only be pointed in that direction if they read Uncanny X-Men 346 (even X-Force 69, which cuts to a scene of Cable in the mansion, doesn't tell readers what he's doing or direct them to his own title to find out).

As for Uncanny X-Men 346, it's easily the strangest tie-in of the event. It's the only Uncanny X-Men issue included in "Operation: Zero Tolerance"--because it's the only issue of Uncanny X-Men running during the event that doesn't feature the X-Men. Yes, you read that right. The Uncanny X-Men team went to space in issue 341 and still haven't returned so their issues can't exactly be part of a U.S. centric event. The logical decision, obviously, is to have Uncanny X-Men 346 star J. Jonah Jameson and Spider-Man.

Also...Nate Grey does a thing and (you guessed it!) complains about it in the process.

The following contains major spoilers for Uncanny X-Men 346, Cable 45-47, and X-Man 30.

New Fantastic Four #2: Spoiler Free Review

Why are there demons in Las Vegas? How did Father John Priest get involved? And what is Spider-Man’s new battle cry? If you want answers to these questions–plus a shocking desert rivalry and a hot guest star–look no further than The World’s Funnest Comic Magazine.

Writer: Peter David

Art: Alan Robinson

Colors: Mike Spicer

Letters: VC’s Joe Caramagna

Cover: Nick Bradshaw & Romulo Fajardo Jr.

Variant Cover: Nick Rochie & Felipe Sobreiro

Designer: Carlos Lao

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Price: 3.99

Release Date: July 20th, 2022

Review - Amazing Spider-Man "Beyond": The Rise and Fall of Ben Reilly...Again

What kind of story is more compelling: a hero rising back up after a fall or a hero at the top of his game taking that fall? The first arc provides us with both the satisfaction of a character persevering and overcoming as well as a brief moment of seeing good triumph. On the other hand it can be just as interesting to watch a very successful character face challenges they can't resolve and see how they confront their darkest days.

Amazing Spider-Man recently showcased two heroes taking these different journeys simultaneously in its "Beyond" storyline thanks to the return of Ben Reilly, Peter Parker's clone from the mid 1990's infamous Clone Saga. Ben's first death at the end of the Clone Saga came after he and Peter had grown into essentially being brothers. Prior to his death he had demonstrated that he was every bit a Spider-Man as Peter was. Since Ben's return, though, his characterization and relationship to Peter has swung in different directions--sometimes wildly so--at the whims of his writers, never reflecting the character he was at the time of his first death. Regardless of one's opinion of how Ben is depicted, he's really the only character that can truly serve as an inverted mirror to Peter: high while Peter is low, falling while Peter is rising.

"Beyond" runs for nineteen issues of Amazing Spider-Man from 75-93 (plus multiple ancillary issues) and was published three times a week. The story was written by a team consisting of Saladin Ahmed, Patrick Gleason, Jed MacKay, Kelly Thompson, Geoffrey Thorne, Zeb Wells, and Cody Ziglar. The three times a week schedule necessitated an art by committee situation. "Beyond" wasn't a continuation of anything from Nick Spencer's run on Amazing Spider-Man so it's a great jumping on point. Likewise it's not necessary to have read any of Ben Reilly's previous appearances; the story provides the small amount of backstory that is necessary to understand the character's history.