Following the events in the previous outing does this point-one release really need to exist?  Read on to find out.

The official description from Marvel:

SCARLET SPIDER’S DARKEST HOUR BEGINS HERE!

• Kaine’s investigation brings him face to face with the Hand and Bruiser!

• What does Kingpin want with Houston?

• Chris Yost and Paulo Siqueira (The Amazing Spider-Man) will bring you the answers as a brand new year of Scarlet action awaits!

When reading a title from the House of Ideas that centers around a wall-crawling menace you’re guaranteed to have an interesting adventure on your hands, especially when it comes to this particular clone.  Form his rebirth of sorts during Spider Island this secondary version of Peter Parker has had his share of ups and downs and this latest arc is shaping up to be no different.

Dealing with mature themes and some outlandish characters can be a difficult balancing act, but thankfully the series writer Chris Yost is up to the task.  With this latest script he takes our protagonist and simply thrusts him (rather abruptly) into the modern world of slave trading while having him deal with some very classic Marvel Universe forces in the background.  All and all this is a splendidly executed narrative that allows for some solid introspection while Kaine continues to deal with the fact the he used to be a murderer but now he has a new life that’s full of people that he honestly cares about.

Paulo Siqueira with Neil Edwards work together to handle the art is the latest release.  The duo offers some dynamic shots that make perfect use of the slightly more horrifying or even menacing Scarlet Spider costume.  Beyond that there were several moments where faces looked a tad bit too detailed as character traits seem to get slightly lost in translation, but thankfully these were few and far between.

Scarlet Spider #12.1 is required reading that delivers a hard-hitting narrative that’s sure to have fans talking.  Recommended.

4/5