In a world where there’s a Superior Spider-Man, is this resurrected clone still relevant to fans of the traditional wall-crawler?  Read on to find out.

The official description from Marvel:

• Superstar artist Carlo Barberi’s first arc on Scarlet Spider might be Kaine’s last as the Red Death comes for everyone.

• Has Kaine made a deal with the devil? No, not Mephisto.

• More Scarlet Spider and Wolverine action than you can shake an adamantium claw or spider stinger at.

There’s a lot going on here but despite it all the creative team brings enough charm to the table to make this comic book more than worthwhile.  Taking into consideration all that’s happened this title continues to stand tall among the best coming out of the House of Ideas.

Chris Yost and Erik Burnham combine forces to bring this arc to a fitting conclusion.  The web that has drawn both Wolverine and the Scarlet Spider into a confrontation with the Assassin’s Guild bares some bitter but inspired fruit.  It’s been a long time coming as Kaine gets to take on a serious threat in the form of the Red Death, make a deal with a questionable source and ultimately enter a new phase in his life.  But take heart fans the text found here is strong as the scribes behind it all point out the inevitable cost our hero will have to endure as a direct result from the choices he made today.

The art by Carlo Barberi is top notch as the seasoned professional brings just enough sensationalism to the piece to sell the authenticity of this little scuffle.  We have quite a few cogs in the machine but the talent finds a way to make it all work in the yarn’s favor.  I was particularly impressed with his depictions within the final panels as he crafted a simple dialogue scene that set up what can only be described as the burgeoning cloud over protagonist and his friends in Texas.

Scarlet Spider #19 is a really good comic that proves why this series should be on your pull-list.  Recommended.

4/5