Marvel Now 2017, The Clone Conspiracy #4 Spoilers & Review: Spider-Gwen Pounces & Dead No More Jackal’s Secret Shared w/ Amazing Spider-Man

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Marvel Now 2017 and The Clone Conspiracy #4 Spoilers and Review follow for this Dead No More Amazing Spider-Man event.

We open with the requisite “catch up” page of narrative that gets readers caught up on what’s happened so far.

It appears that the new clones are putting their heads together to try to solve their degrading issue so they won’t be a prisoner to the Jackal’s pills.

Doctor Octopus and the Lizard, scientists in their own rights, are at odds personality-wise, but working together nonetheless. Anna Marie joins them to Dr. Octopus’ surprise, but also glee.

At the same time Ben Reilly, the new Anubis-looking Jackal, walks Peter Parker, the Amazing Spider-Man, through his “Haven” where a clone society resides.

Since these clones share all of the memories of their deceased human selves, they felt their death and are pretty much as close to a real human as possible. This leaves Peter Parker with mixed emotions as Gwen Stacey forgives him for her death.

However, Peter tells Ben that he really won’t bring back Uncle Ben because he would have already done so because he can. Peter tells Ben what he already knows: that Uncle Ben would not support what Ben as the new Jackal is doing.

The Jackal leaves Spider-Man and Haven to meet up with the clones working on the cure.

And, the cure they discovered is actually sound, as in harmonics, not a physical vaccine.

Spider-Gwen looks on as the Jackal offers Anna Marie a perfect body when they have the cure; basically telling her she doesn’t need to be an imperfect dwarf. Wow. Very insensitive for him in 2017.

She balks and is angry at Jackal for the offer which in turn makes Doctor Octopus strike the Jackal and realize he isn’t Miles Warren, but someone who has a Spider-Sense.

Doc Ock then decides to destroy the Jackal, who he knows know is a “spider-clone”, and the byproduct of the amplified harmonics he unleashes are that the clones in Haven will be turned to dust. This proves to a distraction that allows…

…Spider-Gwen to pounce and free Kaine, the current Scarlet Spider, who sees the clones degrading and telling them that they are contagious.

The harmonics wave that Doc Ock let loose seems to now have a wide-reach as the Jackal uses it as part of his co-opting of JJJ’s news cast for broader transmission.

All the clones embedded in society watching the newscast, who may not know they’re clones, begin to degrade. The Jackal will just start over and they’ll have their memories, even of their degrading death, when they come back in new clone bodies.

And, we also have the cover to an Amazing Spider-Man Event, Dead No More: The Clone Conspiracy #5.

So…

Beautiful art and a convoluted story with head paining super-hero comic-book science. The art saves this confusing issue from a lower rating. 5 out of 10.

John is a long-time pop culture fan, comics historian, and blogger. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief at Comics Nexus. Prior to being EIC he has produced several column series including DEMYTHIFY, NEAR MINT MEMORIES and the ONE FAN'S TRIALS at the Nexus plus a stint at Bleeding Cool producing the COMICS REALISM column. As BabosScribe, John is active on his twitter account, his facebook page, his instagram feed and welcomes any and all feedback. Bring it on!