Spider-Man 2099 (Vol. 1) #26

Background

Miguel has just been handed a platter of reality casserole - and it's not going down well! Tyler Stone is his daddy?! He was never really addicted to Rapture...and therefore, he never had to experiment on himself and become Spider-Man, if he had only waited a few days?! Ay carumba! Are all silver anniversaries so nauseating?

This issue features the thrilling return of ...Young Miguel O'Hara!

Story 'Hostile Takeover'

Kasey Nash, a.k.a. "Payback", lays unconscious at Alchemax. Tyler Stone enters and orders his men to remove her armor and get her out. It seems he took Conchata's threat seriously.

Elsewhere, Spidey has nightmares that don't evaporate upon awakening. What had just been revealed to him - that his true father is his greatest enemy Tyler Stone - has rattled Miguel to the core. With a case of the old "Parker Luck", it begins to rain on him as he webslings away.

Angela Daskalakis and her friend Miss Pivot (a woman in a highly advanced form of a wheelchair) are concerned of a hostile raid from Alchemax. The two of them discuss "Subject 394", a genetically manipulated individual who's become overly aggressive. His name: Sergeant Estevez! (See Spider-Man 2099 #8 for Angela's first meeting with Sarge)

Back at Miguel's apartment, he is greeted by the newly repaired Lyla. She apologizes for trying to kill him. Miguel requests Lyla to place an untraceable call to Stark-Fujikawa's CEO from Spider-Man.

At Gabe's home, his mother assures her guilt-ridden son that everything will work out with Kasey. Flyboys swoop down and leave Kasey, tattered and beaten, at his door.

Miguels' call to Hikaru was insightful but difficult. Spidey questions the CEO why he manipulated Kasey. Apparently, it was all to balance the scales between Hikaru and Spider-Man. To fully repair the damage caused by Spider-Man's interference with the Specialist, he attacked someone important to him - Kasey - but pushing her out into the public untrained, certain for disaster. Spidey's threats are matched, and he is ordered never to call again.

Dana knocks on Miguel's door, and Lyla opens it up prematurely. Mig scrambles out of his costume and into a robe. While Lyla (programmed by Xina) verbally jabs at Dana, Mig asks her to leave him alone. Dana asks when things are ever going to be normal - but then accuses Mig of seeing Xina. Mig loses his temper and throws Dana out violently. He wants her to return - but is too depressed to fight for her.

Later, Miguel gives Xina an antique bubble-gum machine as a present for fixing Lyla, knowing his ex-girlfriends love of 20th Century knickknacks. She offers Mig to come along on a trip to see their old headmistress, Angela.

Young Miguel O'Hara in Family Affair

Tyler and his wife confront Miguel's "father" George disciplining Kron for his recent attack on Gabe. George puts him down, and Kron pushes for an apology. Suddenly, Conchata informs Stone that his son is a bully and a thug and no apology will be granted. Tyler surprisingly retreats, much to Kron's horror - and George's!

Miguel, meanwhile, fears for his life once the parents leave. Xina encourages Mig to go down fighting, but he'd rather be a pacifist.

Conchata is confronted by Tyler's wife, Nancy. Nancy tells Conchata of her admiration for speaking up to Tyler. She offers friendship to Conchata and admits she knows all about her affair with her husband. Conchata's shock is returned by Nancy's proclamation that "I may not have guts...but I'm loaded with class."

General Comments

I'm not a huge fan of Joe St. Pierre. I remember his art mostly from the Venom short, "Along Came a Spider". His layouts are very good (I like the first shot of Angela on page 9), but I can't stand what he does to Spidey's masked head (page 8. He's talented - it's just his thick-lines and heavy shadowing is not my preference.

As for the story, it was a fairly good issue, following up well from #25's bombshells. Lyla's return offered some welcome comic relief.

As for Young Miguel O'Hara - I've had enough already!

Overall Rating

Worth the buck-fifty cents, but the space wasted by Young Miguel O'Hara could've been put to better use in the main plot rather than cutting things short.