Spider-Man 2099: Exodus #3 Review

Written by: Steve Orlando
Art by: Zé Carlos
Colors by: Erick Arciniega
Letters by: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Cover art by: Ryan Stegman, J.P. Mayer, Marte Gracia
Cover price: $3.99
Release date: June 29, 2022

Spider-Man 2099: Exodus #3 continues the battle for the Celestial Garden of Eden when the Masters of Evil returns to Earth to stake their claim. They soon find ownership isn’t easy when the Avengers 2099 are waiting.

Was It Good?

Eh. Meh. Sure. Okay. At least Spider-Man 2099: Exodus #3 has Spider-Man 2099 in this issue for more than a few panels, and he’s actually doing something. Orlando seems dead set on using this series as a series of one-shots to introduce the 2099 version of every character and team in Marvel’s current lineup. While that may be interesting on its face, there’s been very little Spider-Man 2099 in his own title, so readers aren’t getting their money’s worth.

The high points of this issue are the cool new character introductions and the art. As the blurb suggests, this issue is heavily focused on the Masters of Evil 2099 coming back to Earth to claim the Garden when they’re confronted by the Avengers 2099, led by Moon Knight 2099. That’s a lot of new 2099 versions of just about everybody, so if you’re looking for variants of established characters and enjoy new concept designs to tickle your fancy, you’re in for a treat. Carlos and Arciniega deliver an “Infinity Game” volume of new characters to grab your attention for some satisfying eye candy.

The new character designs, especially Moon Knight 2099, are appealing with a futuristic twist that fits the period.

Once the Masters of Evil 2099 arrive, the issue becomes a brawl. There’s enough exposition in the epilogue to spell out that Osborn set up the conflict to weaken his enemies and hobble the competition, so at least there’s a mild plot progression, but not much. There’s enough meat in this issue to suggest an impending battle between Spider-Man 2099 and Norman Osborn, but the same hint has been dropped for the last three issues.

Final Thoughts:

You can’t follow this series without concluding Spider-Man 2099: Exodus #3 isn’t a Spider-Man 2099 comic but an excuse to introduce even more 2099 variants of current Marvel characters. There is a small amount of plot progression in this issue, but make no mistake, this series only exists to create new characters under the guise of a paper-thin plot. If you like alternate character designs and eye candy, this one is for you.