Miguel.... I am Your Father......NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!
The silver anniversary of Spidey 2099 was packed with a healthy dose of adrenaline. The opening act with Spider-Man unleashed against Venture was thrilling - Spidey has really come of age as a fighter. It's clear he's no longer the new kid on the block, and he's tired of the abuse. It was a nice twist that Venture really wasn't out for blood this time. As good a fight scene as it was...I'm still finding the Spidey's battles somewhat monotonous. It's difficult to pinpoint my discontent. The future world of 2099 shouldn't be more limiting than a traditional Spider-Man story taking place today. Yet, the villains and the battles seem to lack the distinctive flair of a Peter Parker story. One strong factor: these cyborgs or henchmen or whatever the villain du joir is, don't have much of an origin or backstory. They pop up out of nowhere with claws extended. Venture has a motive at least, since he was once a background-less badly beaten by Mig. Secondly, whether it's Venture's staff, or Vulture's talons, or the Specialist's sword - they're all basically "warrior with weapon". There's not the richness of the bizarre powers of the Sandman, the untapped power of Electro, the warped intellect of the Goblin, the alien danger of Venom.
Also, Spidey needs to get out of the skyscrapers and streets. There's so little interaction with the public in his battles, that there's less drama, and less consequence to 2 superpowered guys slugging it out.
Then there are this issue's revelations. "I AM YOUR FATHER" - well, Tyler, we've heard this one before. Does it work? Does it make sense. Sure, I didn't see it coming. It seems a bit far-fetched, but I'll go with it. That Tyler didn't really addict Miggy to the Rapture? That was a nice spin!
As for the Hulk and Net Prophet, I could take it or leave it. The Hulk of 2099, though certainly having a tough time in his life, lacked any reason to care for his character.
The Net Prophet story played like a spaghetti western, and failed to intrigue me. He had the power to do whatever he wanted in cyberspace - the Superman complex doesn't always serve a story well. Like Hulk, I failed to care about the character.
Overall, my complaints are more about the whole series than this particular issue. For a milestone issue with action, twists, and solid art, I give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars. Hulk and Net Prophet both get 2.5 out of 5 stars.