The questions begin.
Spider-Man continues to give into his negative emotions, and this draws the attention of Nocturne whom tries to help him in her own way. Meanwhile, the Scarlet Spider has decided to give into using his powers for good protecting the city, and this lands him in a battle with Tombstone and a gang of terrorist. This also attracts the attention of The Grim Hunter whom mistakes him for Spider-Man in his mission to settle old scores. -summary
The Clone Saga doesn't come anywhere close to jumping the shark just yet despite what serious non fans of it would have you believe, since they will be quick to tell you the whole thing is garbage only because of a few bad moments, and several folks scoffed at the change that took place later on. This volume features some very good story arcs, and I love how the stories were written and paced. Tom Defalco and J.M DeMatteis did splendid jobs giving both Spider-Man and Scarlet Spider their shares of the spotlight. Some stories don't star Spider-Man at all, and you might not even notice his absence since the Scarlet Spider is so well developed. He even uses different variations of the webbing which introduces a very fresh feel to the occasional webslinging. This book features very little in stand alone stories, instead there are several arcs going on that I would be lying to myself if I said none of them gripped me. This book contains Amazing Spider-Man 395 - 399, Spectacular Spider-Man 218 - 221, Spider-Man 54 - 56, Spider-Man Unlimited 8, Web of Spider-Man 120 - 122, and Spider-Man - Funeral for an Octopus 1 - 3, and as a note, the stories are in perfect reading order with Funeral for an Octopus taking place somewhere in the middle.
The story kicks off with Back from the Edge, as it follows Spider-Man not exactly descending into madness, instead confused on who he is. It appears without Aunt May to counsel him, he's pretty lost and seeks to hide behind the mask. He has completely alienated Mary Jane to the point where she leaves to family in Pittsburgh to exorcise her own demons. The action and the drama is very well paced, and I believe Mary Jane's segments aren't the least bit boring, but you will get into them more if you know the details behind her family issues. I think there could have been some type of recap to let newbies in on this, since I believe only knowledgeable fans whom care for the character will truly appreciate it. The action is well delivered plus it guest stars Daredevil, as the two go after the Owl and the new and improved Vulture whom was able to restore his youth during the storyline Life Theft. Here, a new plot begins as Spider-Man is put in a serious life or death situation that I remember being real curious about when reading this during its original run. You just know he's going to be alright in the end, still you just have to know how this is going to turn out. Spider-Man's story picks up much later in the story arc Web of Death, and this part I will reveal no spoilers at all, since it's quite shocking and those whom haven't read this story will thank me for that.
Scarlet Spider's story continues in Web of Life, as he finds himself in a three way battle involving both the Grim Hunter and Kaine. For those whom may not know; the Grim Hunter is the son of Kraven the Hunter, whom successfully survived the strength enhancement formula back in the storyline Beware the Rage of a Desperate Man. This is the same formula his father used, and this also explains the human version of Hobgoblin's durability you will see in one particular arc, as he survived the strength process as well in the aforementioned storyline. This is another one that showcases how deadly Kaine is, and this is a very entertaining arc as well. The two Spider-men finally join forces again as they search for answers to their sudden flashbacks in the story Smoke and Mirrors, where they encounter the Jackal alive and well. This new characterization for the Jackal is a welcome addition, but he always came off as Marvel's second attempt to imitate the Joker, with Carnage being their first attempt. The copying of the Joker is too in your face, and this is just another failed attempt as far as I'm concerned, but there's still some type of charm about him, and he manages to be entertaining as he proves a match for both Spider-men and constantly toys with them via mind games.
The artwork varies as it goes through multiple crossovers plus one mini-series, so once again, it's definitely not up to the same standard; but when the artwork is good it's good, with some crisp and detailed character designs and backgrounds. The new design for the Jackal is a far superior upgrade when compared to his old look during The Original Clone Saga. Here, he can be taken far more serious as he looks to be in splendid shape. On other occasions, the artwork is about average. However, I was never really pleased by the artwork in Spectacular Spider-Man years before this, and at times it just feels like it has gotten worse. Still, I would say it's passable.
This second book is by far better than the last volume though in terms of action, drama, and definitely the suspense. The cliffhanger works out very well setting up later events. If you're a serious fan of Spider-Man then I recommend checking this out.
Pros: Suspense, action, moments of very good artwork
Cons: Moments of very bad artwork, and dialog can be hard to read in certain books