Missing Links: Spider-Man 2099 #7

Spider-Man 2099 (Vol. 1) #7
“Wing and a Prayer”
Writer: Peter David
Penciler: Rick Leonardi
Inker: Al Williamson
Letterer: Rick Parker
Colorist: Steve Buccellato
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco
Released: March 2, 1993

Back when I introduced the concept of Missing Links, Spider-Man 2099 #7 was Exhibit A.

It was a series I'd been collecting back in the early '90s, thanks to the impressive combination of future versions of Marvel characters and that shiny foil border on the cover of the first issue, not to mention the writing of Peter David. But I hit a snag when I couldn't find issue 7, which featured the first, at that time, 2099 incarnation of an established Marvel villain.* Rather than grab issue 8 and keep an eye out for the one I missed, I waited. And waited.

And waited long enough that I fell way behind and stopped collecting the series.

So Spider-Man 2099 #7 seemed to be the perfect way to kick off Missing Links, a series in which I read and write about issues that fill gaps in my collection. The idea was I would be reading them for the first time, far removed from when I was experiencing the series regularly. Two problems: I couldn't locate the issue when I wanted to do the first post, so I went with Nightstalkers #2. Also, I already read it?

I think issue 7 made its way into my collection when my brother bought a grab bag of comics at a con, and I said, “Hey, I've been looking for that issue for a while.” Or maybe I snagged it from a bargain bin myself. Or maybe... maybe I was wrong and 8 was the issue I couldn't find?**

As I've said before, I made up the hashtag and the series, so I figure I can keep making up the rules. I only remembered two scenes from this issue, so I'm still going to use it. If I develop a following that becomes truly concerned with the purity of the concept, I'll worry about the consequences of breaking those rules.

The issue opens with the Spider-Man of 2099 (Miguel O'Hara) awakening as he hurtles through the air, carried by the Vulture and pursued by a woman named Kasey on a skycycle thingamabob. Vulture causes Kasey to crash, and she survives by tucking and rolling away, then uttering the phrase “clucking bell,” which I'm guessing is not a hip, new 2099 curse word like “shock.” But I do appreciate creative alternatives to profanity.

Then we check in with the supporting cast, including Miguel's girlfriend Dana and AI assistant Lyla, with a callback I somehow remembered from earlier issues. Miguel's brother Gabe is looking for Kasey (I think they're dating?) in Lowtown, the ground-level portion of Manhattan where the destitute and undesirables live while the corporations control life miles up in the sky. A street gang of Thor worshipers tries to carjack him, but Gabe escapes, winding up in possession of one of their guns in the process.

Vulture makes his pitch to Spider-Man to help him take down Alchemax, the mega-corporation for which Miguel (and formerly Ravage) works and where a sabotaged experiment gave him his powers. Spidey isn't too keen on helping him even before he realizes the Vulture is, true to his name, dining on the remains of some guards he killed last issue.

That part I remembered.

Spidey reacts appropriately (see above), and a running battle starts, interrupted briefly by a couple pages showing Alchemax ne'er-do-well Tyler Stone dealing with the fallout of a previous issue and offering to help Dana help Miguel but really just wanting to help himself.

Back in Lowtown, the Vulture finally seems to get the message that Spider-Man isn't going to join his cause, and we end on Gabe accidentally shooting Kasey after she surprises him outside her apartment.

That's the other scene I remembered.

So, it appears at some point I read this, but retained very little. The story was fun (minus the cannibalism) and easy to follow even without knowing or remembering a lot of details. Leonardi's pencils aren't overly detailed or complex, but they fit the mood and characters. David's work is, as usual, enjoyable and makes you want to read more.

I know I have a few more issues of this and many more are on Marvel Unlimited. I may not make this a regular feature, but I think I can at least justify another Missing Links installment by covering #8.

* – I don't count Doom because A) at this point, it might have been the real Dr. Doom(and might still, I don't know)
and B) he had his own title, which was still largely reserved for “heroes” at that point.

2* – Is this how Wolverine felt before House of M?