It was a September of 1994 and Marvel wanted a massive story line that would put Spider-Man through hell due to the overwhelming sales of DC’s “The Death of Superman” and Batman’s “Knightfall.” Originally meant to finish at issue 400, this story line went well beyond that as most fans know. I was the perfect target audience for this era of Spider-Man because I had only been reading these titles for a couple of years and didn’t know THAT much, like I do now. If you were a 13 year old kid who was looking for something that made you feel like you were a part of something massive – this was it. The clone saga has remained in controversy since it ended but for fans like me, it was the saga that we would never forget and always when revisiting it, brings up emotions not felt in most other comics.
Every article I’ve written in this series, has been leading up to THIS story line aptly titled “Power and Responsibility.” Terry Kavanagh, J.M DeMatteis, Howard Mackie, Tom Lyle and Tim DeFalco were the writers behind this masterpiece, unfortunately for them though, things later on, got out of hand……
All four issues of Spider-Man titles that month, came in 2 different editions. 1 was just the normal book and the other was a flip book that had another telling of the birth of Ben Reilly. (basically the original clone saga but with the emphasis on Ben Reilly)
Part 1 started in Web of Spider-Man #117 and as you can see by the cover, it starts where Spectacular Spider-Man left off from my last article. On the roof of the Forest Hills Hospital is where two men meet for the first time in 5 years. 1 of them, has done everything he can to avoid the other and has been successful up until now, the other, thought the man looking back at him, had perished all those years ago. Both of them look at each other and there is no time for silence….at least not from Spider-Man. After everything he has been through recently (losing his parents again, Aunt May in the hospital, MJ leaving cos of his emotional and physical distance, Dr Kafka nearly losing her life) this was the last straw for him. He looks over at Peter Parker, a man, who’s wearing his face and his blood boils. “I don’t care what kind of sick game you’re up to, impostor, doesn’t matter if you’re an other-dimensional doppelganger, a state of the art replicoid or the Chameleon himself…..You’re not Peter Parker” Spider-Man says as he swings a punch to Peter’s face, only for Peter to bounce out of the way saying “This was a mistake, I only wanted to see May before…” Peter doesn’t get a chance to finish his sentence as Spider-Man throws another punch. Peter leaps out the way again and starts bouncing towards another rooftop thinking to himself, how this is the exact thing he’s been trying to avoid for years. As he bounces off, he just manages to grab the ledge of the next building. Peter realizes how rusty he is and knows he has to move faster. He turns to look behind him to see where Spider-Man is but he’s already in front of him. Spider-Man shoots his webs at Peter and shouts “What’s ya hurry Petey?” Peter leaps again but Spider-Man easily throws off his momentum, causing Peter to crash through a window of a building. Spider-Man attacks Peter again with brutal force and Peter begs him to listen to him. “Please Peter, listen to me…” Spider-Man smashes Peter in the face screaming at him “Don’t call me that…I HATE PETER PARKER.” This is where Spider-Man’s anger is coming from. His own failure. His failure to have peace, his failure for not being able to permanently put his foes away, his failure at his marriage and his failure at life itself. Peter cannot get a word in as Spider-Man keeps attacking.
Miles north of the city, Dr Ashley Kafka is showing some visitors around the asylum. Dr Judas Traveller and his entourage, who include Chakra, Boone, Mr. Nacht and Medea. All of whom have roles to play under Traveller’s instructions. According to Dr. Kafka and the world, Dr. Traveller is a very well respected criminal psychologist but really his agenda is to analyze the true nature of evil. “no one – not the writers, not the editors – seemed to know who or what the heck Judas Traveller was. He was seemingly this immensely powerful, quasi-mystical being with amazing abilities, but what was the real deal with him? …To be honest, a character like Traveller didn’t really fit into Spider-Man’s world.” As such, Traveller’s role would remain a mystery to readers for a while, as writers dropped him in and out of the clone saga. Traveller is a creature who has walked the planet for ages, seeking the true meaning of evil and how it manifests within men. His memories are filled with past events which he witnessed and studied in order to understand the human soul. He eventually set his sights on studying Spider-Man, as he could not yet comprehend if Spider-Man was the cause of evil re-presenting itself in his enemies or a beacon of good that would stand against evil. Dr Kafka informs Judas that her staff have been instructed to share all operational details whilst they are there and Judas tells Kafka he will also share what information he learns. Mr Nacht takes out a pen and starts writing notes down, also asking guards questions on their procedures and such.
Spider-Man is still attacking Peter viciously and sends Peter into boxes smashing them, revealing the contents inside. (these glass cylinders) Spider-Man suddenly stops and realizes this fake didn’t set off his spider-sense. With a fist in the air, Spider-Man says to Peter “Why do you care about Aunt May? Who is she to you? Who….What…are you?” Peter reaches up and takes off Spider-Man’s mask saying “You may not believe what I say Spider-Man but you can’t deny what you see” As he says this, OUR Peter Parker looks behind his other and sees his distorted face staring back at him in the reflection of the glass cylinders. “I’m your clone.” the other Peter says. With tears pouring down his face and clenched angry teeth, Spider-Man manages to say “The Jackal’s pawn…?!” With Peter distracted, the clone kicks Peter away into a wall knocking him out. “That was a long time ago bro, and it looks like we’ve both made some changes since then but by the time you wake up, I’ll be long gone….again.”
Back at Ravencroft Dr. Kafka informs Traveller that he has free run over the asylum while he does his studies and if he needs her, she’ll be in her office. As she leaves, Judas turns to his crew and says “We have work to do. Ravencroft is everything I hoped and far, far more. The perfect location for our ultimate experiment” Traveller some how then walks THROUGH the wall towards the inmates and continues talking. The first prisoner’s room he walks past is The Chameleon’s. “First case, Dimitri Smerdyakov a.k.a The Chameleon. An inspired moment of self recognition for a man who was never more than a pale copy of his friends and a hollow reflection to his foes.” He walks through the wall again into Chameleon’s room. The Chameleon does not move. He still has his famous white face but his eyes are hollow and darkened, as is his mouth, truly looking like an alive mannequin. Judas kneels down and holds The Chameleon’s face in one of his hands and stares. Judas’s eyes turn a light red and with this, he can now read into The Chameleon, not just his mind….but his soul. “Sadly, there is little left in your shattered mind now…..except the echo of Spider-Man.” Judas leaves, feeling like he’s gotten what he’s needed and moves onto his next inmate…..Shriek. She sees him coming and batters the see through wall that houses her. She screams inaudible words and attacks at the air whilst always staring at Dr. Traveller. “Frances Louise Barrison, the aptly self titled Shriek” Judas stops at her cell and watches her insanely claw at the wall, trying to attack him. Swiftly and Godlike, Judas’s arm goes through her cell-wall and his hand lathes onto her face, covering her mouth, shocking Shriek. His eyes turn red again “A woman of screaming, primal pain and rage, drowned out…..only by Spider-Man” He throws her down and she cowers on the floor, with her head to her knees, as Judas walks through another wall – into the den of Carnage. “Quick question before I kill you, stranger” Carnage says, hanging upside down from his cell, covered in all his symbiotic glory. “Who’s running the asylum these days?” “The name is Traveller, Carnage and I’ve been looking forward to this meeting for quite some time.” Traveller once again, enters the cell as if he was a human skeleton key. He stares, like before, into Carnage’s eyes and as Carnage hops down from the ceiling, he stares back and says “Hope this little staring’ match isn’t supposed to scare me? Everyone seems to think I’m just too crazy to know what’s good for me.” Judas extends his arm to Carnage’s face and the symbiote starts to peel away. “Perhaps, Cletus Kasady….but your symbiote is obviously not.” As Judas’s hand touches Cletus’ face, the symbiote completely separates itself from him, leaving Cletus in Judas’s hand. It’s been a very long time since Cletus has felt anything that could remotely be called fear but tonight….he feels it. “The insanity of Kasady, the power of the alien entity, together, they forge an evil so pure it can be tasted and he too, owes his downfall to Spider-Man.” Traveller then sends a telepathic command to his crew with the words “Spider-Man.” and they all take their places. Chakra sits in a chair and closes her eyes, allowing herself to manifest an astral projection. In another room, Mr Nacht tells Medea to put one of the guards out for the count, which she gladly obliges. He tells her “We’re locking down the house”. In yet another room, Edward Whelan, (who fans know as Vermin) is about to tell Dr. Kafka something when Traveller mysteriously walks through her wall and informs them that Ravencroft is now his. Edward stammers out “Where did you…” but before he could finish, Judas waves his arm towards Dr. Kafka and this green smoke engulfs her causing her to vanish.
Spider-Man wakes up all of a sudden thinking he’s in a fight, screaming “Nooo. I’ll never let you” but he doesn’t finish his sentence realizing he’s alone and the clone’s gotten away. He gathers his thoughts and wonders if the clone could possibly be who he said he was,. convinced he couldn’t be as he saw him perish years ago. Out of nowhere, Chakra’s astral projection appears, delivering a message, causing Spider-Man’s spider sense to go off. “Dr. Judas Traveller has a challenge for you. He has taken control of Ravencroft and he will kill it’s inmates unless you stop him. Of course, if you defeat him, the inmates will go free to menace the world.” She vanishes as quickly as she appeared, leaving Spider-Man with no time to wonder who she was but realizing it’s a no win situation but one that he’s got no choice but to face. He puts the thoughts of his clone away for now, whilst down below……the clone watches Spider-Man swing away. The clone knows that Spider-Man is in no condition to face trouble alone but wonders if he should go back and visit May or take up his web shooters again for the first time in five years.
Spider-Man arrives at Ravencroft and notices all the staff outside as well as this mysterious smokey looking energy completely covering the asylum. As he lands Dr. Kafka and Jameson Jnr run towards him alerting him of the situation inside. “We’ve got a serious hostage situation here.” Jameson says. Dr. Kafka looking incredibly bewildered also says to Spider-Man “H-He just teleported us all out, except for Edward and my patients….with a wave of his hand?! There’s been no response from inside since then…” Spider-Man interrupts her “Who teleported you out?” A look of shock takes over the Doctors face as she points and says “Him…Dr Judas Traveller!” Spider-Man turns, and sees who she’s pointing at. In the doorway, where only a moment ago was a closed door, now stands the Doctor. He starts to speak “Spider-Man I presume, I’ve heard so much about you.” Spider-Man’s spider sense goes ballistic and he says “You’ve got a rep too Doc, but not as a terrorist….” before Spider-Man can finish his sentence one of the NYPD yells “While he’s distracted” and starts to shoot. A plume of smoke engulfs Traveller and then disappears. When all the smoke is clear, Judas is standing there, eyes white and a fist in the air. As he releases his fist, he shows the crowd the bullets in his hand “Really Officer, you must be more careful with live ammunition in the presence of so many innocents” and throws the bullets at the policeman’s feet “Now come Spider, I did this all for you and I intend to put every single one of the tortured souls inside out of their misery unless you stop me. However, if you, and they, do survive my gauntlet, the powerless wretches will then be released into the world at large” Spider-Man wonders as he walks inside “Am I nuts for even considering this no win challenge or something worse for hesitating?” Somehow Judas reads his mind and answers him “We shall all discover that together Spider, your ordeal truly begins now…” and the door slams shut behind them both.
The clone stands atop one of New York City’s buildings.
“Down below the city glitters in the night. After all these years, the place still delights him: So many people, so much noise, energy and activity. Home he thinks. It’s so good to be home. Dozens of faces crowd his memory, dozens of emotions crowd his heart and then his heart goes cold. These aren’t my memories…..They’re his. These feelings don’t belong to me….they belong to Peter Parker. I’m just a copy. A genetic forgery. A clone. So why does he feel a sudden urge to spin a web-line, take the leap and swing out….above the lights and traffic, shouting at the top of his lungs “I’m back and nothing’s ever taking me away from here again”? He lets the feeling pass, then shakes his head in disgust….reminding himself that he gave up hoping long ago…made peace with who he was….and who he wasn’t…..during the hard, lonely years of wandering. He’s back now for one reason and one reason alone: May Parker. Real memories or false, she’s the only link from Peter Parker’s life that he refuses to ignore….and she’s dying. He should be with her now, by her bedside at Forest Hills Hospital. Let the real Parker have the streets, the crowds, the lights, the life. He belongs to the shadows and he always will.”
At first it looks like Ravencroft is on fire, a conflagration that lights the night for miles around. As one gets closer it becomes clear that this is no fire but a cocoon of shimmering, impenetrable energy that has engulfed the main building, leaving the police and Ravencroft’s own security force unable to enter. Dr. Kafka still cannot understand why a world renowned psychologist and philosopher like Traveller is doing this but before she can give it anymore thought, she remembers Edward is still inside…
Traveller is now studying Edward and has grabbed his face to stare into his eyes “Don’t shudder so, Edward. You have nothing to fear from The Traveller.” Judas turns to Mr. Nacht and reminds him to take notes, he turns to Chakra and says “Do you see? The man is frozen in terror because he does not understand. Endless years I have dedicated to the study of human nature, specifically to man’s capacity for evil…and time and again I have seen the human potential to rise to spiritual greatness eroded, by simple….fear. It’s in the soil of fear that evil breeds and broods Edward, It’s in the soil of fear that the night monsters live, hungry and desperate to claw their way up…into the light.” Suddenly and without warning, whilst still in Traveller’s hands, Edward transforms to Vermin. Judas lets him go and Vermin arches, looking up. “Excellent” Mr. Nacht says “I have heard about this one, Traveller. A product of Baron Zemo’s experiments in psycho-genetic engineering.” Traveller nods “Indeed, this creature is what Edward Whelen always believed himself to be, worthless, degraded…vermin.” Vermin stars at Traveller and leaps at him “Huuungrrry.” Traveller doesn’t move. He raises an arm and says “Fall” then “Paralyzed.” Vermin suddenly drops to the floor, unable to move or speak. Mr Nacht asks Traveller if he can study Vermin now but Traveller says no. “For all the torment the world has heaped upon him, Whelen’s heart is pure. Heaven forgive me if I add to his suffering. Let one of is at least, know peace. There will, after all, be suffering beyond measure before this night is through” He looks at Chakra and asks her to teleport Edward outside. She does so, and Edward, not Vermin, appears outside, confused as to how he got there.
Spider-Man wanders inside the asylum.
“Many would consider this asylum for mentally unbalanced super beings one of the most dangerous places on Earth. Here, within these walls, are twisted minds, mutilated hearts, dead souls. Madness hangs in the air, so thick it’s palpable; The shadows seethe with unknown dangers…but the masked adventurer finds even this place preferable to Parker’s world. Parker’s pain. Better to risk his life as The Spider, than live one more moment as the man. When the woman called Chakra appeared to him, she told Spider-Man that, if he didn’t come here, walk Judas Traveller’s gauntlet, all of Ravencroft’s inmates would be killed. There are many who would have replied “Fine, Let them die. The world will be a better place without them.” But Spider-Man has witnessed Doctor Kafka’s heroic struggles to restore sanity to broken psyches…seen the miracles simple human compassion can bring about….and he can’t let her work be so cavalierly destroyed. Or at least that’s how Parker would have rationalized being here. The Spider knows there’s more to it than that. Didn’t Chakra also say that, if Spider-Man succeeds in saving these dangerous lunatics…Traveller would set them loose in the world? And doesn’t that make this a no win situation….as utterly hopeless………as his own life?” He comes to the cell of The Chameleon.
“And there’s the man responsible for his hopelessness. Dmitri Smerdyakov. The Chameleon. Creator of the simulacra that masqueraded as Peter Parker’s parents. At first The Spider wants to pound on the reinforced glass, break into the cell, finish the job the weakling Parker didn’t have the stomach for. Wring the life out of him. But then he hears the man’s pathetic whimpering. Watches as Smerdyakov shifts from face to face, identity to identity, desperately seeking a self that no longer exists….and he realizes that the job has already been done. For a moment, as he stands there, he feels his own sense of self slipping away. Sucked uncontrollably into the whirlpool of The Chameleon’s dementia. He thinks of the duplicate of himself he encountered earlier this evening, the one claiming to be the clone he’d thought long dead….and feels a paralyzing terror of the thought of that nonhuman thing somehow stealing his identity, leaving him as much a faceless man as Smerdyakov. The unbearable thought fades quickly when the light in The Chameleon’s cell suddenly winks out….and another cell illuminates behind Spider-Man.
Carnage.
No parameters on this one’s madness. No straitjacket can hold it. No cell can contain it. No psychiatrist can explain it. Cletus Kasady’s mind is dark chaos….oozing out like nuclear waste, poisoning everything around it. The light fades in Carnage’s cell, plunging the Ravencroft corridors into darkness…..leaving Spider-Man alone with his own fevered thoughts. Agitated, afraid, he stands in the shadows, uncertain of what to do, where to turn. The Spider’s mask was supposed to be his protection…his safety net. But now, it seems his safety net is gone. A thousand thoughts crawl, like insects through his mind. A thousand feelings spin like intricate unbreakable webs. He tries to shut them out, pushing them away but the overwhelming insanity of this place…continues to seep through his every pore.
Judas Traveller is actually the one who is inside Spider-Man’s mind…sifting through his thoughts and feelings, causing Spider-Man to have muttered thoughts he can’t quite process. Behind the shadows……another man watches. Skin like chalk and wearing only a black cloak. A man…….named Scrier.
“I know you’re there !!” Spider-Man screams down the hallway. “Why won’t you leave me alone? Stop laughing at me. Stop hiding !!! SHOW YOURSELF !!!” Suddenly a blinding light appears in front of him and he has to block the sudden shine. “Who are you?? What do you want from me? Why are you doing this?? Why won’t you leave me alo..” Dr. Judas Traveller magically appears in front of him but inside a mirror and with his back to him. Traveller’s arm smashes through the glass and grabs Spider-Man by the throat. “Why struggle? I’ve been dancing through your consciousness for hours. Do you think you can force me out now? All through this institution are minds obsessed with you Spider-Man. Your name runs like a mantra through their twisted psyches. They strain, futilely, to understand you…but their very madness prevents them from ever doing it. I want to understand you as well….and I will. By pushing aside the final veils of consciousness and moving in…to the parts, of your soul so deep, so shadowed…that you yourself are unaware of the truths that reside…” Traveller stops mid sentence, shocked as to what he’s just discovered in Spider-Man’s mind “…there…??” he finishes and starts to laugh out loud. Spider-Man still being held by the throat screams “STOP” and kicks Judas in the face with both feet. “You can’t do this to me. You don’t have the right. I’m…I’m not some joke. I’m not some laboratory experiment. I’M A MAN” Judas lets him go and Spider-Man punches him in the face….Traveller doesn’t move…..the punch didn’t even seem to be felt. He tries again and still Judas doesn’t move. Spider-Man punches him over and over again until finally Traveller says “That you are. An utterly broken man.”
“He knows that Traveller is right. Broken, not by this night’s events…..but by a lifetime. How long, he thinks, can he go on fighting? And for what? Some imagined ideal? Some moral line in the sand? Better to withdraw into nothingness like Smerdyakov….than live in this cruel and heartless world Better to embrace the chaos like Kasady….than try to uphold an illusory order. In a world like this, he concludes (as his will dissolves, his very self implodes) Madness…..is the only……sane…..response. Spider-Man drops to his knees and screams
Scrier merges from the shadows and speaks to Traveller “So, he was not what you expected. What now Judas? The inmates die…as you promised?” They walk away leaving Spider-Man on his knees, banging the ground. “Soon perhaps….but not just yet. Our little experiment….isn’t quite over.” Traveller waves his hand and the corridor door closes. “You see, Scrier, my old and dear friend….When I looked into his mind, I discovered….that there’s…..another one.”
The clone sits at May’s bedside, slowly falling asleep when his spider sense starts blaring. He wakes to attention and sees a woman, intangible, floating in front of him. She says “I am Chakra and I bring you a message….a choice….from The Traveller.” The clone starts to question her but is interupted by her “Say nothing. Ask nothing. Just listen…and consider. Your double, your rival….will die, by my masters hand, within the hour. Or…..come with me to Ravencroft….and risk your own life…..to save the one man in all the world…..whose death….would set you free.” Amazing Spider-Man #394 ends with Spider-Man back at the asylum……captured with his hands behind his back in high tech handcuffs.
To be continued….
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