The Clones comes crashing down.
The Clone Conspiracy has failed to measure up to past Spider-Man crossovers like Spider-Island and Spider-Verse, but it's certainly had its moments. That's very much the case with the fifth and final issue. The Clone Conspiracy #5 isn't a wholly satisfying read. It ends abruptly and without a proper sense of closure. But at the same time, there are several key moments that truly take advantage of the fact that so many of Peter Parker's friends and enemies have returned to life.
As this final chapter opens, Jackal's New U experiment is crashing and burning much as it has on dozens of other worlds. The only question is whether Peter and Anna Maria can put their heads together and find a way to succeed where so many other Spider-Men failed. The result is a very action-oriented final chapter. On one hand, that's a good thing in that it makes use of Jim Cheung's vibrant, detailed art style. Every character, whether it's Spidey himself or the many decaying clones, is neatly rendered, and in general the issue has a very epic, cinematic quality to it.
On the other hand, the action-oriented approach doesn't leave writer Dan Slott enough room to dig into the character dynamics or give the story the closure it deserves. Above all, there's a disappointing lack of focus on the Peter Parker/Ben Reilly dynamic here, with Ben reverting to cartoonish supervillain as his plans crumble around him. This issue cuts off very abruptly without really addressing the fates of the majority of the resurrected characters. It's likely that Amazing Spider-Man #24 and The Clone Conspiracy Omega #1 will fill in some of those holes, but when has that ever been an excuse for an event comic? It also seems likely that Slott is being purposely vague so as to leave other creators room to dabble with these characters down the road. That's all fine and well for future stories, but it hinders the dramatic impact of The Clone Conspiracy itself.
But again, there are isolated character moments that stand out here. None more so than Gwen's defiant stand against a group of Goblin villains. That scene reads like well-deserved redemption for her inglorious death at Norman Osborn's hands. J. Jonah Jameson also features in a brief but intensely emotional scene (with Cheung's detailed facial work proving key). It's a shame so little of his story was featured in The Clone Conspiracy itself. And then there's Doc Ock, who picks up some of Peter's slack when it comes to wrangling with Ben Reilly. If The Clone Conspiracy accomplished nothing else, it proved how much room there is for Otto Octavius to grow even in the aftermath of Superior Spider-Man.
The Verdict
The Clone Conspiracy ends its short lifespan much as it lived - with great visuals and some big emotional moments, but also a lot of missed opportunity. In many ways, this mini-series simply wasn't big enough to tell the story it wanted. The final chapter isn't able to give The Clone Conspiracy the closure it needed.
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