Yost and Stegman have managed to convince me, as a diehard Ben Reilly fan, that someone else could take the mantle of the Scarlet Spider. Many of us may miss Reilly's character but there's no need to dwell on that with this title. This is about Kaine working his way to redeeming himself and (possibly) becoming a hero. We have a new location away from Spider-Man (and the rest of the Marvel Universe heroes). Stegman makes sure to set the tone in creating a new 'world' which gives the series a great start. Kaine is a clone of Spider-Man but this book is not a clone of THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN. There are new characters along with the new location and seeing how Kaine adapts to everything is going to be part of the fun. SCARLET SPIDER is well on its way to becoming one of the first hits of 2012. Read Full Review

The issue is fresh in the manner that Marvel heroes haven't set foot here before, nor has there been a hero quite like Kaine. This is new territory and it's a lot of fun reading the trail being blazed. Read Full Review

Honestly, if you told me that I would be this excited about anything to do with "The Clone Saga," or Kaine, or the Scarlet Spider, or any of that nonsense even yesterday, I probably would have punched you in the face for impugning my character. But now, I can't imagine it any other way. Don't be afraid of the connotations inherent in this type of spinoff, or the history of this character. This is a rare feat truly deserving of a first issue with as much hype as this one's had: a fresh start, both for Kaine, and for readers who are weary and wary of clones, hoodies, anti-heroes, and the rest of the things you'd expect in this title. Scarlet Spider was poetry in motion, and I'm not afraid to say I loved it. Read Full Review

Scarlet Spider gets off to a strong start. It definitely has some kinks to work out, but both the premise and the character work extremely well together as a worthy and unique addition to the Spider-Man franchise. All the book really needs is for Yost to make sure to lean more toward anti-hero than hero with Kaine and an artist with a style more suited to its darker and more violent tone. There is a lot of potential here for Scarlet Spider to have its own unique presence in the Marvel Universe, and I have little doubt that Yost, one of the writers of X-Force, will be able to pull it off. Read Full Review

In the end this book met all the expectations I had, set a pretty solid foundation and definitely left me salivating to see the next issue. Bring on the Scarlet Spider! Read Full Review

Writer Christopher Yost (Red Robin : The Grail) does a good job reintroducing Kaine as a potential hero to old and new readers, while penciller Ryan Stegmans (Fear Itself : Dracula) illustrations are very good and vivid. The verdicts still out on whether or not Ill continue collecting this series, but this first issue is a step in the right direction. From Marvel Comics. Read Full Review

If you read our preview of Scarlet Spider #4, then you know already that the Assassins Guild is coming to town to have a nice big party with Kaine and his new found friends. I am very excited to see where this goes and what crazy over-the-top twists the Guild throws at Kaine, Will he defeat themor will Kaine be the one laying on the pavement in his own blood? This is a great read butI do not suggest it to new readers unless you get a little back story. Overall, I was impressed. I give this an 8/10. Read Full Review

Not a bad first issue at all and I'm intrigued to see what happens next month. Read Full Review

The world doesn't exactly need another Spider-Man book at this point. But if Scarlet Spider must exist, at least it manages to offer something a bit more unique and enjoyable than your run-of-the-mill Spidey spinoff. Read Full Review

My only concern is how I'll feel beyond this first arc. Is the book work an extra $3 or $4 a month when I've already got a runaway, and seemingly uncontrollable, comic book budget? That's yet to be seen. For now, they've got that extra cash from me, let's see where this goes from here. Read Full Review

This version of the character, finally free but weighed down by his past, may make for an interesting story (even if it is Kaine). Based on this first issue I'm definitely going to give it a shot…but I'll admit I still miss the hoodie. Worth a look. Read Full Review

The Scarlet Spider did not succeed in that. Read Full Review

It's true that there's a lot here to like, and certainly the book is far from being a duplicate of "Amazing Spider-Man" purely because the lead and setting are both so different, but it's unequivocally not the book Scarlet Spider fans will have been hoping for. The scorched earth approach (virtually everything but the name) worked for Rick Remender on "Venom" not that long ago. Only time will tell whether Yost and Co. can make that strategy succeed a second time. Read Full Review

I hope Yost takes this opportunity and creates a darker character going forward. There is a lot of promise here: he doesn't have to rehash Ben Reilly -- this is Kaine's Scarlet Spider and it should feel a such. He needs to be brutal -- not unnecessarily so -- but this is a character who has been a villain for years and he needs to act like it. Redemption doesn't come over night, it is earned. Yost has me interested, if he can deliver on the promise of the character then this could be an exciting book, or it could become a ripoff of the current Venom book. I hope it becomes its own art. I loved Reilly as Scarlet Spider and it could really take off with Kaine under the mask. Here's hoping Yost delivers. Read Full Review

I. LOVE. KAINE. PARKER. and this issue and what it sets up is the reason why.

really did a good job getting inside the head of the broody and '3DGY' spider''man, seriously, Yost may be no Alan Moore, but he really should be praised a lot more