Send in the clones

Back in the ‘90s, the disastrous “Clone Saga” turned off many a Spider-Man fan when Marvel tried to convince readers that the Peter Parker whose adventures they had been following for years wasn’t the real Spider-Man.

Now Brian Bendis is offering his twist on the old storyline with a new “Clone Saga” in “Ultimate Spider-Man.” The saga continues in this week’s “Ultimate Spider-Man” No. 98. And so far I’m digging it. After a few story arcs that left me cold (particularly the Mobius vampire one), this new “Clone Saga” is delivering a signficant jolt to the book. This week’s issue has some great interaction between a frantic Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four, and the curtain is being pulled on what appears to be not one clone, but a bunch.