"Spider-Man: Reign"

Over the weekend, I bought and read the hardcover collection of “Spider-Man: Reign.” I had read the first issue back when the four-part miniseries came out, but never got around to getting the other issues, so this was my first exposure to the whole story.

Written and drawn by Kaare Andrews, it’s set in a dark, dismal future and features the return of an aged, retired Spider-Man. It owes more than a little debt to Frank Miller and his classic “The Dark Knight Returns,” which is set in a dark, dismal future and features the return of an aged, retired Batman. Which I don’t think Andrews would deny: He even pays homage by naming a character Miller Jansen (Miller and inker Klaus Jansen.)

So the story isn’t the most original, but there are enough twists that it’s still worth a read. And the distinctive (if at times a bit confusing) art is definitely worth a gander, too.