The first story of the issue focused on Kaine, who is dying of cell degeneration in Prison. Kaine in Echoes was written by J.M. DeMatteis and drawn by Val Sameiks. The story takes place in Kaine's mind, as Ben Reilly, the Jackal, and eventually Peter come to him and provide insight. Ben wears the traditional Spider-Man costume, and his hair is as long as it was in the 90's before he dyed and cut it. In Kaine's mind, Ben is killed by the Jackal, who punches through his chest. Ben then procedes to melt, as opposed to turning to dust. Peter encourages Kaine to fight and live his own life free of the Jackal's mind games, as Ben did. Kaine is inspired and fights the Clone Degeneration. He is then taken back his cell where he decides to wait . Kaine's girlfriend Louise Kennedy from the Lost Years mini-series also makes a cameo.

October 9th, 2009 - Here are a few very negative, albeit hilarious views of the Clone Saga and Spider-Man stories in general. I think this is how a lot of people remember the Clone Saga:

The 13 Dumbest Spider-man Stories...Just from the Clone Saga

The 12 Dumbest Spider-Man Stories Ever (Besides the Clone Saga)

October 9th, 2009 - In case you missed Amazing Spider-Man 608, here is a summary.

Then.
Ben Reilly applies for a lab assistant position with Doctor Damon Ryder.

Now.
Spider-Man chases Screwball along the rooftops. Screwball tells Spidey that she isn't a villain, she's a performance artist. As Spidey nabs her, she tosses the ten million dollars worth of bonds that she's stolen off the roof, causing Spidey to let her go so he can reclaim the stolen property.

The Offices of Front Line.
Peter is unsuccessful in selling the pics from the Screwball fight to Ben Ulrich, since they're already been broadcast on the web. As Peter talks to Ben, Norah directs a newcomer to Pete's direction. Peter turns around to be greeted by Damon Ryder, otherwise known as Raptor. Peter tries to correct the case of mistaken identity, but Damon wants nothing of it. A scuffle ensues, with the cops being called. Damon leaves, but not before leaving a gift in the form of a Portland newspaper article talking about the arson with a sketch drawing of Ben Reilly as the main suspect. Peter is unable to pursue Damon, since he is roadblocked by Ben Ulrich, who wants some answers.

Then.
Dr. Damon Ryder quizzes his lab assistant Ben Reilly about his past. Ben dodges the question, since his past is quite complicated. He does, however, accept an invitation to dinner with Damon's family. There, Ben is queried by Damon's wife about just what they do in that lab all day. It seems our lab nerds suspect that dinosaurs evolved into humans and aim to prove it.

Damon and Ben talk after dinner, and Damon reveals that they've finally managed to do it. He shows the compiled data and tells Ben that they're growing, at that very moment, the first human/dino hybrid.

Interlude: Morocco
Now.
Jolly J Jonah Jameson Sr. wants to take May on a trip around the globe. She'd rather take a detour back home to check in on things, as she misses Peter and the house. (plus, we'll never be able to drag her into this Ben Reilly mess if she's in Antarctica)

Meanwhile, Spidey swings through the city in pursuit of Raptor, who Peter was able to tag with one of his tracers. Unfortunately, Damon has shed his jacket at his hideout, leaving Spidey with no clue on where Damon is currently located.

Luckily, we readers know, as he knocks on the apartment door of one Peter Parker. Michelle answers the door, and Damon greets her, showing he knows her name and that she is Peter's girlfriend (though she corrects him on that one). He says he's an old friend of Peter's and she lets him inside.

Then.
Ben isn't too happy with Damon. He was looking over the data, only to discover that the reason they've been able to crack the human/dino hybrid thing is because Damon has inserted the recombinant DNA into an already living test subject: one Dr. Damon Ryder.

Now.
Spidey wonders how he's going to track down his new foe. He's got a grudge with Peter Parker, who he thinks is Ben Reilly. A glimpse in Peter's apartment shows Damon about to attack an unsuspecting Michelle. However, before we can worry about that, Spidey is grabbed by none other than Kaine.

Also, here is a preview for Web of Spider-Man 1. Enjoy.

October 4th, 2009 - Here is a preview of Amazing Spider-Man 608, the first issue of the "Who Was Ben Reilly?" arc.

October 1st, 2009 - In honor of the Clone Saga release I have added some advertisements and articles from the Clone Saga days to the thumbnails gallery. Be sure to check those out. Any of you have any scans of Clone Saga era art or ads, please send em to us!

Also, there is another great interview with J.M. DeMatteis here. Allow me to post the highlight of the interview:

You've mentioned "redemption" a couple of times regarding Kaine, so I have to ask, do you think the Clone Saga itself can be redeemed? There were so many good stories within those 3 years; do you think Marvel can gradually work them back into active Spider-Man continuity, separating the wheat from the chaff so to speak? If they wanted to collect the Clone Saga in trade paperbacks today, they could probably do selective collections of just the important story arcs, and even if they skipped a lot of the stuff in-between, new readers would still be able to follow the story pretty easily, I would think.

I know I'd love to see the short background stories I did about Ben Reilly's early days (some were illustrated by Liam Sharp, others by John Romita, Jr) collected together with the "Lost Years" mini-series and "Redemption." I think they'd make a fantastic collection that would help new readers understand what was so wonderful about the characters of Reilly and Kaine. They're strong stories that stand on their own.

And the idea of hitting the high points of the Clone Saga in either a series of tpbs or one massive collection is a great one. I'd love to see that.

Clearly, Marvel's not ignoring the Clone Saga any more. I think they can see that there were some wonderful stories during that era. If they ignore the confusing crap and concentrate on the strong characters and concepts at the heart of the CS, they can easily fuse that era with the current continuity. (I, for one, would love to see Ben Reilly back. I'd jump at the chance to write a current-day Ben story. Or even return to those lost years.)

Boo yeah! - BRT

September 30th, 2009 - Want to know what happens in Clone Saga #1? Read on.

The forward discusses what has been happening with Peter lately, including Harry's death, the return of his parents... and their re-dying, and finally May's failing health.  DeFalco talks about the Clone Saga going on way too long, causing what could have been a great story to become so controversial.

The story starts with Spider-Man swinging to the hospital, musing about his luck and rollercoaster of a life. Aunt May had collapsed while she was on the phone with a man named "Benjamin," and Mary Jane had her rushed to the hospital.  Meanwhile, we see Ben leaving a Diner from which he has just quit; with his co-workers wondering why such a great employee would up and leave after a phone call. Ben jumps on his motorcycle and we see his Midtown High Graduation Ring which was so prominent during the original Clone Saga.

Peter and MJ talk with a doctor about May's condition, and the doctor mentions that they have ruled out any health problems a woman her age might have. MJ excuses herself to the washroom and throws up.  When she is done, Peter isn't in a mood to sit around and says he needs to go stretch his muscles. MJ agrees and says she'll get a cab home, but instead goes to see a doctor about her nausea and vomiting.

While on patrol, Spider-Man's spider-sense is triggered, and we see Kaine is stalking him from the shadows.  Ben arrives at the hospital, his face not yet shown, and goes to see Aunt May. A nurse comes in while he is there, and notices Spider-Man out the window. Ben bolts so that there is no confrontation, only to run into Peter on the roof. Peter is immediately upset over seeing a man who looks like him, after his experience with his parents' return from the dead. Ben tries to reason with Peter, explaining that he is the clone Peter fought years ago, and that he has been alive all of this time in exile. Peter still tries to fight him until a car is thrown at them both.

The car misses but falls off the edge of the building, Peter springs to action making sure no one is hurt on the ground, but he can't handle the weight of the webbed car himself. Ben pulls on his Spider-Man mask and says he'll clear the street below. Peter thinks to himself that Ben had the perfect opportunity to attack him while he was distracted holding the car. The car falls and Ben saves a lady who does not get out of the way in time. Kaine is surprised that Peter and Ben put aside their differences so quickly and worked together.

Meanwhile, the doctor tells MJ he has figured out why she is nauseous and vomiting-- he says that congratulations are in order.

Next, Peter and Ben are attacked by green globules (bio-bombs) which stick to them and begin to cover them completely. Ben rolls to a nearby fire caused by the thrown car, and the green globs dissipate. Ben then grabs Peter who is now totally covered, after a  water tower is thrown at them both, and tells him he knows how to get the green stuff off of him. Ben takes Peter to the Smokestack where Peter dropped him, thinking he was dead, 5 years ago.  Peter says this must have been Ben's plan all along, and even Ben thinks to himself how easy it would be for him to reclaim his life back, but then jumps into the smokestack with Peter.  The two emerge as Kaine watches from afar, reporting that the two men worked well together, "exactly as you had predicted."

We see a man covered in shadows, watching everything on multiple video screens who replies, "Of course! No one knows his Spider-Men better than I."