What a disappointing issue. Not that Ultimate Spider#19 is a bad book, it’s just that nothing happens. The big crossover is gone and we’re back to business at hand, but writer Brian Michael Bendis doesn’t do anything with this moment. Instead, we get a lot of teases of stuff that could be happening. This is the first part of a new Venom story, but the villain barely even appears until the final page. So really, this is just a dull comic promising us better stuff down the line.

Ultimate Spider-Man #19

Even the art of returning artist Sara Pichelli is lackluster, and actually bad in some places. She draws a weird J. Jonah Jameson.

Comic rating: 3/5: Alright.

Speaking of JJJ, he has a nice scene in this issue, but it’s not as powerful as I was hoping it might be. Towards the end of the Peter Parker series, Bendis was doing some amazing things with Jameson. I have always preferred the respectable newsman version of Jameson as opposed to the raving lunatic Jameson. Like in the first Spider-Man movie, when he refused to tell Green Goblin who sells him the pictures of Spider-Man. And that version of Jameson has always been around in the Ultimate Universe. Towards the end, Jameson had come over on Peter Parker’s side, knowing the truth about the young hero’s identity and doing everything in his power to help him. It was a great storyline…

…abruptly cut short when Peter was killed. So I’m hoping Bendis has some good plans for Jameson and Miles Morales. They’ll probably never share the same connection that Jameson and Peter did, but perhaps there could be some great stories to tell. The scene in this issue points towards something greater, but like everything else in the issue, it still only points towards something else. That’s what’s so weird about this issue. Everything is just a tease.

Join me after the jump for a full synopsis and more review!

I need to first point out that there was an Ultimate Spider-Man Point One issue released a few weeks ago. I read it and should have reviewed it at the time, but I was busy that week and never got around to it. Marvel’s Point One campaign is a series of extra issues to a lot of their popular comics. Generally unnecessary to the main series, but fun nonetheless. That Point One issue was all about newspaper reporter Betty Brant and how she thought she had uncovered the secret identity of the new Spider-Man. Except Betty thought it was Miles’ father due to his connection with the Prowler…despite the fact that the new Spider-Man is clearly not the size of an adult man.

Nevertheless, Betty tried to sell the story to Jameson and the Daily Bugle, but Jonah turned her down outright. He didn’t want to ruin the new Spider-Man out of respect for Peter Parker. Betty was furious, but she quickly started taking bids from every other news organization in the world for the rights to the story. Before she could make a deal, however, she was killed by Venom. Ouch.

This issue picks up with Miles swinging around New York City, trying to get the hang of web-slinging.

It’s never as easy as you think it will be

He runs out of webbing mid-swing and falls, managing to grab onto a light pole. But a ton of people on the street see him, and a video of his fall is uploaded online, much to Miles’ humiliation. Ganke asks him about it in class, but that just gets Ganke yelled at for playing on his phone in the middle of class. And the first tease of the issue comes along with another peek at the cutie with the colored hair who might probably eventually become Miles’ first girlfriend. But like her previous appearances, all she does is sit in the background and make googly eyes at our hero.

Be careful, Miles, women are nothing but trouble

I wish Bendis would hurry up and introduce her already.

We then cut to a quick scene where a lone figure enters the old, abandoned Osborn Industries buildings, smashes a few things and then walks out as the buildings crumble and explode behind him. That figure? Venom! And he’s looking especially spiky and fearsome these days.

Meanwhile, Ganke reveals his secret chemistry set to Miles where he plans to make more web fluid. Ganke has Peter Parker’s recipe and he thinks the two of them are smart enough to figure it out. But rather than the two of them actually making the webbing, we’re teased with simply the idea that they’re going to try. So there’s the second tease.

Web fluid or LEGO Death Star? Kids these days…

At the Daily Bugle, Homicide Detective Maria Hill has come to ask J. Jonah Jameson and Robbie about the death of Betty Brant. Robbie thinks they should wait for their lawyer, but Jameson insists on hleping in whatever way he can. He has nothing to hide, after all. Jameson recaps the Point One issue and how Betty offered him the new Spider-Man story. They also helpfully recap Betty’s character, how she was a career journalist who cared more for the work than for any people, and how sometimes she made the news rather than just report it.

Then Jameson has a rather meaningful moment as he explains why he didn’t want to run Betty’s story about he identity of the new Spider-Man. It’s cool, and a good Jameson scene, but Bendis has written better. And like I mentioned earlier, Pichelli draws a weird J. Jonah Jameson.

For once, J. Jonah Jameson loves Spider-Man

Jameson tells the detective that they will help in any way that they can. He’s only started sleeping peacefully again a year after Peter Parker was killed.

In Brooklyn, Miles Morales and his family are eating dinner. His father, Jefferson, ignores a phone call, but he can’t ignore the knocking at the front door. He looks through the peephole and sees that it’s a TV reporter. They force their way inside, camera and microphone in hand, and demanded to hear Jefferson’s side of the story after his attack on the HYDRA goons was captured on amateur video. They’re pushy and annoying, the worst sort of reporter stereotype. And being a reporter myself, I hate reporter stereotypes.

Jefferson pushes them out of his apartment because he has no interest in talking to them, even if the reporter keeps calling him a hero. When he pushes them out, they fall on the arriving Ganke, who has come to hang out with Miles. Jefferson just wants this to go away and he expects the 24-hour news cycle to pass him over soon enough. Miles’ mom explains to him what happened, and Miles gets very excited about the idea of his dad fighting HYDRA goons. His reaction is kind of weird, considering Miles fought them as well in a much bigger battle. Miles reacts the way a kid might react to learning that his father fought and defeated terrorists, but not how I would expect Spider-Man to react.

At any rate, Jefferson grabs his coat and heads outside to confront the news crew – who are once again fulfilling the worst of the stereotype by talking about how they’ll just use the footage of Jefferson shoving them out of his apartment. What jerks. Jefferson approaches them to ask how they found out where he lived. The young, blonde reporter keeps hedging around the answer, instead just trying to explain why they want his story. But Jefferson demands to know how they found him!

Then Venom sneaks up behind him.

How rude

So what dark connection might Jefferson share with Venom? And why was he so insistent that his address should have been unlisted? Clearly that man has a lot of secrets that have yet to be revealed.

But sadly, all this issue does is present us with teases for future developments. Miles’ girlfriend. Miles and Ganke making webbing. Jameson perhaps doing something to help Miles. Jefferson’s secrets. Venom. I was hoping for something a bit meatier storywise. But I’m sure this is all just set up for future issues. Spider-Man is no doubt about to battle with Venom, so that should be fun. And Bendis definitely has something new up his sleeve for Venom. I don’t know what he could possibly have in connection with Miles’ father, but perhaps Bendis will surprise us. I didn’t think Venom had anything to do with Osborn Industries either, and he sure wanted to see that building fall.

And what was up with Sara Pichelli’s art? Was it always this sketchy and awkward before? Perhaps I just got used to fill-in artist David Marquez, whose work was grand over the past few issues. I loved Pichelli in the beginning of this series, but now…I kind of want Marquez back. Or at least for Pichelli to stop drawing J. Jonah Jameson.

Oh God, kill it! Kill it with fire!