When this issue came out on Wednesday, writer Brian Michael Bendis made a plea to reviewers on the Internet not to spoil the ending. And as much as I want to follow his wishes, the ending is the only thing in this issue worth talking about. Plus, it’s been a few days now, and I don’t think Bendis reads my blog (but if he does, ‘Hi!’). I’ll spoil it when we get to it, just know that the ending says a lot about Cataclysm, and not in any way that I like.

Cataclysm Spider-Man #2

Based on this issue, it looks like Cataclysm is probably changing whatever plans Bendis had for Miles Morales’ story. And that’s a damn shame.

Comic Rating: 7/10 – Good.

Of course, this is still a Bendis-penned Ultimate Spider-Man comic, so it’s still entertaining. But this issue is one big generic tie-in fest. Nobody in the world of Ultimate Spider-Man is going to stop Galactus, so this would be an opportunity to show Miles and his cast responding to the end of the world. It’s like that, in a way, but not in any sort of meaningful way. There’s nothing overly touching or very deep in the issue. It all just kind of happens.

Fortunately, the characters remain entertaining and worthwhile. We also get flashbacks to what they were all doing during the last Ultimate Universe catastrophe in Ultimatum, not that any of them were doing anything very interesting. But then was anybody doing anything interesting in Ultimatum?

As I’ve said before, Bendis’ Ultimate Spider-Man is just too good to be interrupted by a story like Cataclysm. This issue is my evidence why.

We open two years ago, during Ultimatum, when Magneto caused a tidal wave to sink New York City. At the time, Tandy Bowen (Dagger), and her mom were on the run from the devastation. Tandy wanted to stay and help people, but her mom, an anti-mutant bigot, said they needed to help themselves first and foremost.

In the present day, with Galactus threatening to devour the Earth, Tandy wants to help people. She has Cloak teleport them right up to Galactus, but what the heck are they supposed to do against the Devourer of Worlds?

At least they can look him in the eye

They teleport away before Galactus can de-atomize them, returning to the streets. Tandy still wants to help, so they go around helping citizens in need. Though Cloak notes that he can’t teleport enough of them to truly save everybody.

Elsewhere, Miles has joined up with the Ultimates to render aid to random people too. He and Spider-Woman go to a playground to help some kids, and one of them starts screaming for his daddy. Miles flashes back to Ultimatum, when he and his parents were stuck on the highway in a traffic jam trying to flee the city. Miles had to sit through one of his dad’s anti-mutant rants. His dad is also an anti-mutant bigot. Parents, amiright?

Elsewhere, Bombshell is strolling through Queens with her headphones on, so she has no idea what’s going on around her. An ex-boyfriend randomly finds her and tells her they need to run, but then he’s flattened by a car. Bombshell finally realizes the magnitude of what’s happening, then spots Spidey and the Ultimates swinging around. She suits up and goes to join them in saving the kids at the playground. While there, she stops some looters.

But sadly, not the Looter

Rather than sticking around to talk to Bombshell, Spidey offers to take the kid screaming for his father home. He swings through the city and drops the kid off, making quite the impression.

“Perhaps you have a father, Spider-Man. And your relationship is complicated with him?”

Sure enough, the dad’s words send Miles racing home to check on his own father. Because surely the guy is worried about his only son at the end of the world, right? And sure enough, Miles finds his dad shouting for him on the front stoop of their home. And here is the big moment, the surprise that Bendis wanted kept secret, and one I am both excited and fearful to see.

Miles reveals his secret to his father.

Come with me if you want to live

This moment is huge! Miles Morales’ entire life has been building up to this moment, and I am very, very excited to see what happens and what comes next. I know Bendis can pull it off.

But at the same time, there’s no way Bendis planned for this to happen during Cataclysm. Obviously he’s been building to this confrontation between Miles and his father since the beginning. It has been a key source of drama for both characters. But there is no way the plans for Cataclysm existed back when Miles and his father were first created. So what should be one of the defining moments of this character is suddenly rushed into the middle of this big event comic. Why is that? Is it because Miles’ dad isn’t going to survive? Is it because Miles will be permanently shuffled over to the regular Marvel Universe and miss the chance to have this important moment?

I’ve already written about how I absolutely don’t want Miles to shift over to the regular Marvel Universe. So if this is a sign that it might actually happen, I’m very disappointed. Still, next issue should be pretty awesome.

Everything in the comic other than that big, climactic moment, was generally alright. Miles rushing that kid home to be with his dad was kind of random, and seemed like a forced way to get Miles to rush home to his own father. Cloak and Dagger accomplished absolutely nothing. At least Bombshell got a good moment, but how much longer is she even going to be alive? I doubt she’s making the jump to the regular Marvel Universe. And the flashbacks to Ultimatum never added anything to the story or the characters. Miles and his family were stuck in traffic, for crying out loud.

If it wasn’t for that big moment at the end with Miles and his dad, and the general quality of a Bendis-penned issue of Ultimate Spider-Man, there just wouldn’t be anything to this comic. Though I’m definitely looking forward to the final issue and the confrontation with papa bear.