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.

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Miles Morales doesn’t usually have a lot of inner narration, but this issue is chock full of it, and it definitely makes for a more engaging story. Not a lot happens plot-wise, and Miles being lost in the fields of Wisconsin is fixed rather easily, but it’s still a very fun and fulfilling story. It’s fun to read Miles working out his problems in his head. He’s a smart kid with a strong personality, and his inner commentary elevated a somewhat simple story. Throw in a few emotional moments with Spider-Woman and Miles’ parents and you’ve got a real winner.

Ultimate Spider-Man #18

When ‘Divided We Fall/United We Stand’ started, I didn’t think Brian Michael Bendis had any interest in crossing over. But now that the story is finally done, I’m happy with what Bendis did to help flesh out Miles and his family.

Comic rating: 5/5: Great.

Ultimate Spider-Woman has always been a very fascinating character, and I wish I was reading Ultimates so that I could see more of her in action. She’s a great foil for Miles Morales, and their scenes together in this issue – especially in light of her attitude last issue – were fantastic. We, the reader, know exactly why Jessica Drew is so awkward around Miles Morales, but he’s clueless, and it leads to a really nice scene between the two. Likewise, Miles’ parents get a standout scene as Jefferson fills us in on what happened with the HYDRA terrorists. I was definitely surprised by the reveal, and I’m excited to see what it does for his character. I’ve always felt Bendis has been a little lacking when it comes to Miles’ relationship with his parents and how they impact his life. I hope this is the start of some good stories.

And it’s Miles Morales himself who carries the comic, with a running internal commentary like Peter Parker used to do. Miles is definitely a different person than Peter, but he’s still got that desire to be heroic, and that’s always relatable. I also like that Miles isn’t quip-a-minute, but still kind of funny.  And Bendis finds a lot of humor and cool action in Miles’ fight this issue – with artist David Marquez drawing the hell out of this issue! The art is absolutely perfect, making for an even better comic.

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I criticized the last issue for having a generic fight scene, one that I thought had little to do with the conflict as a whole, and with Miles Morales in particular. Brian Michael Bendis must have read my review, because not only does this new fight actually feel like it matters for Miles, but Bendis gives Miles’ mom and dad some real drama of their own. We also finally learn his mom’s name! But it just raises more questions, like why Miles’ mom and dad have different last names, and why Miles’ took his mom’s name. What’s up with that?

But that’s just me getting off on a tangent. The real story is in Miles going to war!

Comic rating: 4/5: Good!

For reals, this is Miles on the front lines of an epic superhero battle! They try to make it out to be a war, because mostly it involves armed soldiers, but this is definitely a superhero battle. An epic, bombastic superhero brawl! For the most part. I’m sure if I was reading the rest of ‘United We Stand’ it would seem even cooler, but I’m not. So instead, I’m just focused on how it effects Miles Morales and what it means for his story. I’m happy to say that it means a lot. There’s still a sense of Miles feeling in over his head, along with having the same sort of luck he usually has in fights. But there’s also a sense that he’s learning from this, growing from it. And the cliffhanger should prove to be excellent for Miles’ development going forward, which I’m always excited about.

And like I said before, there are some great developments for Miles’ parents. I don’ t think  Bendis has explored these characters as much as he could or should. Miles’ parents still being alive (and not being a dithering old bitty like Aunt May) is a huge difference between Miles Morales and Peter Parker. But Bendis had Miles shipped off to a private boarding school rather than explore his parents. Perhaps some of the events in this issue will change things for the better.

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The classic Bendis ‘talking heads’ issue is back, and it is glorious! Though I kind of wish there were more characters and their relationships were a little better defined so that the issue could be even better…but this is still good comics. Writer Brian Michael Bendis is renowned for his skill with dialogue. It’s what made the early issues of the original Ultimate Spider-Man so good. His characters were so rich, their scenes together so much fun, that the book couldn’t help but be a hit. Well in this new issue. Bendis slows things down and gives new protagonist Miles Morales a chance to just hang out with his friends and family and be himself.

Ultimate Spider-Man #15

And if they had something a little more substantial to talk about, this issue would be perfect.

Comic rating: 4/5: Good!

Here is another example of me wishing I used decimals or fractions. The writing in this issue is top notch as Miles, his best friend Ganke, and his parents react and respond to the various big events that have occurred over the past few issues. His parents have to deal with the police investigation into Uncle Aaron’s death, and Ganke gets to geek out over Miles’ new web-shooters. This is top notch stuff and very entertaining. But there’s also a…shallowness to it. Several school officials appear, but we don’t know their names, so they don’t really matter. We finally learn Miles’ father’s name, which goes to show you how deep a character he is. And we get to meet Ultimate Maria Hill! But all of it remains kind of skin deep, I’m afraid.

At least the ending is pretty awesome. Though I still contend that this series would be much better without the need to squeeze the ‘Divided We Fall/United We Stand’ nonsense into the book. Did you guys here that Ultimate Captain America is going to become President? I love when the mainstream media reports on these events from the Ultimate Universe, because I have a hard time imagining a non-comics fan trying to distinguish between the Ultimate characters and the ‘real’ characters.

Either way, join me after the jump for a full synopsis and more review!

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Yep, Brian Michael Bendis wants absolutely nothing to do with the ‘Divided We Fall’ crossover taking place in the rest of the Ultimate Universe. The crossover banner may be emblazoned on the cover, there may be a map in the beginning of the comic detailing the current chaotic state of the country, but you wouldn’t have any idea what the heck is going on based on this issue of Ultimate Spider-Man. This is entirely self-contained. Honestly, reading Ultimate Spider-Man #14, it’s as if nothing has changed anywhere else in the Ultimate Universe.

Ultimate Spider-Man #14

And I am perfectly fine with that! To hell with the rest of the Ultimate Universe and its stupid crossover!

Comic rating: 4/5: Good!

Apparently Captain America went into hiding in the wake of Peter Parker’s death. You wouldn’t know it based on this comic. Cap is a major guest star this issue, but there’s no indication that he left or that his return is a big deal. He’s written exactly as he would have been written had he not taken a major sabbatical. And better yet, Aunt May, Gwen Stacy and Mary Jane Watson are all written the same too. Nobody seems to know or care that the United States doesn’t exist anymore, and that’s great! As long as Miles Morales’ fantastic story isn’t disrupted due to the rest of that crap, I couldn’t be happier. Bendis is writing good comics here. The origin and early adventures of Miles Morales are going to be important for a long time. ‘Divided We Fall’ isn’t even flavor of the month. Nobody’s talking about it. Nobody cares. It’s a dying gasp from a past-its-prime universe.

Give me more of this issue, where Miles finally has a real heart-to-heart with Peter Parker’s supporting cast. Give me dialogue and characterization like this. I’ll take the story of Miles’ first attempt at web-swinging over some dumb, overblown crossover any day of the week.

Join me after the jump for a full synopsis and more review! And Miles’ first web-swinging!

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