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Review: Ultimate Comics: All-New Spider-Man #21
Here comes one of those talking heads issues that I love so much! And it’s pretty good, though more than a little weird. Miles and Ganke spend some quality time with Mary Jane Watson and Gwen Stacy talking about Venom. Personally, I would have liked a more sociable conversation, but we’re kind of in the middle of Venom War, so it makes sense that the big, black gooey guy is the focus of the conversation. Though Bendis makes the unfortunate misstep of bringing up that whole Gwen Stacy/Carnage fiasco. I thought we’d all silently agreed to put it behind us and never mention it again.
Ultimate Spider-Man #21
Oh well, it’s still an entertaining comic, even if it’s really just a refresher course in Ultimate Venom. We haven’t seen the character in years.
Comic Rating: 4/5: Good.
We don’t learn anything new about Venom or why he’s going after Spider-Man or his dad. It’s clear that Venom knows Peter Parker isn’t Spider-Man anymore, so what reason might Venom have for going after Miles? Gwen and MJ take a pretty huge leap in logic to suggest a reason, and I can’t say how well it flies. I think Bendis could have come up with something stronger. But at least I like the idea of MJ and Gwen becoming helpers for Miles. Plus I like the vibe between them and Ganke. It would be pretty cool if Ganke, MJ and Gwen became Miles’ support staff for his Spider-Man adventures. If only Miles and Ganke weren’t so young. I think a Gwen/Ganke romance would be pretty awesome/hilarious.
Still, just having MJ and Gwen show up really twists the knife of Peter Parker’s death a little bit more. Man, that guy died far too young. It’s horribly tragic. But it’s OK. Miles is still awesome.
Join me after the jump for a full synopsis and more review!
Review: Ultimate Comics: All-New Spider-Man #20
I’ve always been a big fan of Venom. Even when the character was over-exposed in the 90s, I still loved him. Heck, I even like Topher Grace’s Venom from Spider-Man 3. He’s just a cool character and a cool concept, where the super-character’s costume itself is the super-power. Plus he’s big, he’s colored black and he’s a pretty badass level of ruthless. So Venom has always been cool. And when Brian Michael Bendis introduced Venom into the Ultimate Universe, he made him even cooler. So it’s exciting to see Venom come back, though it looks like he might be a new character.
Ultimate Spider-Man #20
Miles faces off against Venom with his father caught in the middle. That is some absolutely perfect drama for Ultimate Spider-Man.
Comic Rating: 5/5: Great.
This issue has it all! Action, adventure, comedy and desperately high stakes. There’s absolutely no guarantee that Miles’ father is safe. Peter Parker’s whole career started with the death of his Uncle Ben. Just because Jefferson has survived this long does not mean he’s going to stick around forever. So when Jefferson involves himself in the fight against Venom, it’s bad news for everybody. But good news for us, because this story has real power behind it. Not to mention it’s incredibly entertaining. The fight is one of the best Miles has been in, with Venom more than a match for this novice hero.
The dialogue is especially great. Miles remains funny in his own special way. He’s not the quip-a-minute Peter Parker, but he’s still quite humorous. And Venom is fantastic. He’s not a mindless monster, no matter how he looks, and his deadpan lines are especially cool. All of the characters are fantastic in this issue, and with the action and drama attached, it’s a great chapter of Ultimate Spider-Man.
Join me after the jump for a full synopsis and more review!
Review: Ultimate Comics: All-New Spider-Man #19
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!
Review: Ultimate Comics: All-New Spider-Man #18
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.
Join me after the jump for a full synopsis and more review.
Review: Ultimate Comics: All-New Spider-Man #17
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.
Join me after the jump for a full synopsis and more review!
