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Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 11/1/14
Happy Day-After-Halloween, henchies! Or better yet, Happy All Saints Day! I wonder if anybody in the world actually celebrates All Saints Day. I know I had to Google it to remember what November 1 was actually called. No worries if you don’t celebrate, but hopefully you have plenty of candy to tide you over.
This week was very light on new comics because it’s a Fifth Wednesday week. Comic publishers usually only plan for 4 Wednesdays a month, so when a fifth week comes along, they usually throw out some minor comics. DC put out a couple of annuals that I didn’t bother to read. But I did pick up All-New X-Men and Batman Eternal.
The week’s crowning jewel, however, is the final issue of Brian Azzarello’s Wonder Woman! He’s been telling one ongoing, epic saga since the start of the New 52, and it all comes to an end with this issue, the Comic Book of the Week!
Meanwhile, Marvel put out the first issue of their new Deathlok series. I wrote a pretty thorough review at Word of the Nerd that you can check out.
Comic Reviews: All-New X-Men #33, Batman Eternal #30 and Wonder Woman #35.
Review: Miles Morales: The Ultimate Spider-Man #6
It’s issues like this where patience pays off! Brian Michael Bendis has been building to something good, and this is it! This is the battle, these are the confrontations, this is what we’ve been waiting for! Miles Morales vs. the Green Goblin! The truth about Peter Parker! Even more exciting stuff! The last issue was all about transitioning us into this stellar adventure, and I’m all the more glad for it. I’ve almost always been a fan of Bendis’ decompressed storytelling. I like that he takes the time to build a scene, or build up to a moment, because we get pay offs like this issue.
Ultimate Spider-Man #6
Ultimate Spider-Man #6 is one of the richest, most confident and exciting comics in Miles Morales’ short career.
Comic Rating: 10/10 – Fantastic!
Yep, a perfect score. I don’t do that very often, but if I don’t do it for an issue like this one, then what am I saving it for? Ultimate Spider-Man #6 has it all, and almost all of it is satisfyingly good. This is a big moment for Miles and for the series. Our young hero fully embraces his role. He stands tall as a true Spider-Man, and has more than a few great moments, while his predecessor looks on.
Speaking of Peter Parker…could this really be him? Before now, I was pretty sure this was just some storyline Bendis has been working on. Miles voices the obvious option: he’s a clone. But with this issue, Bendis provides a somewhat reasonable explanation for how Peter could be back from the dead. On top of that, what’s to stop Bendis from bringing Ultimate Peter Parker back from the dead? The latest Ultimate Universe relaunch failed spectacularly. Both All New Ultimates and whatever they called the Ultimate Fantastic Four have been cancelled. The Ultimate Universe is probably on its last legs, with only Ultimate Spider-Man really kicking along.
So why not bring Ultimate Peter Parker back from the dead? Why not give him, his family and this series a happy ending? Leave Miles as the one-true Ultimate Spider-Man and just shuffle a resurrected Peter off to the side. It makes about as much sense as any resurrection in comics. And the reason it hasn’t gotten a lot of attention is because nobody really cares about Ultimate Spider-Man anymore.
I think this twist would be pretty awesome. Because considering what Bendis does with Peter Parker and his family in this issue, it would be even more cruel if Peter was revealed to be a fake.
But hey, maybe Bendis is a cruel man.
Join me after the jump for the full synopsis and more review!
Review: Miles Morales: The Ultimate Spider-Man #5
Curse you, transition issues, you are the bane of my comic book reviewing existence! Writer Brian Michael Bendis delivers another stellar chapter in Miles Morales’ current superhero woes, but it’s the sort of chapter that takes us from Point A to Point B instead of delivering any really great story moments of its own! And those it does deliver are obvious cliffhangers! It’s so frustrating, but only because the comic is still oh so good!
Ultimate Spider-Man #5
Ultimate Spider-Man #5 is a perfect example of why some comics should be read in the trade! I don’t know if I can wait for the next issue! Exclamation!
Comic Rating: 8/10 – Very Good.
But I’m going to have to wait. I’m a big boy, I can suck it up and deal. Bendis and superstar artist David Marquez are at the top of their game here, telling a tightly packed, vivid story. I would probably even go out on a limb and say their Spider-Man comic is better than the regular Spider-Man comic. Ultimate Spider-Man is just so much more involved, so much more epic. Dan Slott might be dealing with classic Peter Parker and his big supporting cast, but Bendis is telling such a grounded, long-lasting saga here. These characters all have history, they have agency, and that just makes for a stronger story.
I only wish I wasn’t reading it one issue at a time, but that’s no one’s fault or choice but my own.
Join me after the jump for a full synopsis and more review!
Review: Miles Morales: The Ultimate Spider-Man #4
If I’m being honest with myself, I would have to admit that Miles Morales probably couldn’t defeat the Green Goblin 1-on-1. But how cool would it have been if Miles held his ground and somehow pulled out a win? Superheroes pull out the win all the time! That’s what I wanted from the latest issue of Ultimate Spider-Man. But writer Brian Michael Bendis clearly had other ideas in mind. So it’s an odd little dynamic. I want one thing. Bendis has other plans. And in the end, he wins, because I’m just the reader. That’s how this relationship works. Fortunately, Bendis and artist David Marquez still deliver one heck of an awesome battle.
Ultimate Spider-Man #4
Is there anything more exciting than Spider-Man fighting the Green Goblin? I suppose there are a few things out there, but Bendis really knows how to spin it.
Comic Rating: 8/10 – Very Good.
This review is pretty darn late, and I could have skipped it completely, but I haven’t missed an issue of Miles Morales yet…I don’t think. I’m chronicling his adventures for posterity! It’s like a personal quest. Maybe a self-fulfilling prophecy. Or I might be mixing everything up in my head. Whatever the case may be, we’ve got a new issue on our hands, and it’s actually pretty cool. Miles Morales vs. Green Goblin for the first time, on the very spot where Peter Parker was killed. This is a huge story, and Bendis fills it with hugeness. The fight is pretty darn good, and Marquez, as usually, draws the heck out of it.
But the focus doesn’t stay with Miles for long, and that disappoints me. Bendis has another big subplot he’s working on these days, and as much fun as it might be, it takes the focus away from Miles at a very crucial, pro-Miles moment. I won’t spoil it up here, but I will later in the synopsis. Suffice to say, Miles can handle the spotlight, and this could have been a hero making moment for him.
Join me after the jump for the full synopsis and more review!
Animated Miles Morales!
The world announced today that Donald Glover, from Community, was going to voice Miles Morales in the Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon – which means that Ultimate Spider-Man finally gets to appear in Ultimate Spider-Man! That’s good news and all, but I’m even more excited for animated Miles Morales! He’ll probably never show up on the big screen, but this is cool nonetheless.
Glover is pretty awesome in the role. I kind of want to watch Ultimate Spider-Man now.
And for anybody keeping track, I totally owe you guys a review of the last issue of Miles Morales: The Ultimate Spider-Man. I’ll get to it, I’ll get to it.
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