“Yeah, this looked so much easier watching it online.”
Creative Staff:
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Sara Pichelli
What They Say:
The Scorpion is in New York and the Big Apple is feeling the sting! What does Uncle Aaron have planned for Miles and his new powers?
The Review:
There are two main Marvel lines: the normal (also called 616 because it takes place on Earth number 616 in the multiverse) and the Ultimate line—an alternative universe that began in the 1990s as a means of ditching decades of continuity and providing a new platform to engage new readers. The Ultimate Universe has always had an “anything goes” policy and has been used by some amazing creators to tell stories that Marvel would never allow in the mainstream universe. One such story is the death of Peter Parker. Peter died fighting off a group of his most dangerous foes: Electro, the Vulture, Kraven the Hunter, The Sandman, and The Green Goblin. He died defending his home, but his death wasn’t the death of Spider-Man.
Enter Miles Morales, a grade-schooler about to embark on the opportunity of a lifetime when he was accepted into a New York charter school. He gets bitten by genetically-enhanced spider similar to the one that bit Peter, and develops spider powers. Inspired by Peter’s heroism, Miles has taken up the mantle of Spider-Man.
In this issue Miles’s Uncle Aaron re-enters his life. Aaron is the world-class criminal the Prowler, and he discovers that his nephew is the new Spider-Man. He visits Miles at the school, obviously wanting something from the boy, but is hustled off campus before he can say what that something is. Miles fears that Aaron is going to try to blackmail him with the threat of revealing his identity to his father, who despises mutants and superheroes. Miles goes out as Spider-Man to clear his head and ends up in a confrontation with the Ringer and the police.
When it was announced that Marvel was going to kill off the Ultimate version of Peter Parker and replace him with a half Hispanic, half African American boy, the reaction was mixed to put it mildly. It was a huge gamble, but I’m very glad to say that Marvel has pulled it off. Miles is already as fully-developed and compelling as Peter while remaining his own person. This is not Peter in blackface. This is a three dimensional, dynamic character and even though the comic is only eight issues old, there’s enough potential here to make me think that Miles will have just as amazing an impact on comics as Peter did when he was introduced in 1962.
Most of this is due to Brian Michael Bendis’ excellent writing, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Sara Pichelli’s art. Her style is realistic and she does a great job of depicting both the big action moments and the small, human moments. The worry Miles feels over his Uncle’s threat is clearly visible in both his expression and body language, and the fluidity with which he moves is graceful and yet hesitant, highlighting the fact that he is very new to the superhero game.
In Summary:
Ultimate Spider-Man is one of the best superhero comics out there. It flawlessly mixes character development with plot advancement and exciting action scenes. Miles is a great character in his own right and already stands outside the very long shadow cast by Peter Parker.
Grade: A+
Readers Rating: [ratings]