Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #5
Written by: Brian Michael Bendis
Art by: Sarah Pichelli and David Messina
Colored by: Justin Ponsor
Lettering by: VC’s Cory Petit
Published by: Marvel
Cover Price: $3.99
Note : This review is for the digital version of the comic available from Marvel Comics on Comixology
Summary (contains spoilers): Last issue ended with Miles Morales in his store-bought Spider-Man costume on a rooftop when Spider-Woman shows up demanding to know who he is. She quickly subdues and unmasks Miles. In his attempt to escape, Miles runs head-on into a satellite dish and knocks himself out.
Spider-Woman takes him up to the Ultimates’ headquarters, the Triskelion, where they try to decide what to do with him. Fury talks to Miles some about his family and his powers.
Meanwhile, somewhere else on the the Triskelion, a mistake in a lab allows Electro to break free of his sedation and try to make an escape. The power goes out on the Triskelion and the Ultimates go to take Electro out. Miles puts his costume on, and freaks out Electro who was there when Peter Parker died. Miles is able to use his camouflage and “venom stings” to help the Ultimates take him down with no trouble.
Miles leaves and tries to get back to his normal life. Spider-Woman shows up out of costume and tells him:
She hands over a new costume, and the issue ends with our first official look of the new Ultimate Spider-Man:
Review: I really can’t believe how much happened in this comic. I will admit that I’ve gotten real jaded about comics in general and Bendis specifically being able to tell a whole story in one comic. I really kept waiting for an abrupt end of this issue, turning this into a five issue battle against Electro.
I was very pleasantly surprised that it kept going all the way to the end. In addition to all the big action and characterization in this issue, Bendis slipped in a lot of great little moments like Fury revealing to Miles the truth about his uncle and showing us how Miles’ powers differ from Peter Parker’s, and what the practical applications of those powers are.
When I read this comic, I actually had no idea who this Spider-Woman was or what her story was. I did look it up afterwards, but that ended up putting me on the same footing as Miles, which I thought fit really well. She is a bit of a bad ass and I love the costume! Bendis really does like Jessica Drew:
Really, all of the Ultimates were really well done in this book, seeing how they react to someone taking on the legacy of Spider-Man. I especially liked any scene with Fury and Miles. I am still not so sure that Fury would have been so willing to change his mind about Miles so quickly, but that really is one of the more mild suspension of disbeliefs I’ve had to make in my decades of comic reading.
The art on this book has really been a highlight. Sarah Pinchelli and David Messina really helped make the fight between Electro and the Ultimates pop. Extra points to the coloring on this book too. I’ve never seen Electro look this cool in any universe!
One thing I am really looking forward to seeing is where the story goes from here. Next issue, Spider-Man is supposed to take on the Prowler, his own uncle, so that should be cool. And I am very curious about what SHIELD sees their role in with this new Spider-Man. I can guarantee that costume comes with a cost of some sort. Bendis really has set up so many ways this book can go from here, and they definitely have me as a fan for the long haul.
I read a lot of great comics this week, including THUNDER Agents 2 and Catwoman 3, and Ultimate Spider-Man was definitely in that top tier. The comic industry really have been putting out incredible stuff the last few months. It’s a really good time to be a comic fan right now, and it’s very cool that I have the privilege of writing about it every week.
Thanks to Inside Pulse and Comics Nexus, to Grey, Babos, Widro, and everyone else around here. Hope you all have a Happy Holidays and see you in 2012!
Final Score: 9.0 A terrific comic that really helps set the stage for Miles Morales’ role in the Ultimate universe.
