WWPPD?
This issue felt like the culmination of the entire series up until this point. Ever since Uncle Aaron discovered Miles' secret identity, we've been waiting for the big pay off. While we've been treated to an interesting team-up and some tense character dynamics between uncle and nephew, hero and villian, this issue finally brought that to a close. If the comparisons between Norman Osborn and Uncle Aaron are anything to judge by however, we will be seeing the Prowler further down the road.
Bendis has often been either lauded or criticsed for his decompressed stories. Personally, I find it better when read in trades, and the To Be Continued endings of the last few issues were starting to feel repetitive and redundant. With this issue however, my doubts were wiped out. Miles' decisions in this issue were completely necessary, and the breathing room he's had in the last few issues to think about his situation proved to be better in the long run; some hefty decisions are thrown around in this issue, and thanks to Bendis' decompressed pacing and story-telling, we are treated to a very satisfying issue, with a very interesting ending. The character work is very strong here, and the public's acceptance of the new Spider-Man sees the black-suited Spider-Man become THE Spider-Man. Miles is now beginning to step out of Peter's shadow, and it feels fresh and exciting, for me, as a reader. Now that Miles Morales has undergone his extended origin, I am hugely excited for his adventures to begin. As fresh as Ultimate Spider-Man felt 12 years ago, so too does this series have all the great aspects that made that series great from the beginning.
It would be remiss not to mention the artwork as one of those great things. Mark Bagley felt like a natural fit for Ultimate Spider-Man, and eventually it seemed that nobody but him should have been illustrating the series. And now, Pichelli and Marquez have emerged as equally perfect for this book. Similar in style to Pichelli, though brilliant in his own ways, Marquez continues to make this one of the prettiest books on sale. Bagley's legacy is in safe hands, and Ponsor's work with Marquez in this issue gives us some incredibly detailed and beautiful pages and spreads. The dichotomy between Miles' night and day lives are perfectly serviced by the artwork, and with this new Spider-Man, the 'new' pencils are working seamlessly distinguish this book from its predecessor. For example, the panel layout in this issue felt great, and the pacing was superb. The little differences are quickly adding up, and with Marquez's clean and detailed linework, the fluidity of Spider-Man has never been so much fun to read.
Not a lot of bad things about this issue. Not one that I can think of off the top of my head. As mentioned above, Bendis decompression may or may not be suited to your personal taste, though it's hard to argue with the results. Marquez has proved himself an organic fit for this book, and if the general quality of this book continues at this pace, then this series has the markings of being amongst the best books of this year. It's certainly in a good place at the moment to become so; with that in mind, Bendis doesn't usually disappoint in the Ultimate Spider-Man front, and my excitement with this series going forward is leaving me anticipating the next issue.
