The cover, the solicit, pretty much everything about Ultimate Spider-Man #11 from Marvel Comics is teasing the arrival of Ultimate Black Cat. But, surprise, surprise, Felicia barely appears in this issue. Instead, the real draw here are several emotionally charged conversations between Spider-Man and his amazing friends. And for the first time in 11 issues, this Peter Parker actually does what is technically referred to as “Spider-Man stuff.”
With Harry Osborn MIA, Spider-Man is on a solo mission, and it’s a classic: stopping bank robbers. So rather than the Hamlet-esque Spider-Man in stasis we’ve been getting for the past year, this one jumps in with quips, action, and actually holding his own. While we get this all the time in the mainline continuity, it’s a thrills to see this Spidey cut loose. Writer Jonathan Hickman of course knows how to write Spider-Man in this mode; and artist David Messina crushes it with the action sequences.
Funnily enough, though, the issue really elevates itself when Spider-Man takes off the mask. Two conversations in this issue stand out in particular. One is between Peter and Mary Jane, where Peter gets asked a question I don’t think has ever been asked before: how does he feel about fighting? Here’s a high school nerd who has never won a fight, now heading out every night punching dozens of criminals. Is he scared? Does he like it? Does he hate it? It’s something that perhaps we should be asking more of our superheroes in general, and Hickman handles the conversation with nuance. It’s not a simple “I’m a hero, I save people” explanation. Instead, it’s something Peter is grappling with.
The second one is between Peter and Uncle Ben on the anniversary of Aunt May’s death, and while one might expect the classic power/responsibility speech to pop up here, the scene is more of a warning. With Spider-Man flexing his powers and the Ultimate Universe one year in out of the two years before villain The Maker returns, there’s ever sense that one, if not more, of the characters in the book will be joining Aunt May by the time this story continues.
Overall, this is yet another issue that builds the tension, emotion, and action inherent in this book. It’s been the slowest of decompressions, basically doubling the length of Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley’s previous Ultimate Spider-Man — that took six issues to get Peter up to speed; here we’re taking at least 11-12. But it’s given Hickman room to really explore not just what Spider-Man means, but what he could be with a little more time for reflection.
The stakes are high, and the stage is set for year two — perhaps the final year — of Ultimate Spider-Man. Bring it on.
Ultimate Spider-Man #11 Rating:
Ultimate Spider-Man #11 Official Synopsis:
WHO IS THE ULTIMATE BLACK CAT? Tensions rise between Spider-Man and Green Goblin in the wake of recent events! And a new villain steps up to the plate! What is her connection to the Black Cat on Kingpin’s Sinister Six?
Comic Book Club Live Info:
Discover more from Comic Book Club
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.