Ultimate Comics Spider-Man By Brian Michael Bendis - Volume 1 [Hardcover]

I was seriously gutted when they killed off the Ultimate universe's Peter Parker, and I was predisposed to detest his replacement. But Miles Morales, who looks to be even younger than Peter when he started, has won me over. And so for now I'm very much on board with this newest (and most reluctant) incarnation of Spider-Man.

Brian Michael Bendis has been up and down in his stint at writing them various Avengers titles. But I think he was born to write Spider-Man, or at least the Ultimate versions of him. But if you were anticipating a fresh new origin for this webspinner (who, by the way, has yet to spin webs), you'd be not right, sir.

This is another instance of the media and the Internet letting the cat out of the bag, thus depriving the readers that awesome "What the--?!" moment when the comic book actually does unveil its big reveal. It's a controversial decision, I guess, opting to have a minority character fill in the shoes of Marvel's flagship superhero. Except that Bendis writes Miles Morales so well and so sensitively that you're immediately drawn to the kid.

Miles Morales is half-Latin, half-black. Bendis, without making a big deal of it, is able to express the challenges posed to a minority family. Miles has a good heart. When he wins the academic lottery and is selected to a prestigious charter school, he feels awful for the kids whose names weren't called. Miles' parents are loving people, and yet there's deep dissension between Miles' father and his cool but shady uncle, his uncle who happens to be a halfway recognizable minor villain in Spidey lore. It's in his uncle's apartment that Miles is bitten by a runaway genetically-mutated spider.

Bendis' slow burn decompression style works perfectly in this introductory arc. He takes the time to develop Miles, and we're rewarded with a marvelously three-dimensional fledgling hero. The parallels between Peter Parker and Miles are obvious. Both are sensitive and shy. And while Peter seems to have Miles beat in the I.Q. department, it's both in their DNA to do the right thing. And, in costume, the snark comes out from both. Miles seems to doubt himself more (his best friend, Ganke, is more excited at Miles' having gained powers than Miles himself). Where Miles and Peter clearly differentiate lies more in the area of their fighting prowess and power sets. Miles' arachnid attributes don't quite mimic Peter's. Bendis presents a neat swerve or two...

This volume delivers moments which are extremely moving. As a tremendous fan of Peter, I appreciate Bendis' attempts to integrate Miles into Peter's world to some measure. In a sequence that unfolds organically, Miles, already spider-bit, witnesses Peter's last stand from afar and is compelled to know more about his predecessor. At Peter's massively attended funeral, there's an emotional scene in which Miles is made privy to Uncle Ben's mantra. Bendis gives us a telling and emotional exchange between Miles and Gwen, with Gwen pretty much breaking down the sum of Peter Parker. She ends up with the last word and draws a smile from me.

- Miles: "Why'd he wear a mask though?"
- Gwen: "Because he didn't need anyone to know who he was to be a hero. And it looked @#$@ cool."

That's Bendis and his knack for character dialogue.

Based on how artist Sara Pichelli is simply killing it in these pages, I need to reevaluate her stuff in the PIXIE STRIKES BACK mini-series. Sara Pichelli's art is amazing here, and how she depicts Miles Morales plays a big factor in making him such an appealing character. It's not the easiest thing, being able to draw kids convincingly. John Byrne never could do it. Pichelli makes it look effortless. Her graceful lines flow with dynamism, whether during the big fighty fights or during those inescapable talking head panels. She draws the best facial expressions...

I think Bendis means to stick with Miles Morales. This doesn't feel like a gimmick, like a marketing ploy. His writing is too good. It feels like he's so invested in this. I miss Ultimate Peter Parker. But I'm looking forward to following this new and untested wallcrawler as he strives to live up to Peter's legacy. And his Spidey suit looks really cool.

ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN Vol. 1 collects issues #1-5, plus ULTIMATE COMICS FALLOUT #4. ULTIMATE COMICS FALLOUT #4 is an anthology issue which contains the lead story featuring Miles' first appearance (except that this segment - which has Miles tangling with Kangaroo - is also incorporated in ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #4). Since I haven't kept up with any Ultimate title but this one, I don't really know what's going on with the other two stories. The second story focuses on Ultimate Reed Richards who apparently has turned eeeeevil. The third story features a lunch conversation between two women (one of them Valerie Cooper) which apparently leads to a media exposé accusing the American government of having created mutants. Except I don't really care.

Phrases like "all-new" or "all-different" get bandied around a lot in comic book marketing. It's the sort of catchy slogan that publishers hope will attract readers as they relaunch or reboot a well-known franchise. While Ultimate Comics Spider-Man marks a bold departure from the old, and the titular character offers some new surprises for old readers, long-time fans will feel right at home with the book. There is a sense of vibrancy to the proceedings as Marvel Comics ushers in a brand new Spider-Man, but also a welcome familiarity. It is the perfect jumping on point for new readers and hardcore web-heads.

The Ultimate Universe, launched in 2000, is a departure from the mainstream Marvel Universe and works as a reimagining and updating of Marvel's core classics. An alternate universe of sorts, it's taken some of the company's best-known franchises, like Spider-Man, X-Men, and The Avengers (known as The Ultimates in this line), and freed them of decades of convoluted history and continuity. Readers were reintroduced to familiar characters, but ones that had been updated and revised for the modern 21st-century world.

For much of its run, Ultimate Spider-Man was one of the best books Marvel was putting on store shelves. The credit goes to writer Brian Michael Bendis, who has demonstrated time and again that he has a natural ear for dialogue and character development. Over the course of more than 10 years, he turned teenage superhero Peter Parker and the surrounding cast of characters, like Mary Jane Watson and Aunt May, into fully realized people the audience could care about. While many came for the super-heroics of the famed wall-crawler, most stuck around for the human drama that unfolded and spiraled out of control while Parker was out of costume.

In June 2011, Bendis stunned readers with "The Death of Spider-Man," which, as that story arc's title promised, killed off Parker. After 160 issues, Ultimate Spider-Man came to an end and ushered in a new era for Marvel's Ultimate Universe.

Although Parker was dead, it was clear from the outset that the legacy of Spider-Man would survive and thrive. Soon after, Bendis introduced readers to the "all-new" Spider-Man, Miles Morales. Many fans were eager to see what Bendis had in store for them, while others were leery, or flat-out cynical, of yet another well-publicized comic book death. It even attracted its share of controversy and bigotry as right-wing pundits called the death of the white Peter Parker and his replacement by the half-Hispanic, half-black Morales a game of "political correctness."

The introduction of Morales was heavily hyped, despite the narrow-mindedness of those critical or fearful of diversity. As is the habit of Spider-Man, the book was able to climb above it all and meet the challenge head-on. Bendis delivered a new, invigorating take on the superhero legend, just as he had a decade prior.

Morales is a far cry from Parker on a number of levels--his powers are different, but still decidedly arachnid, as are his supporting cast. His lovably geeky best friend Ganke is a fun component, and the dramatic stakes are upped to a greater degree as a result of the different family dynamics. Morales comes from an intact family (whereas Parker was raised by his aunt after the death of his parents), but faces unique challenges surrounding the turbulent relationship of his father and an uncle on the wrong side of the law. Rather than embracing his developing spider powers as Parker did, Morales is afraid and wants nothing to do with them. While Parker was web-slinging his way around New York City, Morales was determined to stay hidden, opting, largely, to ignore the ways in which he was changing. Ultimately, the death of Peter Parker becomes the catalyst Morales needs to become a hero.

While Bendis' dialogue is largely responsible for the personality of his characters, when it comes to the reader's acceptance of Miles Morales and his burgeoning powers much is owed to Italian artist Sara Pichelli. Her art is a clean combination of hand-drawn and digital renderings, and the final pages are beautiful, and wonderfully expressive. While we get a sense of his hesitancy to become the new Spider-Man through the conversations he has, it's Pichelli who truly sells the emotions and allows readers to feel the fear and wonder that Miles is experiencing. With this volume, she has set in stone the look and feel for the relaunch of a new Spider-Man and has become the artist that defines who Miles Morales is. Her design of the wall-crawler's costume is both new and instantly familiar, retaining some of the classic design elements, like the large white eyes and the web patterns, while making the overall look sensible and cogent. It's a terrific costume that matches the aesthetic of the character and the universe he inhabits quite well.

Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man collects the first five issues of the monthly comic in hardcover format. As a decompressed origin story, it's easily accessible for readers new and old, regardless of their familiarity with the Ultimate Universe. Although the era of Peter Parker is over, it's just beginning for Miles Morales as the legacy of Spider-Man lives on.

Reviewed by Michael Hicks

One of the greatest design aspects of Spider-Man's full body costume has always been the fact that anyone could be inside that mask. No matter the race, color or creed Spider-Man could be any one of us. For fifty years Spider-Man has been Peter Parker a Caucasian kid from Queens but after he was killed, the mantle and the legend of Spider-Man was passed on to Miles Morales a half-African American, half Latino teenager from Brooklyn.

Miles Morales made his debut in the pages of Marvel Comic's Ultimate Comics Spider-Man series by Brian Michael Bendis and Sara Pichelli. Marvel has collected the first five issues of this series in the Ultimate Comics Spider-Man by Brian Michael Bendis Vol. 1 Premiere Hardcover that showcases why Miles Morales was named the Best New Character of 2011.

Growing up in Brooklyn is not so easy for Miles. His family has hardships and his parents work to give him everything they did not have, like a chance to escape poverty. Miles is fortunate and wins a lottery and spot in a prestigious charter school. Things are looking up for him. Then a genetically enhanced spider bites him and his whole world changes. With mysterious powers and no idea how to use them Miles is overwhelmed with fear. He just wants to be normal, but when the original Spider-Man dies to save the world, Miles learns the same lesson that Peter Parker did, with great power comes great responsibility.

Writer Brian Michael Bendis has flipped the status quo. Since the debut of the "Ultimate" line of comics Bendis has told the story of Peter Parker in more than 150 issues of Ultimate Spider-Man. But everything has changed and this story shows that anything can happen.

Bendis' introduction of Miles is handled well. The story is built around Miles and his family life. We are shown who he is and why we should care about him. He has real teenage problems and is trying to fit in. The story feels like a natural progression from start to finish. The danger for Miles increases with each passing moment and Bendis makes you understand how tough this is on him while showing how cool it would be to get spider powers.

Sara Pichelli's art is stunning in its ability to capture the story of Miles on paper. Her artwork gives life to this new character. The artwork shows the emotion of the story from smiles to grimaces to concern Pichelli tells you how the characters are feeling just by looking at them. Then there are smaller things like Miles' first costume. It is an ill fitting Halloween costume that his friend has given him. It bunches up in certain spots and fits loosely in others. Small details like this add so much charm and creativity to the story.

A quick note about Ultimate Comics: Ultimate Comics Spider-Man tells the story of a different Spider-Man as if the story of Peter Parker and now Miles Morales was viewed from a different starting point. Peter Parker still exists on another world and his story and adventures are being told in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man. Ultimate Comics is a world where anything can happen. The heroes don't always win and sometimes they don't come home.

The decision: Ultimate Comics Spider-Man by Brian Michael Bendis Vol. 1 Premiere Hardcover introduces a new Spider-Man to the world. It is a daring initiative because changes to long time heroes are often met with great resistance. Bendis and Pichelli work together to produce a beautiful compelling story. Miles Morales is so much like Peter Parker and yet so different. He learns his lessons from the sacrifice of another and knows that the world will always need heroes. A hero's worth is not measured by the color of his skin but on his actions. Miles Morales is a fun new character and is a welcome addition to the pantheon of Marvel Super Heroes.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 9 reviews  3.9 out of 5 stars