Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Illustrated by Sara PichelliAfter the shocking status quo game changer from last issue’s 10th anniversary special, Spider-Man must now undergo afterschool super hero training–and the lessons start here!!! Plus Peter Parker gets a new girlfriend? And you won’t believe who she is. They’ll be guest stars galore in this action packed adventure as Spidey gets schooled!
After last issue’s mammoth anniversary tale, this month brings the beginning of Ultimate Peter Parker’s brand new status quo. When Bendis said there was going to be a renewed dedication to actually telling NEW stories with the Ultimate Universe, he sure was not lying. Click below to get the current haps on not only best book coming out of the Ultimate Universe at the moment, but one of the most consistently great comics being published across the board.
A lot like The Walking Dead, this comic is growing increasingly hard to review on an issue to issue basis. A large part of that stems from the fact that each issue picks up almost directly from where the last one left off, making it a truly ongoing story that most serial comics. While this is most certainly an excellent way to write, it makes reviewing this issue without, really, talking about the WHOLE story being told that it is just a part of is pretty hard given that the issue itself doesn’t have its own identity. Stuff certainly happened: the Black Cat came back, got into some fisticuffs with Mysterio and uncovered a mystery that I am sure will reveal itself soon. Johnny acted like an overconfident putz, Bobby asked out a former super villain and Gwen came home to find out just how much Aunt May cared about her. Oh, also Iron Man showed up.
By itself, not much really happened and nothing occurred that really had an immediate pay-off…but the stuff being built to here is great. I personally can’t wait to see what The Ultimates have planned for Super-Hero School, or where Bendis plans to go with the character of Lana. When she first re-appeared I figured it was just a one-off appearance but now it seems as if she’ll be a regular or semi-regular cast member. It’s also nice to see just how invested Aunt May is in the lives of the kids she has taken in, which heretofore had been implied but not directly shown. Overall, this is just one more awesome chapter in the awesome epic being spun by Bendis here. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: the relaunch of this book last year really was a fresh start and the slant taken with the book this time around has been immensely entertaining, heartwarming, thrilling and positively intriguing. As much as I’m excited to have Mark Bagley back on the book, I’m almost hesitant because his style is inextricably linked to the last volume of the book and I wonder if it will ruin the visual tone established by David Lafuente for this relaunch.
Speaking of David Lafuente, Sara Pichelli is giving him some serious competition. With her second full issue as artist on this book, she managed to take the stylistic template he established and not only continue in that vein, but expand it, leaving her own mark on the characters right out of the gate. Sure she has different tics: her characters tend to be a little less round and a bit disproportionate and her lines aren’t as crisp at times, but the light, very much “young” feel that the book needs is completely intact. I know it had been announced that she was taking over as regular artist on the book at New York Comic-Con, but now with Chris Samnee drawing an issue and the much hyped return of Bagley, I’m not sure where she (or Lafuente for that matter) will fit into the mix, but she is a perfect fit for this book and I can only hope she stays connected to it.
Overall, this book is just a fantastic young hero story with clear objectives and a promising outlook. Yeah, maybe it doesn’t matter to “mainstream” continuity, but its damn fun and really, that’s all that matters.
Final Verdict: 9.0 – Buy
