Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man #10
Publisher: Marvel
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: David Marquez
Cover: Kaare Andrews
Uncle and nephew come face to face as their alter egos, and lay some cards on the table in a meeting that has been in the making since the first issue. It was revealed back then that Miles’s Uncle Aaron is the high profile thief known as The Prowler. He also put two and two together very quickly that his nephew is the new Spider-Man that’s been making headlines all over the city. Prowler has a plan for his nephew, and it involves that bad ass of a villain, The Scorpion.
Bendis has been keeping Miles’s life pretty hectic, and the build up has been great so far. One could complain that for a superhero comic there’s not too much over the top superhero action going on. However, the fact is that Bendis has made the character building so great that the small bits of action we do get are just fine. The confrontation between Spidey and Prowler was a great teaching moment for Miles. Bendis also continues to show us that Uncle Aaron isn’t to be taken too lightly even without super powers. It’s a form of “tough love” that might end up coming back to bite him in the rear later on down the line. He’s playing a dangerous mind game with his nephew, but Miles may learn a thing or two for his benefit, as well.
David Marquez blows this issue out of the water panel after panel! It was a great idea to make their meeting more personal by having the two remove their masks. It allowed Marquez to give us the right amount of expression needed to heighten the dialog. There’s also a great scene where Miles considers asking the Ultimates for help, but feels so insignificant that he changes his mind. Those pages were some of the best, and it was such a quiet moment in the issue.
It’s been ten issues and each one has been significantly better than the last. The characters, though based off of previous ones, have an identity and voice all their own. This Prowler is much different from the Hobie Brown from the 616 and more of a key factor. Hopefully Bendis makes him what the Goblin was to Peter Parker. It’s amazing that when this title was announced all anyone could talk about was the color of Miles Morales’s skin. Now all you should be talking about is how great this title has been for the past ten issues!
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The tale of Miles Morales (as i’ve been calling it) is such an engrossing read that I haven’t even noticed a lack of “action” in them. The art has been incredible, with the exception of issue 7 which had me raging at the artist change. Thankfully that seemed to only be temporary. Marquez does a great job here, so much so that I didn’t notice the change in style until close to the end of the book or maybe it was because I was so engrossed in the dialogue. I still prefer Pichelli but I don’t mind Marquez. As for the rest I’m dying to see what skills Uncle Aaron has to teach Miles and if Miles eventually builds the courage to contact the Avengers. That scene had me feeling bad for him.
All in all, I can’t remember the last time I wanted so bad for a comic to come out. Waiting for the next issue, especially after seeing the cover with Miles in handcuffs, is nerve racking.
The art in this issue was phenomenal. Even as I grow more and more uninterested with Bendis’ 616 work, this book just keeps topping itself.