Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man #13
Publisher: Marvel
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: David Marquez
Cover: Jorge Molina
You know those horrible tie-in issues that serve no other purpose than to be a quick cash grab for the company? Well, this issue, though a tie-in for Divided We Fall, strays far away from that as Bendis keeps the focus on the events of last issue. This is very much a Spider-Man story, as Miles deals with not only the news of his Uncle’s death, but the fact that he’s been branded a murderer.
If you’re one of the people still not reading this title because Peter Parker isn’t wearing the costume, then you are missing out on one consistently awesome title coming from Marvel right now. Bendis lets the Divided We Fall story line fall (no pun intended) to the background while moving the plot that really matters. The exchange between Miles and his father about Uncle Aaron was not only well written, but David Marquez drives it home with that panel of Miles in tears. Amongst all of the moodier parts of the issue, Bendis does throw in a pretty humorous fight between Batroc and Spidey as he’s on his way to meet the mysterious caller. This ended up being another great twist from Bendis, as well.
As mentioned before, David Marquez really makes this title look great. He makes an effort to really express the emotions Bendis puts into the script, and does just as well during the action scenes. The fights are what you should expect when Spider-Man has to throw down. Especially when going up against someone like Batroc, as comical as he may be. Though, no matter how good Marquez’s artwork is, the Ultimate Cap’s costume is a pretty hideous design.
If you’re a fan of superhero books, you should be reading this title. If you’re a fan of Spider-Man, you should be reading this title. Thirteen straight issues have hit the shelves, and Bendis has not only given us some of the best stories, but he’s established Miles Morales as Spider-Man, and not some copy cat.
Infinite Speech
infinitespeech@comicattack.net
Without spoling it for the people who haven’t read it I just wanted to say that the scene with Miles crying over his Uncle really messed me up. I felt for the kid so much in a way i’ve never cared about another character in a comic before. But it was the last two pages that had me cursing that it was all over so fast. NEXT ISSUE CAN’T COME FAST ENOUGH!!!!
I agree completely! It is certainly an interesting twist on the classic Spidey origin with Uncle Ben. I never thought there could be another Spider-Man, but Miles Morales is right up there with Peter.
Oh, by the way, a while back I covered the Syndrome OGN from Archaia, which is where I first came across David Marquez. Here’s what I said:
“The real gem of this book is the art. I was surprised to discover that David Marquez did all of the art digitally. His style is reminiscent of Phil Jimenez and looks like it is a traditionally penciled and inked work. However, the extras in the back show a bit of his process, which shows what a good artist Marquez really is. Extremely clean lines, pleasant-looking figures, and straight-forward storytelling. I wouldn’t mind seeing more of his art on the shelf.”
Glad to see someone was listening!
Between this and Spider-Men we have achieved arachnid perfection.