Miles Morales: The Ultimate Spider-Man #11 Review
Okay, after Miles basically got his ass caught for stupidly revealing his identity, he’s now captured by HYDRA. What happens next, you ask? Read my review of Miles Morales: The Ultimate Spider-Man #11!
The comic opens with the fake spider guys robbing another SHIELD place, only this time Jessica Drew is waiting for them. Much like every other time we see her trying to do something alone in this series, she gets her ass-kicked and de-masked. Would it have killed her to have taken Cloak, Dagger, or Bombshell? Then again, Miles didn’t even put up a fight so….
Speaking of him, Miles’ father is calling for him, but doesn’t have his phone. Ganke does, and it turns out he and Miles are both horrible at keeping his secret identity a secret. Their roommate for the last year knew all this time, because he’s not an idiot and these guys are loud. Roxxon was right, he did a horrible job of protecting his secret identity.
Miles wakes up to find Katie there waiting for him, and she explains she had nothing to do with this. But she did tell her sister and when your whole family is HYDRA, it naturally leads to this. He breaks out of the ropes holding him down, but Katie’s father has captured his family and friends so he’ll settle down rather than punching through him like he’s made of plywood.
He chews Miles out stating that his actions have cost them a number of agents despite losing his mother because of his actions, but he’s alive because Katie asked that he be given a chance and he’s a valuable piece of genetic engineering. Miles tries to flee, only to get shot because for some reason he forgot he has camouflage powers and Spider-Sense and Agility, only for Doom to show up with Jessica Drew in tow.
Okay, review time….
To be fair, Doom had made it clear he was going to get Miles back in the All New X-Men series, so I really wasn’t surprised. Even if the cover hadn’t given him away. I’d consider it proper continuity, but the Ultimate Universe is doomed next issue anyway so it doesn’t matter.
Still, 4 out of 5.
Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man #7 Review
Okay, we’re entering the climax of the whole Norman Osborn and Peter Parker subplot. Read my review and recap of Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man #7!
It starts with Osborn telling Miles he can tell him the secrets of his father if he listens to him, but Maria Hill tells him not to listen. Osborn then goes from a rant about how he and they are immortal, he would kill everyone to avenge what’s been done to him, someone is pulling their strings, and then state’s he’s their father again before transforming. So we can see that he grows progressively insane the longer he’s without shock treatment.
Peter and Miles jump into the fray once again with Maria Hill providing support fire to drive him off. Miles, unwilling to let him run and pull this crap again since he knows all of their secret identities, gives chase and brings him down to the ground, impressing all parties involved except Norman, who gets back up only to get put down again by both of them.
Maria Hill tells all of them to leave while she handles the police. Once they’re out of sight she puts three rounds into Osborn’s head, which JJJ did only to get killed for it afterwards. She takes it a step further and sets him on fire just to make sure he stays in hell this time and apparently that worked.
At the warehouse where Miles met with them before and received his web-shooters from Aunt May Peter gives them back to him and gives him his blessing before telling the others he’s going soul-searching to discover what he’s there for and who bought him back. In truth he’s leaving with MJ and going someplace far away. As the comic ends we see that Katie’s parents are Hydra and Miles’ father has returned to talk to him as the comic ends.
Okay, review time…
Good art, good story, but there are some times when I feel that they mixed up the panels and it got confusing. Also Fridge Horror kicks in here when you realize that Peter running off by himself will likely get him killed by Morlun’s family once Spider-Verse reaches here, unless it takes place before this but short of mass memory wipes that seems unlikely.
I give it a 4 out of 5.
Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man #5 Review
Okay, if you’re confused about why there are two Spider-Men and Green Goblin is back, you’re not alone. But, in my review of Miles Morales: The Ultimate Spider-Man #5 we cover the aftermath of the fiasco last issue.
Our comic begins with Peter, if that is him, and Miles being held up by the police. They have orders not to use their guns because it’s a residential area, but as soon as the two make a break for it Miles gets shot. Again, Spider-Sense should negate that risk but he has the excuse of having a weaker version that Peter. Still, it’s nothing lethal and, with Maria Hill’s help, both manage to get away.
Anyway, the two fake Spider-Men are brothers who look nothing like the originals, so they aren’t clones. One wants to capitalize on this to go cross another item off their list, but the other wants to play it safe. Whoever they’re working for doesn’t take disappointment well, so the reluctant one has to go along either way and they get dolled up for another robbery.
Maria Hill, in the meantime, helps Miles out because Peter Parker helped her out when she was a beat cop and then she got the collar for when he put down Kangaroo, so he pretty much made her career and she wants to help them both. At the same time, Green Goblin pays JJJ a visit in his penthouse apartment while the faux Spider-Men go rob an evidence room that holds super powered goodies.
Green Goblin, now Osborn again, paid JJJ a visit so he can go on record and give him an interview. It turns out that Miles’ Venom Blast managed to fry the crazy out of him for a time, making him more lucid and capable of remembering he killed his son. He believes that SHIELD, Roxxon, and Hydra are responsible and he needs to take power because those in power took everything from him. When he confirms he’s not done fighting, JJJ tries to put him out of his misery with a bullet, but considering how the last few times someone has done that hasn’t worked out that’s probably just a waste.
As the comic ends, Miles goes back to Queens while wearing a shirt over his uniform, which should bring up alarm bells either way, and goes to see MJ. He asks if Peter is there and she tries to send him away, but Peter then tells her to let him in so they can talk.
Okay, review time.
Well, this is sort a wind-down after that big battle the last time. While I would have loved to see how Katie Bishop, Jessica Drew, Aunt May, and Gwen Stacy took the news, we did learn why Maria Hill is so supportive of Miles. But seriously, I mean really, the one guy who shoots happens to land the shot on someone with Spider-Sense?
Unless Miles being injured later on makes it so that Peter has to die again to save him, it’s a waste. Anyway, 4 out of 5.
Miles Morales: The Ultimate Spider-Man #4
Holy Hell, this issue was something special since even I don’t know what’s going on. But, I’ll do my best to review Miles Morales: The Ultimate Spider-Man #4.
The comic picks up with Katie making it back to her home, where her older sister Misha is, crying. When her sister asks what’s wrong, she tells her Miles is Spider-Man. Now, this is the exact type of thing you don’t want happening and the reason I called Miles an idiot for blabbing about it.
But what’s more concerning is the fact that her sister tells her to break up with him for both of their sakes, because if their parents find out they’ll kill them both. What type of parents do they have? Uh, anyway, the sister states the best case scenario is that he gets killed by a super-villain, which is all kinds of messed-up, but considering everything else she’s said it fits.
It’s just her luck then that Osborn decides to make his kill-count 2 for 2 on Spider-Men. Miles learns the hard way that fire burns, but he has more tricks at his disposal than Peter and can go invisible long enough to bean him with something heavy. Still, he’s out of his weight-class and the police pretty much gets toasted as the news reports Miles almost imminent demise.
It’s then that Peter Parker shows up in the Spider-Man suit, where he got it I don’t know, and everyone stares in stunned silence as Osborn, like me, wonders how the hell is he alive. I’m still going with the shape-shifter theory, but a clone might be on the table now.
The surviving police open fire, and promptly get fried for it, but it buys enough time for Peter to web his face and Miles to give him the poke of doom. Venom Blast + Fire Demon = Big Boom. Osborn flies off and the police decide they’re going to try and take in the two Spider-Men. Aunt May thinks she’s going insane, while Gwen reasons it’s someone else, but Aunt May says she knows it’s him as the comic ends.
Okay, Review Time…
First, I’m still on the fence if this is the real Peter or not. I want his casket exhumed, I want a lie detector test, I want a DNA test, and a psychic reading to boot before I believe it. Second, I’m not sure it’s a good thing he’s still alive. I mean, his death was the pinnacle of the Ultimate Universe.
You can’t top that, especially not by ruining it by bringing him back to life all of a sudden. This is a Hail Mary that can blow up in their faces. But, knowing Marvel, if they think it would save the series and boost sales, he back.
The art was top-notch and the whole damn issue was sweet. Full 5 out of 5.
Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man #2
Our story begins with Norman Osborn returning to his defunct company, Oscorp, only to find his office robbed of almost everything important except for a picture of a stallion. Why this sole painting was left hanging isn’t clear, but it’s revealed to have hidden a retinal scanner that leads to a secret lab that must’ve been operating with one massive hidden power source given the lights work after over two years. He finds whatever he’s looking for there and gets to working on whatever he has in mind for the next issue.
Meanwhile Miles touches Peter in ways that are almost inappropriate while trying to figure out how he’s alive. Peter keeps asking for the web-shooters and states that he’ll leave once he gets them, but Miles calls his ass out on why he hasn’t told anyone he’s alive. The fact that this guy tries to skirt the issue alone is sending up alarm bells.
Eventually Peter tries to take them and gets a reflexive Venom Blast for his trouble, which if he had his Spider-Sense he would have dodged because it takes about three seconds to work on contact. Then again it worked on 616-Peter…anyway, he shakes it off long enough to knock Miles on his ass and then knocks him out, taking them while he was out cold. When Miles gets up he thinks to himself that it must be a clone, which honestly isn’t that far of a stretch when you consider that Scorpion is still around as far as we know, and runs off to tell Ganke.
The imposter Spider-Men show up at a Stark facility and beat the crap out of the guards while bantering with each other, with one guard calling for back-up. He comes out when the rest are down and tells them he doesn’t get paid enough to get his ass-kicked and just tells them to take what they came for. They tell him to help get something from the boat labeled “Latveria”, which can’t be good.
Miles and Ganke talk about the Peter Parker he just ran into, with Miles dropping the bomb on Ganke that Jessica is a female clone. The boy thinks Peter must have had a great tush. Puberty hit him hard given how he seems to go after every hot older woman he knows. Anyway they discuss the merits of telling May about this or not, since she’s been so good to him and through so much pain that he doesn’t want to trouble her if he’s wrong. It doesn’t help that Jessica’s phone is off.
The discussion derails the moment Miles’ girlfriend shows up. Both of them suck at lying, so she quickly figures something is wrong and asks if he’s breaking up with her. The comic ends as he decides to just come clean.
Okay, review time.
Not much progress other than the fact that “Peter” is being secretive and kind of a dick, shocker. Good art though. I’ll give it a 4 out of 5 for the time being.
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