Cover like this might have you thinking Spider-Man fights the Green Goblin in this issue. Well, this one starts with Nick Fury being notified his incredibly stupid decision to let Ock loose has worked out as anyone who’s ever read comics would expect it to. He pages all the Ultimates (Which seems funny for some reason. It’s 2003, they should have cell phones), and everyone but Thor responds. They get in a helicopter to go see the giant hole blown in the side of Fury’s Spider-Villain jail.
Iron Man heads in, now reading only 3 life signs despite the facility having a staff of 38 and, you know, 5 Spider-Villains. The villains are long gone, and Tony discovers Hank Pym is one of the 3 lifesigns, but it really was him getting skewered by a tentacle last issue, so he’s bad off. Janet comes flying out of the helicopter over this, and the rest of the team follows suit. Then we jump ahead to all of them watching footage of the villains escaping. Hairsine’s Green Goblin is just enormous. Like maybe too big for the Hulk. It feels really wrong. Thor finally shows up as they’re finishing their show.
And so, halfway through issue 3 of this mega-hyped Spider-Man/Ultimates crossover, Peter Parker appears, getting in trouble alongside everyone in his class except Gwen and MJ for submitting the lyrics to a rap song as a poem instead of writing one, when a government suit shows up and tells him to “get his stuff.” And it’s not just any suit, it’s the Ultimate version of…
Thus, Peter is delivered to the Triskelion, mouth agape, and then into Fury’s war room, a bustle of activity. Fury tells him to come with him.
Really not getting Bagley’s Peter here. Not even really trying to do the haircut.
Soon enough. In fact, we can get an idea from the very next 2 pages…
Nick holding a famous and very government-connected rich guy probably doesn’t sound good as long as you don’t know that guy turns into what Hairsine depicts as a 20-foot tall monster. Well, at least Spider-Man is in it now. Halfway through the series. Not the best pacing on these events.