USM 095

This month through the revolving door comes Jimmy Palmiotti to help with inks and Richard Isanove back to color. Look, it’s Morbius. Not the dramatic redesign you’d expect, either. This one starts with the strange choice to remake Spider-Man’s encounter with Blade in Ultimate Spider-Man Super Special almost verbatim, with Bendis replacing one Spider-Man quip and having Blade tell Spider-Man his name before threatening to eat his heart for breakfast this time. This is marked “Months ago…” I guess they thought it was easier for the fabled new reader than just saying “see USM Super Special!” But that’s 5 pages of story I already bought in my new issue of USM, and that’s kinda lame. Anyway, a caption over the last panel has Kitty telling Peter they’re a hot item.

I like Storm’s tiny violin and Peter “writing that down” with his finger. Great stuff.

JJJ’s glasses are very distinguished. Peter reads Ben’s account of his interview with Jennifer Grunwald, also the name of a staffer in Marvel’s trade paperback program who was popular on the forum. Here, tho, she works at the public library, and recounted to Ben how a strange man came up to her, and then a weird druggie feeling took hold, and next thing she knew, she was in an alley getting her blood slurped out. She woke up in her own home, and then Ben came ‘round to hear her story, and see the bite marks on her neck. Even she doesn’t want to admit what it was, but deep down… she knew.

Boy, the appearance of Palmiotti on inks is very visible.

Oof. Tough times for the kids. While the angst settles, we skip ahead to Ben Urich back at Jennifer’s door, wanting to follow up, when she opens it to reveal she is now wearing the requisite sexy bride of Dracula kind of number and fully a vampire now. She asks an unseen person if she can eat, and, given the greenlight, chomps down on Ben’s neck. The next day, cops are at the Bugle because Ben has disappeared. Peter looks at his vampire story and assumes the worst. Correctly.